Learn the game before you play it.
Everything I explain to clients on calls, organized into two free tracks — one for first-time buyers, one for the self-employed and investors. No gate, no jargon, no pitch.
Mortgages aren't complicated — they're just explained badly, usually by people who benefit from the confusion. The Academy is the antidote: short lessons, plain English, real numbers where numbers belong.
Completely free
No gate, no email wall, no upsell at the end.
Plain English
Real Central Valley numbers, zero jargon.
At your pace
Go in order or jump straight to your question.
The First-Home Track
For renters and Bay commuters plotting their first Central Valley purchase.
The honest readiness checklist — and the myths that make people wait too long
What's really required, and how assistance programs work
What scores move your pricing and how to prep yours
The difference that wins or loses houses
The three-question decision
PITI, MI, HOA — the whole number
The crossover math and when renting wins
Escrow, appraisal, underwriting, closing — the play-by-play
The Self-Employed & Investor Track
For business owners the bank lowballed and investors building the 209 portfolio.
The write-off trap and the two-door system
Deposits as income — mechanics and prep
Using the income calculator like a pro
The ratio, the math, the strategy
What entities change — and don't — for financing
Title-in-LLC programs and the document kit
2–4 units, bigger buildings, tenant-paid mortgages
What actually sets an investor's rate
The live class.
The First-Time Homebuyer Webinar walks Track 1 start to finish, live, with real Q&A — bring the question you were too embarrassed to ask anyone else.
Want even more? Two free public resources worth bookmarking: Fannie Mae's homebuyer education and HUD's Buying a Home.
Straight answers.
Is this really free?+
Completely. Educated clients make better decisions, close smoother, and refer their friends — that's the business model, and it's not a secret.
Do I need to finish a track before calling?+
No — the call meets you wherever you are. The Academy just means we spend your thirty minutes on strategy instead of vocabulary.
Is this financial advice?+
It's education about how mortgage programs work. Your specific numbers get their own conversation, and tax or legal questions go to your CPA or attorney — we'll happily say “that's a CPA question” when it is.
Every situation is different — this is general info, not a loan commitment or offer to lend.
Learn free. Ask free.
Pay nothing to know exactly where you stand. See your real rate in seconds — no personal info — or grab 30 minutes with Sam.