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Why Buying a Home is the Best Investment

Welcome to The Chris Kennedy Team Mortgage Blog

Honest, local, easy-to-understand mortgage guidance for buyers and homeowners across Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo Counties.

Hi — I'm Chris Kennedy. For years, I've helped first-time buyers, veterans, families upsizing into their forever homes, and seasoned investors navigate one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives: getting a mortgage in the greater Sacramento area.

This blog exists for one simple reason. Most mortgage advice online is generic, confusing, or written by people who've never closed a loan in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, or Davis. I wanted to change that.

Every post on this site is written for you — the buyer, homeowner, or veteran trying to make sense of mortgages in a real Northern California market. Real numbers. Real neighborhoods. Real programs that actually work here.

What you'll find on this blog

Whether you're brand new to homebuying or you've owned for decades, you'll find practical, local guidance on every part of the mortgage process. The articles below cover:

For first-time buyers — How to qualify, how much you really need to put down, how to use CalHFA assistance, and how to stop waiting and start owning.

For veterans, active-duty service members, and surviving spouses — Everything you need to know about putting your VA home loan benefit to work in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, and beyond. Zero down. No PMI. The benefit you earned.

For move-up buyers and luxury buyers — Jumbo loan strategies for higher-priced markets like El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Serrano, and Bass Lake — including how to qualify, what reserves you'll need, and how to compete in luxury bidding wars.

For investors and wealth-builders — How to use FHA multi-family loans (yes, with just 3.5% down) to "house hack" your first investment property, plus the long-term wealth-building strategy that real estate quietly delivers better than almost any other investment.

For buyers in rural and semi-rural areas — A breakdown of USDA loans across Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties, where surprisingly large portions of the region qualify for $0-down financing.

For credit-building buyers — How FHA loans help buyers with imperfect credit get into Sacramento-area homes, plus practical credit improvement strategies that actually move the needle.

Why this blog is different

Three things set this content apart:

It's local. Every article names real neighborhoods, real Sacramento-area home prices, and real programs available in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo counties — not vague national advice.

It's honest. I tell you what works, what doesn't, what the catches are, and when a loan isn't right for you. No high-pressure pitches. No fine print buried at the bottom.

It's actionable. Every post is built so that by the end, you know what to do next — whether that's running numbers, checking eligibility, or starting a conversation.

A little about me

I've spent my career helping Sacramento-area families navigate mortgages — through every kind of market, every kind of loan, and every kind of buyer situation. I've helped:

First-time buyers close with $0–$5,000 out of pocket using FHA + CalHFA strategies
Veterans buy in Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills with zero down
Move-up families step into luxury markets using jumbo financing
Investors build long-term wealth through smart house-hacking and refinance strategies
Self-employed borrowers other lenders turned away find creative solutions

My team and I serve the entire greater Sacramento region, including:

Sacramento County — Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Antelope, Natomas
Placer County — Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Auburn, Loomis, Granite Bay
El Dorado County — El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Placerville, Diamond Springs, Pollock Pines
Yolo County — Davis, Woodland, West Sacramento, Winters, Esparto

If you're buying anywhere in Northern California, there's a good chance we can help.

Start exploring

Scroll down to find articles tailored to your situation. If you're not sure where to begin, here are three good starting points:

First-time buyer? Start with First-Time Homebuyer Programs in Sacramento.
Veteran or active-duty? Start with VA Home Loans: How Veterans Can Buy a Sacramento-Area Home With $0 Down.
Buying in a higher-priced market? Start with Jumbo Loans in El Dorado Hills.

Ready to talk?

Reading is great — but a 15-minute conversation will tell you more about what's possible for your specific situation than any article ever could. No pressure, no obligation, no salesy follow-up calls.

Chris Kennedy | The Chris Kennedy Team NMLS# 971546 Mortgage Lender serving Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, and Yolo Counties www.thechriskennedyteam.com

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The Chris Kennedy Team specializes in FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, jumbo, and CalHFA loans throughout Sacramento, Roseville, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Granite Bay, Davis, Woodland, Auburn, Lincoln, Rocklin, Cameron Park, and the surrounding Northern California region. Browse the articles below to learn more — or reach out anytime.

Buying a Home in Retirement Without a Paycheck

A lot of retirees assume that once the paycheck stops, so does their ability to qualify for a mortgage. That's not true, and it's one of the more underused tools in home financing. If you're retired or living off investments and shopping for a home in Sacramento, Placer, or El Dorado County, here's how lenders can use your savings itself as qualifying income.

What asset depletion actually means

Asset depletion (sometimes called "asset as income") lets a lender convert your liquid assets into a monthly income figure for qualifying purposes, instead of requiring W-2 wages or a pension. Fannie Mae's version works roughly like this:

The lender identifies your eligible liquid and near-liquid assets: checking, savings, brokerage accounts, and certain retirement accounts. They subtract whatever you need for your down payment, closing costs, and any required reserves, so you're not double-counting the same money. What's left gets divided by the remaining term of the loan in months. A 30-year loan divides by 360, a 20-year loan by 240. That monthly result is used as your qualifying income, the same way a lender would use a salary (LendFriend).

The age-62 rule most people haven't heard of

Your age changes how much of your home's value can come from asset-depletion qualifying. Under Fannie Mae's guideline, borrowers under 62 are generally limited to a maximum 70% loan-to-value when relying on asset depletion, while borrowers 62 or older can go up to 80% loan-to-value. On a joint application, having at least one borrower who's 62 or older is enough to unlock the higher threshold (LendFriend). In practical terms, that means a larger down payment is often expected from younger borrowers using this strategy, and retirees closer to or past 62 have more flexibility.

What counts, and what doesn't

Cash accounts, brokerage accounts, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and retirement accounts with funds you can actually access generally count. Unvested stock options, RSUs that haven't vested, cryptocurrency, and accounts you can't document or access freely generally don't (LendFriend).

Retirement accounts get some special handling. If you're under 59½, early withdrawal penalties may need to be factored into the calculation, which can reduce the usable value below the account's stated balance. This is exactly the kind of detail that's easy to get wrong doing napkin math and worth having your loan officer run properly.

Who this actually helps

This isn't just for people who are fully retired. It's useful for anyone with substantial investment or retirement assets but limited traditional income on paper: someone semi-retired and consulting occasionally, a business owner who sold their company, or a spouse whose income comes mostly from a portfolio rather than a job. If you've been told you don't qualify because you "don't have income" in the traditional sense, this is worth a second look before you assume that's the final answer.

What it isn't

Asset depletion is not a way to inflate your buying power beyond what your actual assets can reasonably support, and it's not guaranteed to get you a specific loan amount or approval. It's a qualifying method, evaluated the same way any other income source is evaluated, alongside your credit, other debts, and the property itself.

FAQ: Asset Depletion Loans

Do I have to be fully retired to use asset depletion income? No. It's available to anyone whose qualifying situation fits the guideline, whether they're fully retired, semi-retired, or simply living primarily off investment income.

Does my house or car count as an asset for this calculation? No. This applies to liquid and near-liquid financial assets like bank and brokerage accounts, not real estate or personal property.

Can I combine asset depletion income with a small pension or Social Security? Often, yes. Many borrowers use a blend of actual income sources plus asset depletion. Your loan officer can walk through your specific combination.

Is this the same thing as a reverse mortgage? No, they're different products entirely. Asset depletion is a way to qualify for a standard forward mortgage using your assets as income. A reverse mortgage is a separate loan type with its own structure and repayment rules.

This is general information based on Fannie Mae guidance as of September 2026. Eligible asset types, age thresholds, and loan-to-value limits can vary by lender and loan program, so confirm the specifics for your situation before assuming a particular qualifying amount.

Chris KennedySeptember 7, 2026Comment

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