For real estate agents, estate-planning attorneys and CPAs

Your clients hit the same walls: a bank that won't lend on a listed home, a trust it doesn't understand, or tax returns that hide real income. Shawn works with more than 180 lenders, so one bank's policy isn't the final answer.

Reviewed by Shawn Way, NMLS #1007298★ 4.9 from 111 reviewsUpdated October 28, 2026

Short answer

How can agents, attorneys and CPAs refer clients to Shawn Way?

Real estate agents, estate-planning attorneys and CPAs can refer a client by sending Shawn Way the situation, not a full application, by call or text at (949) 569-7019 or the request form. He'll say, usually the same business day, whether a program fits, including a straight no. Your client keeps working with you, and Shawn doesn't pay or accept referral fees.

On this page

Real estate agents

Sellers who need to buy first. Some programs open a HELOC on a home that's already listed, so your seller can make a non-contingent offer and use the equity for the next down payment. How it works.
Buyers whose condo was declined. When a building fails agency review, a non-warrantable condo loan can still close the deal. Non-warrantable condo loans.
Buyers short on down payment. A piggyback HELOC can avoid mortgage insurance or keep the first loan under the conforming limit.
Investor clients. DSCR loans qualify on the property's rent instead of the buyer's tax returns.

Estate-planning attorneys

Clients are often told to deed the home out of their trust to get a line of credit, then forget to deed it back. Trust-friendly programs lend to the trustee instead, using a certification of trust rather than the full document. What lenders check on a trust.

Revocable trusts where a settlor is trustee and lives in the home are the standard case.
Successor trustees and heirs have different options. See what happens to a HELOC when the borrower dies.
Irrevocable trusts are reviewed case by case and often need a different solution.

CPAs, bookkeepers and financial planners

Self-employed clients with heavy write-offs. Bank-statement programs qualify on deposits, so you don't have to choose between a lower tax bill and a loan approval. Bank-statement HELOCs.
Clients holding a low first-mortgage rate. A HELOC usually beats a cash-out refinance. Compare the two.
Clients consolidating high-interest debt. The debt payoff calculator shows the payment and total-interest difference.
Retirees. A HELOC and a reverse mortgage solve different problems. Compare them.

How referrals work

Send the scenario. Call or text (949) 569-7019, or use the request form with your client's permission.
Shawn reviews it personally and tells you what's possible, usually the same business day.
You stay in the loop on milestones with your client's permission.

Shawn doesn't pay or accept referral fees. Federal law (RESPA) prohibits paying for mortgage referrals. Your clients choose their own providers.

Free tools you can share

Every calculator and guide on HELOCHQ is free to link to, with no sign-up. Clients get the same numbers a loan officer would run. All calculators · The HELOC Report for original data on rates by credit score and line sizes.