All 500+ questions I actually get asked, answered in plain English instead of fine print. No “it depends” where a real answer belongs, and no pretending a 90-second website approval is the same thing as a pre-approval. Search below, or browse by topic.
Before the mortgage side, I sold over 1,000 homes here in the Capital District. So these answers come from someone who has sat in the agent's chair at the closing table — not a banker reading you a policy manual.
Program guidelines on this page last verified . Guidelines, limits and program terms change — verified figures are current as of that date, not a commitment to lend.
Reviewed and updated · guideline answers cite the agency source
Nothing matches that one — which either means I missed it or you asked something genuinely new. Try a shorter search, or just ask me directly.
The files that got declined somewhere else — prior denials, oil tanks, unpermitted work, failed septic.
AnswersWhere to begin. Pre-qualification vs pre-approval, soft pulls, and what to do before you apply.
AnswersWhat score you actually need, how inquiries work, and what to fix before an underwriter sees it.
AnswersHow much you really need, gift funds, assistance programs, and why cash to close is a bigger number.
AnswersHow underwriters calculate what you earn — write-offs, add-backs, bank statement loans, 1099 and gig income.
AnswersFHA, VA, USDA, conventional, jumbo, SONYMA — what each one does and which fits your file.
AnswersOil tanks, septic, wells, wood stoves, unpermitted additions — the conditions that stop a loan.
AnswersWhat happens between an accepted offer and the keys, week by week, including what can still go wrong.
AnswersWhat appraisers actually measure, and what to do when the value comes in short.
AnswersThe last 72 hours — the Closing Disclosure, what to bring, and how wire fraud really happens.
AnswersHow escrow works, why a payment changes after closing, and when you can waive it.
AnswersWhen refinancing pays and when it doesn't — break-even math, cash-out, HELOCs, dropping PMI.
AnswersSecond home or investment property, DSCR loans, rental income, and Lake George and Adirondack properties.
AnswersRenovation and construction financing — 203(k), HomeStyle, draws, contractors, after-improved value.
AnswersHow a HECM actually works, who qualifies, and what happens to the house and to heirs.
AnswersDivorce, bankruptcy, foreclosure, job loss, disability income — each has a path and a timeline.
AnswersOur tax bills, our school districts, our housing stock — questions a national call center can't answer.
AnswersFair questions about working with me, before you spend any time on it.
AnswersWhat Realtors ask about pre-approvals, difficult files and turn times.
Fifteen minutes, no credit pull, no application, no pitch. Worst case you learn something and I don’t get your business.
Brian Marchand · Sr. Loan Consultant, New American Funding · NMLS #481563
Works on the questions borrowers actually ask for buyers and homeowners in Albany, NY and the Capital Region. Licensed in New York State. New American Funding, NMLS #6606 · 18 Computer Dr E, Suite 103, Albany, NY 12205.