Single-Family
Primary residence or rental. FHA / VA / conventional / DSCR depending on use.
Financing options
The financing structures behind every San Diego deal
FHA, VA, conventional, DSCR, and cash — the paths a San Diego buyer or investor should know about, mapped by a finance-licensed advisor. Bilingual, education-first, no surprises at closing.
Our financing solutions
Every common path, mapped to your situation
Whether you're buying your first home, scaling a portfolio, or refinancing to pull equity for an ADU build — there's a structure that fits. Here's the short list of what Agustin's network covers.
- 01Purchase loans
FHA, VA, conventional, jumbo, DSCR — for owner-occupied or investment.
- 02Refinance
Rate-and-term or cash-out to pull equity for ADU, value-add, or 1031 timing.
- 03HELOC & HELOAN
Tap home equity without touching your primary mortgage rate.
- 04Bridge loans
Buy the next home before the current one sells — short-term, asset-based.
- 05Construction & renovation
Ground-up ADU, gut-rehab, or value-add — financed through completion.
Property types we finance
From condo to 4-plex to ADU build
Agustin's lender network covers the property types San Diego buyers and investors actually transact on. Each has a different qualifying lane.
Multifamily (2-4 units)
House hacking territory. Owner-occupied FHA/VA on a duplex, triplex, or fourplex.
Condo & Townhome
Watch VA approval list, HOA, and warrantability. Conventional usually the cleaner path.
ADU & Value-Add
Renovation loans or HELOC to fund the build. Rental income makes the math work.
Get financing
Tell us about your scenario
Share a quick summary and Agustin will map the 1-2 structures that fit, then connect you to the right lender in his vetted network. Bilingual, no obligation, response inside 24 hours.
- Finance-licensed: Series 7, 66, CA Life
- Bilingual: English & Spanish
- DRE #02242952 — First Class Real Estate
How it works
From first call to locked rate
Share your scenario
Fill the form above or book a 30-minute call. We cover income picture, down payment situation, VA eligibility, and what property you're targeting.
Map the structures that fit
Agustin sketches the 1-2 financing paths that actually match — not a generic list. You'll know the tradeoffs before you talk to a lender.
Warm handoff to a vetted lender
You're introduced to a loan officer from Agustin's network who already knows the client profile. Real pre-approval in 24-48 hours.
Why financing structure decides whether you close
Most realtors will tell you "get pre-approved." What they won't tell you is that the financing structure decides as much about your offer as the price does — sometimes more. A 5%-down conventional and a 3.5%-down FHA look similar on paper but read very differently to a listing agent, an appraiser, and a seller's lender. The right structure for your situation depends on whether you're owner-occupying, how long you'll hold, what the property's condition is, and where rates are pointing.
Agustin's pre-real-estate career was inside Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase. He holds Series 7, Series 66, and a California Life Insurance License in addition to his DRE real estate license. That stack means he can walk you through the structures clearly — not pitch you a product. When you're ready to lock a rate, he hands you off to the right lender from his vetted network.
Important compliance note: Agustin is a licensed real estate salesperson (DRE #02242952, First Class Real Estate). He is not a mortgage loan originator. This page is educational only. Actual loan terms, rates, and qualification come from a licensed lender — Agustin will connect you with the right one for your situation.
The four most common structures
What buyers in San Diego actually use
95% of the deals Agustin sees run on one of these four. Pick yours based on use, eligibility, and how long you plan to hold.
FHA loans (3.5% down)
Federal Housing Administration-backed, designed for first-time and lower-down-payment buyers. 3.5% down with a 580+ credit score. Allows owner-occupied 1-4 unit properties — which makes it the workhorse loan for house hacking a small multifamily in South Bay.
Pros: low down, flexible credit, gift-funded down payments allowed. Cons: mortgage insurance for the life of the loan (unless you refi), stricter property condition standards, FHA-loan-limit caps.
VA loans (0% down)
For eligible active-duty service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. Zero down payment, no mortgage insurance, competitive rates. San Diego is the largest military market in the country, so this is a major lane.
Pros: 0% down, no PMI, assumable loans (a big deal in higher-rate environments). Cons: funding fee (1.25-3.3% depending on usage), strict appraisal standards, condo approval list applies.
Conventional loans
The standard non-government-backed loan, conforming to Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac guidelines. 5-20% down typical, sometimes as low as 3% for first-time buyers. The right call when you have stronger credit and want flexibility on property type.
Pros: drops PMI at 20% equity, fewer property restrictions, faster close, broader appraisal acceptance. Cons: stricter income/credit requirements, higher down payment than FHA/VA.
DSCR loans (investor-only)
Debt-Service-Coverage-Ratio loans qualify off the property's rent rather than your personal income. Built for investors scaling past their first 2-4 properties when conventional financing gets tight. Typically 20-25% down.
Pros: no personal income docs, scalable for portfolio buyers, faster close than commercial loans. Cons: higher rates (typically +1.5-2.5% vs conventional), higher down, prepayment penalties common.
Beyond the basics
Three more structures worth knowing
Cash purchases
Pay full price, no loan. Strongest position in a competitive bid; closes fastest (often 10-14 days). Common for investors with 1031 proceeds or move-up buyers who sold a primary residence. Cash buyers can typically negotiate 3-7% off list in exchange for certainty + speed.
Hard money / bridge loans
Short-term, asset-based, expensive (8-12%+ APR). For value-add deals where you need to close fast, do the work, then refinance into a conventional or DSCR loan. Used by investors doing ADU additions, gut renovations, or fix-and-flip plays.
Owner-occupant + ADU build
Buy a primary residence with FHA / VA / conventional, then use a renovation loan or HELOC to build an ADU. South Bay California ADU rules are favorable — the rent income covers most of the mortgage uplift. Agustin runs this play often.
Down payment assistance — California programs to know
California has multiple down-payment assistance (DPA) programs that stack on top of FHA, VA, or conventional loans. Most San Diego buyers don't know they qualify. The big ones:
- CalHFA MyHome Assistance — deferred-payment loan covering up to 3-3.5% of purchase price for down payment + closing costs. First-time buyers, income limits apply.
- CalHFA Forgivable Equity Builder — up to 10% of purchase, forgiven after 5 years of owner-occupancy. Stacks with conventional.
- San Diego City First-Time Homebuyer Program — local DPA up to 17% of purchase price, deferred, no monthly payments. Income limits.
- Chula Vista Down Payment Assistance — South Bay-specific, often misses buyer radar.
Eligibility shifts year to year based on funding cycles and AMI updates. Agustin tracks which programs are open and which fit your income / area — it's a quick check on the first call.
How Agustin works the financing piece
Education first, then a warm handoff
The 30-minute strategy call covers your income picture, your down payment situation, your VA / military eligibility, and what kind of property you're targeting. From that, Agustin sketches which 1-2 structures actually fit — not a generic list.
If you want to move forward, he hands you to a vetted lender from his network. These are loan officers who already know his client profile, communicate fast, and don't surprise the appraisal. You get a real pre-approval letter in 24-48 hours, not a soft pre-qualification.
His role then shifts back to real estate — finding the property, structuring the offer to match your loan, and shepherding inspection / appraisal / lender conditions through to close.
Related lanes
Where financing connects to the rest
Financing structure is the bridge between strategy and execution. If you're planning a primary-residence purchase, the Buy a home lane walks through the buyer process end to end. If you're building an investment portfolio, the Invest in property lane covers multifamily, house hacking, and ADU value-add. And the Strategy & Tax lane covers Section 121, 1031, and Prop 19 frameworks that affect when you finance, refinance, and exchange.
Deep-dive guides on specific structures: House hacking with FHA / conventional · ADU value-add financing · 1031 + Section 121 (when financing meets timing).
Want a 30-minute financing-path call?
Free, bilingual, no obligation. We'll map the 1-2 structures that fit you and connect you to the right lender.