Licensing & coverage
Licensed in California. Helping borrowers almost everywhere.
Here's exactly how our licensing works, in plain English — and where to verify every word of it.
Where is Choice Home Mortgage licensed?
Choice Home Mortgage (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046) is directly licensed in California and helps borrowers in most other U.S. states through licensed partner brokers. You can verify our licensing on NMLS Consumer Access.
How our licensing actually works.
Mortgage licensing is state-by-state, and we’d rather explain ours plainly than hide it in fine print. Choice Home Mortgage is directly licensed in California — company NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046, with owner Esther Buede individually licensed as NMLS #2003644.
For borrowers outside California, we work through licensed partner brokers who hold the required license in your state. Your loan is originated under their state license; your experience — the lender shopping, the honest advice, Esther guiding your file personally — stays exactly the same. That partnership model is how a family-owned California brokerage can genuinely help borrowers in most of the country without pretending to hold licenses it doesn’t.
Every licensing claim on this page is verifiable on NMLS Consumer Access, the official registry run by state regulators. If you’re ever unsure about any mortgage company, that’s the place to check them — including us.
Licensing, answered honestly.
Is Choice Home Mortgage licensed in my state?
Choice Home Mortgage is directly licensed in California (NMLS #2629064, CA DRE #01822046). If you're buying or refinancing in another state, we can still help in most of the country: your loan is arranged through licensed partner brokers who hold the license in your state, while Choice Home Mortgage guides your file. Call (949) 522-7310 and we'll confirm coverage for your state in one conversation.
How do I verify Choice Home Mortgage's license?
Look us up any time on NMLS Consumer Access under NMLS #2629064 — it's the official, federal registry of mortgage licensing. Our California real estate license is CA DRE #01822046, and owner Esther Buede's individual license is NMLS #2003644.
What does 'through licensed partner brokers' mean for me?
It means the loan in your state is originated under a brokerage licensed there, while the people you talk to — including owner Esther Buede — stay the same. You get Choice Home Mortgage's lender-shopping and personal guidance, and the state-licensing requirements are properly covered. Nothing about the process is outsourced to a call center.
Who actually handles my loan?
Owner Esther Buede (NMLS #2003644) personally guides every file from application to closing — that's true for California loans we originate directly and for out-of-state loans arranged through licensed partners.
Not sure if we can help in your state?
One call answers it. If we can't help you, we'll tell you straight and point you somewhere that can.