The lineup
Mortgage loan programs in Ohio and California — every option, one straight answer.
Eleven programs, each with its own page, its own calculator, and an honest read on whether it fits you. Zach shops your file across Coast 2 Coast’s wholesale lenders, so the answer is the best structure — not the only one on the shelf.
Pick a lane
Whatever you’re buying, there’s a play for it
Purchase, refinance, investment, or your very first house — every program below is one Zach actually writes in Ohio and California.
First-Time Buyer & Ohio DPA
Ohio's OHFA YourChoice! assistance can cover 2.5% or 5% of the price, and Zach coaches every step before it happens. Start here if this is your first house.
Let’s go →FHA Loans
3.5% down and forgiving credit guidelines — the program built for buyers whose score is still healing. Zach rebuilt his own, so no judgment.
Let’s go →1-0 & 2-1 Rate Buydowns
A 2-1 or 1-0 buydown drops your rate for the first year or two, usually on the seller's dime. Zach's specialty play in this market.
Let’s go →Conventional Loans
As little as 3% down with solid credit, and mortgage insurance that falls off once you have equity. The everyday all-star.
Let’s go →DSCR & Investor Loans
Qualify on the property's rent, not your tax returns. Build the portfolio in Ohio's cash-flow market or California's.
Let’s go →Bank Statement & Self-Employed
12–24 months of deposits replace tax returns for self-employed buyers. Zach's been self-employed — he knows what that 1040 looks like.
Let’s go →VA Loans
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance, for veterans and service members who earned it. The strongest benefit in lending.
Let’s go →USDA Loans
Zero down for homes in eligible areas outside the city core — more of Ohio qualifies than most buyers expect.
Let’s go →Jumbo Loans
Above the conforming limit, structured clean and closed on schedule. Standard in California, rising fast in Ohio's best neighborhoods.
Let’s go →HELOC & Second Mortgages
Tap your equity for the renovation or the next property without touching the low rate on your first mortgage.
Let’s go →Refinance
Rate-and-term to lower the payment, cash-out to put equity to work. Five minutes of math tells us if it saves real money.
Let’s go →Which loan fits?
Start from your situation, not the program name
A rough map. Real files have real details, which is what the first call is for — but this is usually where the answer lands.
| Your situation | Usually the answer | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| First house, less than 5% saved | First-time buyer + OHFA assistance, or FHA | First-Time Buyer & Ohio DPA → |
| Credit score in the low 600s | FHA | FHA Loans → |
| Good credit, want the cheapest long-term loan | Conventional (3% down works) | Conventional Loans → |
| Rates feel high and the seller is motivated | 2-1 or 1-0 buydown on any of the above | 1-0 & 2-1 Rate Buydowns → |
| Veteran or active duty | VA — zero down, no monthly MI | VA Loans → |
| Buying outside the city core, moderate income | USDA — zero down | USDA Loans → |
| Self-employed, write-offs shrink the tax return | Bank statement loan | Bank Statement & Self-Employed → |
| Buying a rental, don't want to show income | DSCR — qualifies on the rent | DSCR & Investor Loans → |
| Price is above the conforming limit | Jumbo | Jumbo Loans → |
| Already own, need cash, love your current rate | HELOC or second mortgage | HELOC & Second Mortgages → |
| Already own, rate or payment could be better | Refinance | Refinance → |
Where Zach lends
Programs by city
Cincinnati is home base. Every program above is available across Ohio and in the California metros Zach works.
No pressure, no credit pull
Run your loan scenario by Zach.
Send the shape of it — what you’re buying, roughly what you earn, where you’re at. Zach reads every one personally and gets back to you the same day, nights and weekends included.
Nothing sensitive lives on this form: no Social Security number, no paperwork, and your credit isn’t touched until you say so. Equal Housing Opportunity. Zachary Bates, NMLS #2687902 · Coast 2 Coast Mortgage, NMLS #376205.