Sacramento Home Mortgage Loans | The Chris Kennedy Team
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Sacramento Housing Blog

Sacramento Housing Blog

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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:

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 With Leased Solar in Sacramento

Solar panels on the roof do not automatically help your loan. If the panels are leased, the monthly lease payment usually counts as a debt in your debt to income ratio, and the panels add nothing to the appraised value. If the seller owns them outright, the picture is very different. The first question on any solar home is simple. Who owns the panels?

This comes up constantly across Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties. California has required solar on most newly built homes since 2020, and plenty of resale homes in Elk Grove, Roseville, Folsom, and El Dorado Hills had systems added through a lease or a power purchase agreement.

The Four Ways Solar Shows Up on a House

  • Owned free and clear. The system is part of the house.

  • Owned but financed. There is a solar loan, sometimes with a filing against the property.

  • Leased. The homeowner pays a monthly fee to a solar company that owns the equipment.

  • Power purchase agreement (PPA). The homeowner buys the power the panels produce, and the solar company owns the equipment.

The listing may just say "solar." You need the actual agreement to know which one you are dealing with.

How Lenders Treat Leased Solar and PPAs

Fannie Mae covers this in Selling Guide section B2-3-04. For leased panels and PPAs:

  • The value of the panels cannot be included in the appraised value.

  • The monthly lease payment must be counted in your debt to income ratio, with limited exceptions.

  • A PPA payment that is based solely on the energy produced may be left out of the ratio.

  • The home must still have access to another source of electric power.

  • The agreement has to make the solar company responsible for damage caused by its equipment.

So a lease can cost you buying power twice. You pay the lease, and the house does not appraise higher because of it.

How Owned Solar Is Different

When the seller owns the system and nothing is owed on it, it transfers with the home like the roof it sits on. An appraiser can give it value where the market supports it.

Owned but financed is the tricky middle. If the solar lender recorded a fixture filing against the property, the title company will find it. That debt may need to be paid off at closing or handled another way before your loan can close.

You Have to Qualify Twice

To take over a solar lease, the solar company usually has to approve you. That is a separate application from your mortgage. It can take time, and it runs on the solar company's clock, not yours.

Start that transfer the day your offer is accepted. Waiting until week three is how solar delays a closing.

What to Ask Before You Write the Offer

  • Is the system owned, financed, leased, or under a PPA?

  • What is the monthly payment and does it go up each year?

  • How many years are left on the agreement?

  • Is there a filing recorded against the property?

  • Will the seller pay off the system or buy out the lease at closing?

A seller buyout is a fair thing to negotiate. So is a price adjustment. Either way, get the agreement to your lender before the appraisal is ordered.

A Note on Utility Bills

Savings depend on the utility and the rate plan. SMUD, PG&E, and Roseville Electric each credit solar differently, and the rules for newer systems are not the same as for older ones. Ask the seller for twelve months of electric bills. Real bills beat a sales brochure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a solar lease count against your debt to income ratio? Usually yes. Under Fannie Mae guidelines the monthly lease payment is included unless the agreement meets specific exceptions. A power purchase agreement payment based only on energy produced may be excluded.

Do leased solar panels raise the appraised value? No. Under Fannie Mae guidelines, the value of leased panels or panels under a PPA cannot be included in the appraised value.

Can a solar lease stop a home sale? It can delay one. The buyer normally has to be approved by the solar company to take over the lease, and any filing against the property has to be dealt with before closing.

Should the seller pay off the solar before selling? It often makes the sale simpler, but it is a negotiation. Some buyers are glad to take over a reasonable lease. The right answer depends on the payoff amount and the terms.

Do FHA and VA loans treat solar the same way? Each program has its own rules. Bring the agreement to your lender early so it can be reviewed against the loan you are using.

Looking at a home with solar and not sure what the agreement means for your approval? Call or text (916) 794-0777 or visit thechriskennedyteam.com. Send over the solar paperwork and get a clear read before you write the offer. The Chris Kennedy Team at Reliant Lending serves Sacramento, Placer, and El Dorado counties. NMLS #971546. Company NMLS #356310. This is general education and not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines.

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