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The people behind Home & Mortgage and Scout

Complex deals. Rental portfolios. First homes. We’re on it.

Two decades of mortgage banking expertise, proprietary Scout software, and a team built for buyers other lenders turn away. First-time homeowners, self-employed and complex-income borrowers, and investors scaling portfolios are all backed by in-house underwriting and 18-day average close times. We stay connected to you, your real estate agents, financial advisors, and tax teams.

Call or Text the Team →Explore Scout
Chad Baker
EVP Mortgage Banker · Team Lead

Chad Baker

NMLS #329451 · Direct 858-353-8331

Originating in 47 states since 2003, Chad has built a practice – and the proprietary tech behind it – around one idea: serious homebuyers and investors deserve a lender who already knows how every type of deal pencils before they call. Together, his team has funded $4.2B across 6,000+ families and investors.

Chad’s team is known for closing the kinds of files other lenders pass on – self-employed buyers with complex returns, DSCR investors scaling portfolios, foreign nationals, and clients with bank-statement income who keep getting “no” from rigid underwriting elsewhere.

Every year, his team closes deals across every homebuyer and property investor profile, from first home to first rental to multi-property portfolios. The team pre-underwrites every client deal before transactions start, and the team’s proprietary Scout app helps investors easily find and fund properties.

Core Chad Baker Team members below have worked with Chad for at least a decade – here’s the back story. As a direct lender, the team approves and funds loans in-house – which means common-sense exceptions, real-time answers, and 18-day average close times on purchase money.

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Julian Hebron
SVP Mortgage Banker · Founder, The Basis Point

Julian Hebron

NMLS Branch #1939196 · Direct 415-250-1050

Julian began his career in money management at UBS, entered the mortgage industry as a loan officer in 2003 (for a firm that CrossCountry Mortgage acquired), and has built and grown large loan production operations since then. He understands home buying and ownership from Main Street to Wall Street, and is known for explaining complex deal strategies and volatile financial markets in terms anyone can understand.

The team’s deal and market intel is published at The Basis Point, and Julian’s dual perspective – mortgage banker and industry analyst – is the edge clients get when he structures their financing. He sees the deal, the overall client financial strategy, and the macro environment driving it, so his advice holds up as markets play out over time.

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Karina Saldarriaga
Senior Mortgage Banker

Karina Saldarriaga

NMLS #312137 · Direct 619-395-0801

Karina’s superpowers as your mortgage banker are speed and approachability. For 2+ decades, her signature style is to listen and understand your needs fast, then make precise recommendations based on your goals and profile. She makes it a joy when sorting it all out – and truly gets it, no matter how complex your scenario is.

Karina is a San Diego native, athlete, and mom of three sports kids who loves to cook. She communicates with clarity and warmth in plain English – or Spanish.

Hablamos Español
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Mark Linden
Senior Mortgage Banker

Mark Linden

NMLS #237252 · Direct 858-342-4544

When Mark isn’t using his 20+ years of lending expertise to advise clients and work with their realtors, wealth managers, and CPAs to get deals done, he’s the operational core of our team, helping us keep our fast, precise pace. Which makes sense because he’s also a formidable drummer. And a surfer. And a software development expert.

Mark knows how all of the pieces of our operation must come together to respond to your needs fast, and get your financing deals done right. He keeps our intensity level up to perform for you at the highest level, while also keeping us all loose, friendly, and funny.

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Brittani Cooper
Senior Mortgage Banker

Brittani Cooper

NMLS #2806736 · Direct 406-579-2594

On top of being a mortgage banker, Brittani is an entrepreneur who owns a salon and a coffee shop. This hustle-and-win mindset informs how she listens to clients’ goals, and makes the right long-term recommendations based on their financial and career profiles.

Whether it’s helping a first-time buyer learn the ropes or a seasoned investor structure complex buying and selling strategies, Brittani works the numbers, keeps communication clear, and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

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Behind Every Deal

Elite Credit Analysis & Processing

Led by Megan and Loni, these are the seasoned specialists who keep files moving, underwriting clean, and closings on time.

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Loni
Credit Analysis
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Megan
Processing
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Tristan
Processing
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Samantha
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The Back Story

A tight, fun team who’s got your back.

The Chad Baker Team isn’t a freshly assembled launch. Chad and Julian first partnered in 2016 then formally re-teamed in 2026 – a 10-year partnership built on sophisticated client service and custom tech. The current team is the result of two long-tenured operators finally assembling all the parts: 20+ years of origination expertise and partner network; the Scout app to find and fund deals; deep specialization in complex deals and profiles; 18+ years of The Basis Point market intel; and a custom client, transaction, and partner engagement workflow that ensures our clients win through full market cycles.

Core team members have worked together for at least a decade. As a direct lender through CrossCountry Mortgage, our loans are underwritten in-house – which means common-sense exceptions, real-time answers, and 18-day average close times on purchase money.

Julian and ChadTeam dinnerIn the officeTeam gathering
Client Wins

Client Exceptions & Success Stories

We help clients win every day, and here’s a running list of success stories.

Agency · Condo

One investor, 8 of 10 condos in a single project

A borrower needed to finance 8 of 10 units in one condo project — 80% single-investor concentration, where agency rules cap one entity at 2 units (20% in larger projects) under a Full Review.

Exception granted — all 8 units financed.
DSCR · Long-Term

75% cash-out on a vacant rental

Cash-out on a vacant property is capped at 65% LTV. It was vacant only for completed repairs — and the borrower brought a documented repair list and a long history of owning rentals.

Exception granted — 75% cash-out of appraised value.
DSCR · Short-Term

75% cash-out on a vacant short-term rental

A vacant STR was limited to 65% LTV. Using a third-party 1007 rent schedule, clean credit with no late payments, and a long rental-ownership track record, we made the case for more.

Exception granted — 75% cash-out of appraised value.
DSCR · Short-Term

80% refinance out of a hard-money loan

The borrower couldn't document every payment on an existing hard-money loan and needed projected short-term rents on a vacant property — normally capped at 70% LTV for a rate-and-term. A clean credit history with no derogatories carried it.

Exception granted — 80% LTV rate-and-term refinance.
NIL Income

A D1 athlete buying a first home on NIL income

An NCAA Division I basketball player wanted an owner-occupied home at 80% LTV on a just-signed NIL contract — with none of the self-employment history guidelines normally require.

Exception granted — 80% LTV on the executed NIL contract.
DSCR · Short-Term

One appraisal on a $1.67M cash-out

Loans above $1.5M require two separate appraisals. On this $1,671,150 DSCR cash-out with existing short-term rents, we got it done on one.

Exception granted — single appraisal accepted.
What our investor clients are reviewing

Real properties. Real assumptions. Real conversations.

Real active listings with projected income we accept as a direct lender means properties in our Scout platform can fund in as little as 15-18 days. Reach out and we’ll show you how.

Browse 19,592 screened homes →
Talk to an actual team member

Tell us what you’re trying to do.

First home, next rental, refinance, or an edge case. We’ll route it to the right person—not a generic queue.

Prefer to talk now? Call or text Chad: 858-353-8331.

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