Choice Home Mortgage · Since 2005
Five-star rated.Family operated.
Purchase, refinance, or unlock your home’s equity.
Big banks process you. We get you home.
A bank can only ever sell you the bank’s own loan. If their guidelines say no — if your income is structured differently, your credit took a hit, or your file doesn’t fit one rigid box — that’s the end of the conversation. You become a number in a queue, handed from one stranger to the next, waiting on an underwriter you’ll never meet.
A mortgage broker works the other way around. We don’t represent a lender — we represent you. We shop hundreds of lenders and loan programs on your behalf and bring back the ones that actually fit your life. The bank that said no isn’t the end of your story; it’s often just the first door of many, and most families never knew the others existed.
That’s the whole reason Choice Home Mortgage exists. Owner Esther Buede has spent her career finding the “yes” that families were told didn’t exist — and guiding it personally, start to finish. Whether you’re buying your first home or refinancing to lower your payment or tap equity, you get one expert who knows every program and answers her own phone.
How can we help?
Three doors, one expert behind each. Tell us where you are and we’ll meet you there.
I'm just researching
No pressure. Learn how it works, run the numbers, and see what you'd qualify for — on your timeline.
Explore the guidesI'm buying a home
First home or next — get pre-approved fast and walk into your search knowing exactly what you can afford.
Start buyingI want to refinance or take cash out
Lower your payment, change your term, or put your equity to work. We'll tell you honestly if it's worth it.
Explore refinancingOne expert who knows them all.
Purchase to reverse, conventional to DSCR — every loan type under one roof, guided personally. Choose your door; we’ll find the lender behind it.
Your first home or your next — guided to the keys.Buy with confidence
Lower the payment, change the term, or tap equity.Lower payment · cash out
A government-backed loan that opens more doors.3.5% down · 580 credit
The earned benefit for those who served.$0 down · no monthly MI
Financing beyond conforming limits.Up to $3M and beyond
Buy your next home before selling this one.Interest-only · fast close
The classic path home — flexible terms.620+ credit · PMI under 20%
A lower initial rate when you won't hold long.Lower start · short-term fit
Turn equity into retirement cash flow.Homeowners 55 and up
Qualify on bank deposits, not tax returns.Self-employed friendly
Qualify on a profit-and-loss statement.Business owners
Asset-based — qualify without income docs.Equity / asset based
Qualify on your 1099s as an independent earner.Contractors · gig
Qualify on rental income, not personal income.Investors
A family-owned Orange County mortgage broker.
Choice Home Mortgage is a family-owned Orange County mortgage broker that has been helping California families buy and refinance homes since 2005. Because we’re a broker — not a bank — we shop hundreds of lenders and loan programs on your behalf and bring back the one that actually fits your life.
Owner Esther Buede handles the mortgage side personally — purchase loans, refinances, cash-out, FHA, VA, jumbo, conventional, reverse, and Non-QM / DSCR financing — while her husband and co-owner Gregory Toussieng runs the real-estate side. Starting is 100% free and confidential, and you’ll work with the owner, not a call-center queue.
We serve Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, and communities across Orange County — and all of California. Whether you’re buying your first home or putting your equity to work, we’d be honored to help you get the keys.
Run your numbers. Watch them come alive.
A mortgage is the largest math problem most people ever solve. Move the numbers below and see exactly where your payment goes — and how, year by year, it stops being interest and starts becoming your equity.
Principal & interest only — taxes, insurance, and any mortgage insurance are not included. An estimate from the figures you entered, not a quote or an offer.
When you’re ready for a real number tailored to your file, that’s the conversation Esther has every day. Numbers get you oriented; an expert gets you home.
| Program | Rate | APR |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Year Fixed | 6.875% | 7.02% |
| 15-Year Fixed | 6.000% | 6.21% |
Indicative — not an offer, and not the APR offered by Choice Home Mortgage. As of June 13, 2026. Source: OBMMI (Optimal Blue Mortgage Market Indices). Rates shown are market averages, vary by credit, loan size, and program, and change daily. For your actual rate, request a quote.
From the first call to the keys.
No mystery, no maze. Four steps, one expert beside you the whole way.
Talk to Esther
One call with the owner — no queue, no call center. She listens to your goals and your real situation first.
Apply in minutes
A secure application you can finish from your phone. We gather what we need and keep it simple.
We shop the lenders
We take your file to hundreds of lenders and programs and bring back the ones that genuinely fit you.
Get your keys
We guide it through underwriting to the closing table — and hand you the keys to your home.
Proof, not promises.
Esther Buede &
Gregory Toussieng
Esther and Greg are the husband-and-wife team behind Choice Home Mortgage and the Gregory James Group, offering clients the convenience of mortgage and real estate expertise under one roof.
Esther leads the mortgage side, helping clients navigate every step of the home financing process with personal attention and clear communication. Greg leads the real estate side, guiding buyers and sellers with decades of experience and a commitment to delivering exceptional results.
Their business has been built one family at a time through referrals, repeat clients, and the belief that relationships matter more than transactions. They still answer their own phones because they believe every client deserves direct access to the people responsible for their experience.
When you call Choice Home Mortgage, you won’t reach a call center or a stranger in another state. You’ll speak directly with the owners — the people whose reputation is on the line with every loan, every transaction, and every client they serve.
The families who got their keys.
Real clients of Choice Home Mortgage. Not a number on a billboard — people who were taken care of, one loan at a time.
“This Duo is amazing. Esther helped with all of the loan documentation and made the whole process the best house buying experience we've ever had.”
“Closed in 8 days. I never knew a home refinance could happen so quickly and painlessly!”
“A very special lady. Esther took me by the hand and walked me thru each and every bump in the road.”
“They did what our bank of 20+ years could not — refinanced 2 of our homes in record time. The Dynamic Duo!”
“She was sincere. Got me processed and funded in 20 days. I felt taken care of every step of the way.”
“One of the best business interactions that I've ever had. Esther Buede made my loan application possible.”
“Painless and no hidden surprises. Choice Home Mortgage is a company I can trust.”
“Esther is amazing, very knowledgeable. She made the loan process fast and easy.”
Know before you sign.
Plain-English guides on buying, refinancing, and the Orange County market — written to make the biggest financial decision of your life make sense.
How to Beat the Bank: Make an Extra Mortgage Payment
When you have an extra mortgage principal payment, you pay down the loan balance. This means you pay less interest over the life of the loan because your interest payments are based on the loan’s balance.
Read article
Reverse Mortgage Myths You Should NOT Believe
The reverse mortgage carries many myths that people believe. These myths could be holding you back from one of the most helpful ways to supplement your retirement funds
Read article
How a Reverse Mortgage Can Help You with Inflation
A reverse mortgage is a mortgage against the equity in your home. Most people who take out a reverse mortgage own their home
Read article
How do Tradelines Help my Credit Score?
Tradelines are what makes up a credit score. it is the credit account reported on your credit report. There are two main types of tradelines
Read articleWhat is a Reverse Mortgage and How Does it Work?
A reverse mortgage offers seniors the best of both worlds – you can stay in your home yet use the equity in it to enjoy retirement.
Read articleHow Paying Off Credit Card Debt Boosts Your Credit Score
If you carry a credit card balance, you could be hurting your credit score and your chances of getting a mortgage approval.
Read articleThe promise
Weturnthemoststressfulpurchaseofyourlifeintothedayyougotthekeys.
That’s the whole job — and we’ve been doing it for Orange County families since 2005.
Let’s get you home.
Apply in minutes, any time — or call and talk to the owner herself, right now. No queue, no pressure, just a real expert who knows every program.