ITIN, DACA & Self-Employed Mortgages | LA & Inland Empire

The 3 things on your mind

Here's the truth about each one.

When someone calls me, they almost always ask the same three things. Here's the short answer. The full one we cover on the call.

"My credit is bad"

It might not be as bad as you think. And even if it's low, there are loans that accept down to 580. If we need to work on it first, I'll tell you exactly what to do and how long it'll take.

"I don't have enough for the down payment"

There are 3% programs. There's help for the down payment AND closing costs. People qualify for these all the time and don't know it. That's what the quiz is for — to see which ones fit you.

"I'm self-employed — how will they see my income?"

I know how to present a self-employed buyer's income properly. Bank statement loans. 1099. There are paths the big banks won't show you. I will.

In 5 minutes you'll know which of the three you're strongest in, and which one we need to work on.

My dad at his ranch, Yucaipa

I'm the daughter of a gardener.

I came to the United States in January 1997 with my mom and my three siblings. My dad was already here working. The six of us lived in a storage room inside a ranch in Glendora, where my dad was the owner's employee, doing the landscaping. We didn't know it was illegal to live there. We were happy because we had food and a roof.

Later we moved to a one-bedroom apartment in Glendora. There were eight of us. Glendora has some of the best schools in the area, and that's where I learned English and found my footing.

Over the years, my dad went out on his own, built his own landscaping route, and in 2004 he bought our first house in Azusa. To this day I don't really know how he did it. Probably with an ITIN loan, back when almost nobody knew what that was. I was the oldest, but I was still a kid, and real estate sounded like something far away and complicated. I stayed out of the process.

In 2019, my dad and my sister wanted to buy a 4.5-acre ranch in Yucaipa. I went with them to every meeting because I was the one who understood the complicated stuff. The first lender ignored us. I stepped in to coordinate everything: I found the second lender, Hank Greenberg, and worked through the details with my sister, my dad's paperwork, and everything else the loan needed to close.

Hank was the one who asked the right questions, explained how the system works, and found a way to close the loan when everyone else said it was impossible. It took six months, a 1031 exchange, seller financing, self-employed paperwork, and a lot of prayer. In July 2019, we closed. Today my dad lives there with his animals. For him, it's like having a little piece of Mexico in the United States.

Today Hank is my manager. The same lender who said yes to my family now backs me on every loan I close. I have a whole team with me: bilingual female processors, years of experience with the complicated cases, and the freedom to keep asking questions until we find a way.

That's why I specialize in the cases other lenders don't want to take. Self-employed. ITIN. DACA. People who pay their taxes but don't fit the bank's form.

If that's your family, you're in the right place.

If any of these is you, you're in the right place.

You have parents who don't speak English. When there's no loan officer who really speaks Spanish, the weight of translating falls on the kids. I lived it. I come from an immigrant family, I was undocumented, I know the lingo. That weight isn't yours anymore.

You were told no somewhere else. There are many loan types for different situations: bank statement, ITIN, FHA, conventional, and more. Big banks often don't do them, or their loan officers don't have the experience. I do.

You're self-employed and you write off everything you can. I get it. But to buy a home you have to show income. We plan that together.

You don't have a Social, but you do have an ITIN. Of course it's possible. They're called ITIN loans. The interest and down payment are higher, but if you put in the work, it can be done.

You're DACA and you think this is only for citizens. It's not. I was DACA in 2019 when I bought a home with my husband. I know exactly how it's done.

You want a conversation, not a form. I ask a lot of questions, because your situation is bigger than an application. I see the whole family, not just whoever signs. We're going to find the path, get creative, and see where you really stand.

If today is a no, that doesn't mean it's a no forever. If you really want to buy, se va a poder.

Your plan in 5 minutes.

Answer 15 questions. Walk away knowing four things.

How ready you are

A clear score: "Ready," "Almost Ready," or "Your Plan Starts Here." Wherever you are, there's a path.

What you'd pay per month

An estimate of your monthly payment with everything included. Plus a slider so you can see how the payment changes at different interest rates. So you come to the call already knowing the numbers.

What your credit, work, and down payment tell us

I'll walk you through what matters in your case. If there are assistance programs that fit you, I'll show you which ones. And if there's something we need to fix first, that too.

A call with me. No call center.

I personally review your result and call you. If today is a no, I tell you why. If it's a yes, I tell you what comes next.

Start my free assessment →

Frequently asked questions

How much down payment do I need?

It depends on the loan type and your situation.

If you're a first-time buyer with good credit, it can be as little as 3%. If you're a first-time buyer and your credit isn't great, around 3.5% with FHA. If you're going with an ITIN loan, with my bank it's 15-20%. If you're buying an investment property, 20%.

There are also down payment assistance programs like CalHFA's MyHome and ZIP, and sometimes you qualify and don't even know it. That's why we do the quiz first. To know exactly what fits you.

My credit is bad, can I still buy?

Possibly yes. With FHA you can qualify starting at 580. It's not ideal, but it can be done.

The important thing is to look at your whole situation, not just the number. Sometimes the score looks bad but there are things we can fix quickly. Other times we need a few months of work before applying. And other times you're more ready than you thought.

That's why the quiz. In 5 minutes we know where you really stand.

How much do you charge?

Nothing. I don't charge you to work with you.

If we work together a month, six months, a year, and in the end you decide to go with someone else, all that time was free. I get paid when I help you close a home or refinance. That's it.

DACA: can I really buy?

Yes. I did it.

In 2019 I bought a home with my husband as a DACA recipient. I lived it myself, I know exactly how it's done.

Starting in 2025 the rule changed: FHA no longer accepts DACA. The good news is the path is now the conventional loan, which has competitive rates and 3% down programs. If your work permit (EAD) is close to expiring, we need to renew it before applying.

Can I buy with my partner if one of us has ITIN and the other has a Social?

Yes, it can be done. What you both need to know is that the loan is going to be an ITIN loan, with higher interest and a higher down payment. With my bank, 15-20% down.

It's not the cheapest loan, but it's real, it exists, and many Latino couples buy this way. The important thing is to go into this with your eyes open, knowing the numbers from the start.

What if my husband works in cash?

Hopefully he's depositing that cash in the bank, because that's where it all starts.

There's a loan called a Bank Statement Loan. With this loan we don't look at your taxes, we look at the deposits coming into your account. Usually we need 2 years of bank statements.

The other option is to start reporting that income on your taxes. It'll take longer to buy a home, but it can also be done. The most important thing in either path is to document where the money comes from.

How long does the whole process take?

It depends on where you are right now. If your credit is in order, your down payment is ready, and your work is stable, you can close in 30 to 45 days from when you apply.

If we need to work on something (raise your credit, save more for the down payment, wait until you hit 2 years self-employed), it can be 3 to 12 months. The good part is when we make the plan, you know exactly what to do and how long it takes.

The people who start early always get there faster than the people who wait until they feel "ready." That's why it's worth doing the quiz even if you don't want to buy tomorrow.

Were you told no? My job is to tell you how it's a yes.