Straight Up Mortgage Talk Tim Harrison

I had another excellent interview with Peggy Hosking. I swear every time she's on the podcast I learn a ton. In this episode, we discuss holding title, and we discuss the advantages and benefits versus other types of vesting. Tune in to learn all you need to know about understanding holding title! 

Below are the questions we go over during the interview.

 1. So tell me about what can happen when people are actually smart enough to get a trust but never transfer their real property into a trust?

 2. Also, can you address what happens when clients are in a trust but during a refinance get pulled out of the trust and are not put back in?

 3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of holding title in tenants in common versus others types of vesting? 

 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of holding title in joint tenants versus other types of vesting? 

 5. What are the advantages and disadvantages of holding title community property versus other types of vesting? 

 6. What are the disadvantages of adding a person to tile as a joint tenant as a way to have them inherit the property versus doing a trust? 

 7. Okay so the fun questions, tell us all about the horror stories?

I had an excellent and informative interview with Raquel Garcia about home inspections. Home inspections are a crucial part of the process and are often overlooked. So, if you've ever had any questions about home inspections, we answer them and more! Below are the questions we go over in the interview. 

1. Why is it so important for a client to get a home inspection?  

2. What is the cost range for a home inspection?  

3. What experience level or training is required to be a home inspector? 

4. What does a home inspector do during the home inspection?  

5. What are some of the add-on products a client should consider adding to the home inspection? 

6. How can a home inspection be used to create a list of what needs to be done to the property once purchased?

7. What are some horror stories you can share that have come up at home inspections? 

8. Is there anything we did not cover that you think we should cover?

In this episode, I speak with Cheryl Funez about home appraisals. Appraisals are an important part of the loan process. So, the more you know, the better! Tune in to learn all you need to know about appraisals.   

Below are the questions we go over in the video.  

How long have you been appraising real estate?

What kind of licensing and fieldwork is required to be an appraiser?

What does an appraiser do to determine the value of a property?

If there is an offer on a property accepted on a specific property, after being listed for sale on the open market and it is determined to be an arm’s length transaction, how does an appraiser go about supporting the value that was accepted?

How does determining the value on a refinance differ from determining the value on a purchase?

How does the lack of supply impact values?   How do you make adjustments when comparing different properties with different features and different conditions? 

What impact does location have on a property value?

What resources do you use for comparables on properties you appraise?

Any other questions you can think of I should be asking you to discuss.

In this week's episode, I speak with the famous Nona Tirre! She is not only the premier local insurance agent in the area, but she also does so with a tremendous amount of style. If you're looking for a fantastic insurance agent with some style, look no further. 

Check out the interview to learn all you need to know about Homeowners' insurance. 

Below are the questions we go over in the interview. 


What are the basic items a homeowners insurance policy covers?
What items can you incorporate into the insurance policy that consumers often add but are not normally covered in a standard homeowners policy?
Tell me the advantages and disadvantages of lower or higher deductibles and what a deductible is?
How does it really work on the deducible when you have an actual claim?
So Nona, tell me why bundling your auto and homeowners insurance might be advantageous?
What happens if you have claims or the property you are insuring has claims against it?
Talk to me a bit about earthquake insurance and how it works in California.
Okay, a serious question, do you have a pair of khakis and a red shirt, or does only Jake get that uniform?
Did I miss anything I should have asked you?
How does someone get in touch with you if they want a quote or want to compare a current policy against what you can offer?
Tim to mention Nona speaks Spanish.

This week, I interview Tim and Debra Galli. They have been a trusted business partner of mine for over 20 years. Luckily for me, they are THE Title insurance agents. Watch the video to learn all about Title Insurance.


So in simple terms, what is title insurance?

How does it protect the buyer? What is this type of title insurance called?

How does it protect the lender financing the property? What is this type of insurance called?

Why do we need title insurance on transactions?

What are the different sources title insurance companies use to do research on the properties?

How does title insurance use the statement of information form title requires on a transaction?

Do you remember an interesting situation where title insurance had to come in and fix a problem?

Are there any other questions I should have asked that I didn’t?

In this week's episode, Tim speaks with Nancy Silberberg, President and Senior Escrow Officer at Atlus Escrow. 

If you've ever had any questions about escrow, here are your answers! 


So in a nutshell, what is escrow, what purpose do they serve in a Real Estate transaction?

When a borrower enters into escrow, they put a deposit in escrow, what is that for?

During the escrow a borrower fills out a form for title called a statement of information, what does title use this for?

What are escrow instructions?

What does the escrow do to close out the transaction?

What is important to cover that I did not ask about?