Can You Use Rent From an Unpermitted ADU to Qualify for a Mortgage?
It depends on which agency’s rules the loan is written to, and that is not something a homeowner can see from the outside.
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How Fast Can You Get a Second Mortgage in California?
It depends on three things, and only one of them is about you. The appraisal, the title work, and the income verification method decide most of the timeline on any California second mortgage or HELOC.
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Can You Itemize on Your California Return and Still Take the Federal Standard Deduction?
Yes. The Franchise Tax Board sets out the mechanic in the 2025 Form 540 instructions: if you did not itemize federally but will itemize for California, complete a federal Schedule A anyway, then check the box on Side 5, Part II of Schedule CA (540) and complete Part II.
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Does Adding Solar Increase Your Property Taxes in California?
Not today. California excludes the value of a qualifying active solar energy system from your property’s assessed value, so adding solar has not added its value to what you are assessed on.
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Uncle Sam Meets Wall Street: The Fight Over Fannie and Freddie, and What It Could Mean for Your California Mortgage Rate
Two companies most homeowners cannot name stand behind trillions of dollars of U.S. mortgages. As of their mid-2026 filings, Fannie Mae’s single-family book and Freddie Mac’s portfolio together cover roughly $7 trillion in home loans.
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The FAIR Plan Raises Rates 29.1% on October 15. Here’s What It Does to Your Mortgage Payment.
More than 668,000 California properties carried a FAIR Plan policy as of December 2025. Most of those households will learn about their rate increase when the bill arrives.
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The Land Under Some California Homes Changed Legal Status on July 1. Here’s How to Tell If Yours Did.
On July 1, 2026, a state law changed what the land under certain California homes is legally allowed to become. No local hearing preceded it. No owner received a letter.
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54% of Home Equity Cash Now Skips the First Mortgage. Here’s Why — and What to Check Before You Follow.
Something just happened in the mortgage market that hasn’t happened in nearly two decades, and it confirms what a lot of California homeowners with low-rate mortgages already figured out on their own.
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California Real Estate Market Outlook 2026 After Fed Update
What the Fed did: The Fed held its policy rate steady at 3.50%–3.75% in its January 28, 2026 decision.
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Selling a Home in 2026: How Fed Rates Affect Buyers
The big takeaway for California sellers: The Fed held its policy rate steady at 3.50%–3.75%, which usually keeps mortgage pricing stable but not dramatically cheaper in the short term.
