Buying a home in the Oakland area? Read the complete guide to the home buying process from Compass Oakland.California law allows a co-owner to take out a mortgage without the other co-owners consent or knowledge. Charlie A. Cook works for Red Oak Realty with a focus on real estate in Oakland. Call Charlie A. Cook at 510.866. MLO license endorsements are renewed on an annual basis. Use SmartAsset's free California mortgage loan calculator to determine your monthly payments, including PMI, homeowners insurance, taxes, interest and more. Fill out the form below and one of our Real Estate Lending team members will follow up with you to ensure you get answers to any of the questions you may have. A down payment represents what you initially own when you buy a home. Then, the remainder comes from your lender.