Mortgage answers that actually make sense.
Louisiana Mortgage Handbook is a plain-English mortgage guide written by Chasity Graff, Mortgage Broker/Owner of LA Lending, LLC. It was built to help buyers, homeowners, Realtors, and anyone trying to understand the mortgage process without getting buried in lender language.
A mortgage guide for real people.
Buying or refinancing a home can feel confusing because there are so many moving parts — credit, income, documents, interest rates, insurance, closing costs, appraisals, title work, and timing. This handbook breaks those pieces down one question at a time.
Find the answer you need.
Start Here
New to the mortgage process? This is the simple first step before you dig into the details.
Mortgage Basics
Understand preapproval, cash to close, what can change your approval, and what to avoid before closing.
Buying a Home
Learn how the purchase process works from preapproval to closing.
Credit
Understand how credit scores, collections, student loans, and payment history can affect mortgage approval.
Income
See how lenders look at salary, hourly income, self-employment, bonus, commission, retirement, and more.
Loan Programs
Compare conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, construction, jumbo, and other loan options.
Closing Costs
Understand lender fees, title fees, escrow, prepaids, taxes, insurance, and seller concessions.
Louisiana Mortgage Guide
Louisiana-specific mortgage topics including flood zones, insurance, homestead exemption, closing attorneys, and local practices.
Not sure where to begin?
Start with mortgage preapproval. That is where we figure out what the numbers actually look like, what documents are needed, and whether anything needs to be fixed before you fall in love with a house.
Written by a Louisiana mortgage broker.
This handbook is written by Chasity Graff, Mortgage Broker/Owner of LA Lending, LLC. The goal is simple: explain mortgage topics the way they should be explained — clearly, honestly, and in normal language.