The Mortgage Files

Nationally syndicated mortgage news and advice from Senior Loan Officer Scott Sheldon.

Infographic showing how to buy a new home without selling first, avoid contingent offers, and increase purchasing power using jumbo mortgage strategies

Buy a New Home Without Selling First | Avoid Contingent Offers

By Scott Sheldon / January 21, 2026

How to Buy a New Home Without Selling First One of the biggest challenges many homebuyers face today is wanting to buy a new home while still owning their current one. It’s an extremely common situation. You’ve built equity, you’re ready for the next chapter, but you can’t—or don’t want to—sell your current home before…

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Illustration of a homebuyer comparing a 30-year, 40-year, and 50-year mortgage term, showing payment differences and long-term interest costs.

Should You Ever Take a 50-Year Mortgage?

By Scott Sheldon / November 25, 2025

When you stretch a mortgage term out to fifty years, it changes the entire financial picture of buying a home. Yes, the payment drops. Yes, the loan becomes “affordable” on paper. But there’s a real cost hiding underneath that lower monthly payment—the amount of interest you’ll pay over time balloons, often reaching levels most families…

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A modern two-story suburban home with blue-gray siding and white trim is shown at sunset, framed by a calm sky and soft lighting. Bold navy blue text over the image reads, “Here’s a Better Way to Think About It,” making it a visually inviting blog post header about real estate strategy.

Thinking of Lowballing Because the House Needs Work? Here’s the Reality.

By Scott Sheldon / July 15, 2025

Here’s a Better Way to Think About It If the home just hit the market—say it’s been listed for less than 30 days—it’s still considered “fresh.” In that case, offering within 5% of the list price is a good rule of thumb if you want to be taken seriously and still have room to negotiate.…

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Single-story beige suburban home in Sonoma County with a 'For Sale' sign in the front yard, neatly landscaped lawn and bushes, under a clear blue sky

Why days on market (DOM) matters for Sonoma County home buyers

By Scott Sheldon / July 1, 2025

If you’re on the hunt for a home in Sonoma County, you might have noticed listings aren’t flying off the shelves as quickly as they were—yet the pace is still brisk. In May 2025, homes typically went pending in about 37 days, about six days longer than last year. That extra time isn’t just a…

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Before and after renovation of a home, demonstrating how strategic improvements can maximize home equity and increase property value

Buying a Home That Needs Work? Here’s How to Maximize Equity and Benefit from Lower Interest Rates

By Scott Sheldon / March 27, 2025

So, you’ve found a house you like, but after digging in, you realize it needs $70,000 worth of work. That $500,000 house is probably priced that way because it needs those repairs—meaning if it were move-in ready, it could easily be worth $570,000 or more. Now, you’re faced with a choice: walk away or embrace…

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