Mortgage Questions, Answered
Straight answers, before you fill anything in.
Most people arrive here with the same handful of questions and no interest in a sales pitch. Below are the answers we give on the phone every week — written out, in plain language, with no obligation attached. If your question is covered in more depth on another page, we say so and link you straight to it.
Book a free 15‑minute callCall 714‑276‑6155
Kings of Lending is a mortgage team led by Victor Salazar, NMLS #2052157, operating under E Mortgage Capital, Inc., NMLS #1416824. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Section One
Getting started
Nothing in this section costs anything, and none of it affects your credit score.
What does the mortgage pre‑approval process look like?
It starts with a free 15‑minute consultation and a soft credit review, which does not affect your credit score. After we look at your basic information and documents, we identify the loan options you may qualify for and outline the next steps toward a full approval.
You are never asked to commit to anything during that first call. Plenty of people speak to us six or twelve months before they buy, purely to find out what they would need to change.
See the full pre‑approval walkthrough →How long does the mortgage approval process take?
Timelines vary with the loan program and your financial picture. In general, mortgage approvals take anywhere from a few days to several weeks once all the required documentation has been received. Files that are complete on day one move fastest; the delays we see almost always come from missing paperwork rather than from underwriting itself.
We do not quote guaranteed closing dates before a file has been reviewed. Any timeline given before that point would be a guess, and guesses are expensive in this business.
What documents do I need for a mortgage application?
Most applications need some version of the following:
- Proof of income — pay stubs, or bank statements and profit‑and‑loss statements if you are self‑employed
- Bank and asset statements
- Government‑issued identification
- Employment or business documentation
The exact list changes by loan type. Rather than sending you a generic checklist, we tell you precisely which documents your situation requires, so you are not gathering paperwork nobody will read.
Can I explore my options without a hard credit pull?
Yes. We begin with a soft credit review and a high‑level look at your finances, so you can see the shape of your options without a hard inquiry on your report. Full documentation and a hard pull may be required later, depending on the program you move forward with.
Is the consultation really free, and is there any obligation?
Yes, it is free, and no, there is no obligation. The call exists so that you can make an informed decision, including the decision to wait or to work with somebody else. We would rather be the team you trust in two years than the team that pushed you in two days.
What happens on the call →Section Two
Qualifying
These are the questions people are most nervous to ask out loud. Ask them.
Can I get a mortgage if I am self‑employed?
Yes. We work with a large number of self‑employed and 1099 borrowers, and there are several ways to document income when a tax return does not tell the whole story:
- 12 months of personal or business bank statements
- 12–24 month profit‑and‑loss statements
- Asset‑based and other alternative documentation programs
Guidelines differ by program, and part of our job is working out which documentation route presents your income most accurately.
Can I get a loan without a Social Security number?
Yes. We offer ITIN and other non‑traditional programs for borrowers who do not have a Social Security number, including foreign nationals and recent immigrants. An ITIN — an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the IRS — can be used to document identity and tax history on these programs.
Requirements are different from a conventional loan, and eligibility depends on the individual file. This is one of the areas we are asked about most often, and one where a lot of people are told “no” by a bank that simply does not offer the product.
See the loan programs we can access →What is the minimum credit score needed to get a loan?
Some programs allow approvals with credit scores as low as 500, depending on the rest of the financial picture. Every program sets its own requirements, and we review the options against your full profile rather than against a single number.
Scores below 500 are reviewed on an exception basis. A low score does not automatically end the conversation, but it does change which programs are realistic.
I was already declined by a bank. Is it worth trying again?
Often, yes — because a bank can only offer you the products that bank sells. A decline from one lender is a decline from one guideline set, not a verdict on you. We work with a wide panel of wholesale lenders, which means a file that does not fit in one place can sometimes fit comfortably somewhere else.
What we will not do is pretend. If the answer is genuinely no for now, we will tell you that, and tell you what would need to change.
If a bank has already said no →Does applying hurt my credit score?
The initial consultation and soft review do not affect your score. A hard credit inquiry happens later, when you formally move forward on a specific program. We tell you before that happens — it should never be a surprise on your report.
Section Three
Loan programs
Access to more programs is the single practical reason a broker exists.
How many loan options do you have access to?
Through E Mortgage Capital, Inc. we have access to more than 50 loan programs, including FHA, VA, conventional, bank statement, investor, commercial and private lending options. That range is what allows us to match borrowers with solutions beyond a single bank’s shelf.
Browse the loan programs →Can I get a loan to build a home from the ground up?
Yes. We offer construction and construction‑to‑permanent financing. Options may include:
- Conventional construction loans with low down payment options
- VA construction loans for eligible borrowers
These programs can finance both land and construction costs for one‑ to four‑unit properties. Because a build has more moving parts than a purchase, we walk through the draw schedule and the permanent‑loan conversion before anybody signs anything.
Do you offer fix‑and‑flip loans?
Yes. We provide fix‑and‑flip financing that may cover a portion of the purchase price along with renovation costs. These loans are structured around the property, the renovation plan and your experience level, so the terms available to a first project are not the terms available to a tenth.
For detailed investment scenarios, our team can model the options during a consultation.
Do you work with investment property and DSCR loans?
Yes. Investor programs, including debt‑service‑coverage‑ratio loans that qualify on the property’s rental income rather than your personal income, are part of what we place regularly. They are a common fit for self‑employed buyers and for anybody building a portfolio.
Should I refinance?
Only if the arithmetic works for you specifically, which depends on your current rate and balance, how long you plan to keep the property, and what the refinance costs. We are happy to run that comparison honestly, including the version where the answer is “stay where you are”.
We do not publish rate quotes on this website. Rates change constantly and any figure printed here would be out of date before you read it.
Section Four
Working with us
Who we are, where we can lend, and what it costs to talk.
Who is Kings of Lending, exactly?
Kings of Lending is a mortgage team led by Victor Salazar, operating under E Mortgage Capital, Inc., NMLS #1416824. E Mortgage Capital is the licensed brokerage; Kings of Lending is the team you actually deal with. Victor is licensed under NMLS #2052157 and DRE #02211532.
Meet Victor Salazar →Where are you located, and can I meet in person?
Our office is at 3750 S Susan Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704. You are welcome to come in. A great deal of the work happens by phone and email because that is faster for most people, but nobody here is allergic to meeting face to face.
Contact details and directions →Which states can you lend in?
We serve California and Nevada along with a number of additional states through E Mortgage Capital, Inc. Licensing is state‑specific, so the fastest way to confirm your state is to ask us directly.
See the areas we serve →Do you have anything I can read before I speak to anyone?
Yes, and deliberately so. Victor wrote The Wealth Builder’s Mortgage Guide, and we publish free guides on removing mortgage insurance and on buying a first home. They are there so you can arrive at the conversation already informed, which makes for a much better conversation.
Free books and guides →Are you hiring loan officers?
Yes. We take on already‑licensed mortgage loan originators who want access to a much wider lender panel than a single‑lender shop can offer.
Careers at Kings of Lending →My question is not on this list.
Then ask it. There is no such thing as a question that is too basic here — the people who ask the most questions tend to end up with the best outcome, because they understand what they are signing.
Call 714‑276‑6155, send a message through the contact page, or book a free 15‑minute call.
Fifteen minutes, no obligation.
Bring your question. You will get a straight answer, and if the honest answer is “not yet”, you will get that too, along with what would need to change.
Book your free consultationGet pre‑approved
Prefer to read first? Start with the free guides or the latest from our news page.
Kings of Lending is a mortgage team led by Victor Salazar operating under E Mortgage Capital, Inc., NMLS #1416824. Victor Salazar, NMLS #2052157, DRE #02211532. Equal Housing Opportunity. Information on this page is general in nature and is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a commitment to lend, an offer of credit, or financial, tax or legal advice. Loan programs, guidelines, eligibility requirements and available terms are set by individual lenders, are subject to change without notice, and vary by state, property and borrower. All loans are subject to credit approval, income and asset verification, property appraisal and underwriting review. Approval is not guaranteed and no specific rate, term, payment, cost or closing timeline is promised or implied anywhere on this page. Program availability varies by state.
