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2024

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Best Mortgage Brokers in Marin County

Our Recommended Top 16

We did the research for you!

  • Licensing
  • User Reviews
  • Mystery Shopping Calls

Our goal is to connect people with the best local professionals. We scored Marin County Mortgage Brokers on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to give you a hand-picked list of the best.

79Reviewed

53Curated

16Top Picks

Learn about our selection process.

Providers

featured provider = Featured Provider

1000 4th Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
WebsiteLicense: 246222

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
4.9 (15)
Google
4.9 (10)
Facebook
5.0 (7)

Why choose this provider?

Mary Jo Lafaye is a mortgage broker who spealizes in handling reverse mortgages in Marin County and the surrounding areas. She helps clients protect retirement portfolios, reduce monthly mortgage expenses, create funds for home repairs and upgrades, and plan for retirement with housing wealth. Lafaye is a home equity retirement specialist who has accumulated 17 years in the industry. She has trained private bankers and wealth management advisors and taught reverse mortgages to real estate finance students and SRES candidates.

  • Reverse Mortgages

1746 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
WebsiteLicense: 227047

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (7)

Why choose this provider?

PRMI San Francisco serves customers in Marin County and the neighboring areas. The company offers loan options to individuals who want to purchase their own residential properties. Its team also guides clients in navigating through the mortgage process by offering tips and advice. The business takes its time to answer its customers' questions and listen to their unique needs and goals. PRMI San Francisco was established in 2008. Michael Koran, one of its co-founders, is licensed in California and Nevada.

  • Refinance

4304 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903
WebsiteLicense: 1825

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (36)
Facebook
4.0 (7)
Google
5.0 (2)

Why choose this provider?

California Mortgage Advisors is a full-service mortgage firm that has been offering services in Marin County and its surrounding areas since 1993. The company is being led by Jack Terrell who has a total of over $1 billion in loan volume from his over 2,500 originated transactions as a loan originator. California Mortgage Advisors provides various mortgage options such as second, adjustable-rate, and fixed-rate mortgages. In addition, it also offers different loan services like VA, FHA, construction, and jumbo loans.

  • Refinance

1425 N McDowell Blvd. #209, Petaluma, CA 94954
WebsiteLicense: 896711

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (76)
Zillow
5.0 (10)

Why choose this provider?

Yosef Shapiro is a mortgage broker serving residents of Marin County and nearby areas. He helps people compare, choose, and apply for home purchase loans. He offers a wide range of mortgage programs, including ARM, VA, USDA, FHA, fixed-rate, and conforming loans. He also provides refinancing options. He guides clients through the home refinance process, which includes filling up the pre-approval letter request, receiving loan options, comparing mortgage interest rates and terms, and choosing the type of home purchase loan.

  • Refinance

232 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
WebsiteLicense: 254124

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
4.9 (70)
Google
5.0 (51)
Facebook
4.9 (41)

Why choose this provider?

Julie Malta is a loan officer with Guarantee Mortgage, serving clients in Marin County and the rest of California. She assists with conventional loans, jumbo, VA, FHA, and first-time homebuyer programs. Julie spends time with clients to explain the mortgage processes and help them choose the plan that fits their needs. Furthermore, she provides refinancing solutions to homeowners who want to consolidate debts, lower mortgage payments, and get cash equity from their homes.

  • Refinance
  • Reverse Mortgages

130 Kaden Drive, Novato, CA 94947
WebsiteLicense: 368447

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (27)
Yelp
5.0 (6)

Why choose this provider?

West Cal Financial Team is an independent real estate and mortgage brokerage company that offers loan products for home purchase or refinancing to clients in Marin County. The Novato-based business works with lenders, inspectors, contractors, and other housing professionals to help clients in buying, refinancing, or selling houses. The team is composed of Brandon McGrath, a licensed broker and mortgage loan originator, and Angel Morales, an architect, interior designer, and a real estate marketing practitioner.

  • Refinance

1615 Fifth Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901
WebsiteLicense: 241024

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (16)
Zillow
5.0 (10)
Google
5.0 (8)

Why choose this provider?

Ryan Lugbauer is a mortgage advisor and broker serving Marin County. Lugbauer, a native San Franciscan, leverages his experience, knowledge of local real estate, and access to loan programs and financial institutions to guide clients when purchasing or refinancing a home. He maintains communication throughout the process, giving advice from the pre-application phase to post-closure refinancing. Lugbauer obtains most of his business through referrals from the local Realtor community and past clients. He has over ten years of experience in the field.

300 Valley Street, Sausalito, CA 94965
WebsiteLicense: 297096

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (8)

Why choose this provider?

David Cary is a mortgage broker at C2 Financial Corporation who serves clients in Marin County. David has more than 20 years of experience as a mortgage broker in California. Before establishing his own company, Cary Financial, he worked as a broker associate with Pacific Capital Mortgage and California Mortgage Advisors in the San Francisco Bay Area. He decided to merge his firm with C2 Financial in 2012 with the aim of meeting the jumbo financing needs of his clients.

  • Refinance
  • Purchase Transactions

362 Ignacio Boulevard, Novato, CA 94949
WebsiteLicense: 69148

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Brian Inciardi is a mortgage broker who serves clients in Marin County and the surrounding areas. He provides multiple types of individual home loans, particularly conventional, VA, FHA, jumbo, and hybrid fixed-rate loans. He offers financing solutions for apartments and commercial properties. Loan options for real estate construction projects are also offered. Brian has been working with accountants, financial planners, and Realtors for almost 40 years. He previously worked in a bank where he was a top producer.

  • New Construction

1682 Novato Blvd, Novato, CA 94947
WebsiteLicense: 468647

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Zillow
5.0 (74)
Google
5.0 (61)
Facebook
5.0 (59)

Why choose this provider?

Clear2Close Brokers is a mortgage brokerage that has been serving Marin County and the nearby communities. It helps first-time and repeat home buyers secure a purchase loan by comparing interest rates and terms and guiding them through the purchase process. The company also provides loan options including 30- and 15-year fixed mortgage, jumbo, FHA, VA, ARM, and reverse mortgage. Clear2Close Brokers has access to 40 different lenders. The company was established in 2019 by the husband and wife team of Paul and Danielle Olbrantz.

  • New Construction
  • Refinance

1680 Tiburon Blvd Unit 9, Tiburon, CA 94920
WebsiteLicense: 241012

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
4.9 (31)
Facebook
5.0 (5)

Why choose this provider?

Golden Gate Lending Group meets the financial needs of homeowners in Marin County. It offers bridge loans to clients who want to move to new properties purchase before their current homes are sold. Its staff members also process customers' applications for privately funded and owner-occupied loans. They help families obtain second mortgage, fix-and-flip, and construction loans. The founder, Sofia Nadjibi, is a certified mortgage planner with over 20 years of industry experience.

  • Refinance

1425 North McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94954
WebsiteLicense: 240295

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (25)

Why choose this provider?

Jehoshua Shapiro owns eMortgages.com, an online mortgage business serving the Marin County area. Shapiro aims to make a difference by making the company readily accessible to clients online 24/7. He and his team of agents work with individuals looking to find the best rates to purchase new homes, refinance their current homes, or take an equity loan. The company offers different loan options including jumbo, conventional, FHA, VA, and investment property loans. He is also a Certified Mortgage Advisor.

  • New Construction
  • Refinance

4304 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903
WebsiteLicense: 256787

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (29)
Yelp
5.0 (8)
Facebook
5.0 (1)

Why choose this provider?

Larry Martinez is a mortgage advisory providing services for Marin County residents. He specializes in helping clients find lending programs that fit their current needs and works with them closely throughout the process to ensure deadlines are met and that their loan closes on time. Larry's clients include first-time home buyers, move-up and second home buyers, refinancing homeowners, investment buyers, and seniors seeking reverse mortgages. Larry is a part of California Mortgage Advisors, Inc., a full-service mortgage group established in 1993.

  • Refinance

628 East Washington Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
WebsiteLicense: 1850

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Google
5.0 (25)
Yelp
5.0 (14)
Facebook
5.0 (9)

Why choose this provider?

Petaluma Home Loans is a local mortgage banker that serves first-time homebuyers in Marin County. It has been in business for over 20 years, specializing in refinancing and purchases. It offers conventional, jumbo, and 203K rehab loans as well as reverse mortgages and downpayment assistance programs. It also offers government-assisted home programs, such as FHA, USDA, and VA loans. The company is a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation and is an equal housing opportunity lender, licensed in California.

  • Refinance
  • Reverse Mortgages
  • Purchase Transactions

1501 Fifth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
WebsiteLicense: 1520592

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Facebook
5.0 (8)
Google
5.0 (5)

Why choose this provider?

Shane Gallagher is a long-standing mortgage officer for All California Mortgage who helps Marin County-based clients with purchasing their first homes or refinancing their current ones through the wide variety of mortgage products he offers. Available loan program options include FHA, VA, and jumbo loans; fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages; HARP; and reverse mortgage. Additionally, Gallagher offers assistance with refinancing to help clients reduce monthly payments, cash out some of their equity, or consolidate existing debts.

  • New Construction
  • Refinance

6 Petaluma Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94952
WebsiteLicense: 231434

Expertise.com Rating

Review Sources

Yelp
5.0 (34)
Facebook
5.0 (30)
Google
5.0 (15)

Why choose this provider?

America's Home Loans is a mortgage lending company offering loans in Marin County and surrounding areas. The company assists home buyers, including those seeking to purchase a home for the first time, in purchasing and refinancing a property through its wide selection of loan options. America's Home Loans offers FHA loans, VA loans for veterans and army personnel, and jumbo loans aimed to fit the needs of clients. America's Home Loans has its own home loan payment calculator that clients can download through their phones.

  • Refinance
  • Purchase Transactions

Compare our Top Mortgage Brokers

NameExpertise RatingAddressPromotionsLearn more
Mary Jo Lafaye
1000 4th Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
PRMI San Francisco
1746 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
California Mortgage Advisors
4304 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903
Yosef Shapiro
1425 N McDowell Blvd. #209, Petaluma, CA 94954
Julie Malta
232 Townsend Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
West Cal Financial
130 Kaden Drive, Novato, CA 94947
Ryan Lugbauer
1615 Fifth Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901
David Cary
300 Valley Street, Sausalito, CA 94965
Brian Inciardi
362 Ignacio Boulevard, Novato, CA 94949
Clear2Close Brokers
1682 Novato Blvd, Novato, CA 94947
Golden Gate Lending Group
1680 Tiburon Blvd Unit 9, Tiburon, CA 94920
Jehoshua Shapiro
1425 North McDowell Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94954
Larry Martinez
4304 Redwood Highway, San Rafael, CA 94903
Petaluma Home Loans
628 East Washington Street, Petaluma, CA 94952
Shane Gallagher
1501 Fifth Street, San Rafael, CA 94901
America's Home Loans
6 Petaluma Boulevard, Petaluma, CA 94952

FAQs

  • Introduction

    It’s the American dream to buy property, and almost everyone who purchases a home does so with the help of a mortgage broker. It can be intimidating when you don’t know where to begin, what information is necessary, and how to receive a loan. A mortgage broker acts as an intermediary between the applicant and the financial institution.


    The mortgage broker’s role includes comparing loan terms across lenders to find applicants the best options, collecting paperwork the financial institution needs to analyze the application, and guiding the buyer through the underwriting and closing processes. Mortgage brokers can significantly simplify the home buying process.

  • Can mortgage brokers work across state lines?

    Yes, mortgage brokers can work across state lines. However, each state has different licensing requirements for mortgage brokers. Customers should ensure their broker can legally work in another state before going across state lines. Lastly, don’t forget the mortgage process is often time-sensitive, so being in different time zones can be problematic.

  • How do mortgage brokers find lenders?

    Mortgage brokers work independently and act as a bridge between the client and the lender. They reach out to several lenders to form a network and build professional relationships with those they work with often. They use lenders who best meet a client's rates and terms, and some lenders only do business through mortgage brokers.  

  • What credit score do mortgage brokers use?

    There are two credit scoring models in the United States: FICO and VantageScore. Mortgage lenders typically prefer to use FICO. However, each credit bureau uses a different version of the FICO score:

    • Experian uses FICO Score 2
    • Equifax uses FICO Score 5
    • TransUnion uses FICO Score 4

  • Do mortgage brokers help with refinancing?

    Yes, mortgage brokers can help with refinancing. Individuals who have a solid credit score will typically go to their bank to refinance their mortgage. However, if you don't have excellent credit, a mortgage broker may be able to secure you a better interest rate than you could get on your own.

    You pay a fee to the mortgage broker, so you'll want to consider this fee versus your savings in your cost-benefit analysis.
  • Can you work with two mortgage brokers?

    You can definitely work with two mortgage brokers. The advantage of using multiple brokers is that you'll have two people reaching out to several lenders to secure the best rate possible. However, you must ensure you provide matching information to all your brokers. If two brokers provide mismatched information about your application to the same lender, it can send off red flags and delay your approval process.

  • Do mortgage brokers get better deals?

    Yes, a mortgage broker should be able to get you a better deal. Mortgage brokers go to several lenders on your behalf and find the one with the best terms and interest rates. However, note that some mortgage brokers have preferred lenders. A broker may bring you their preferred lender's offer, even if it's not the best one; however, this isn't a regular practice.