Mike Silva- Opes Advisors

I was referred to Mike Silva /​Opes Advisors by my brother-​in-​law while looking for homes in the area. I had started to evaluate brick and mortar places (e.g. Fremont Bank, Wells Fargo) and online sites (e.g. Lending Tree) plus a few other mortgage providers but Mike quickly won me over.
Mike delivered that personal touch that you just can’t get from large institutions and/​or online lenders. He was quick to answer questions, provide guidance and even quicker to deliver on helping me close. He was masterful in helping me close in record time: I placed an offer, went into escrow and then closed all in December. If you’ve never done that before, it’s quite stressful but Mike was there every step of the way. He worked overtime to get the deal done and was instrumental in making it all happen.
Mike and his staff (Barbara) was on top of a lot of paperwork needed. I was remote and we did most of the transaction via their online portal and through emails. They were responsive, prompt and courteous. At no point in the process did I feel that I «lost control» or «didn’t know what was happening” – if I ever did Mike and Barbara was a phone, text message or email away.
Their mortgage rates are competitive and while not the absolute lowest they make it up for that full-​serve like service. I would recommend Mike and Opes Advisors in the future for any of my mortgage /​re-​finance needs.

Mike is awesome! He is timely, patient and above all professional. My husband and I were referred to Mike by a friend and had such a positive experience with the refinancing process. He walked us through the process making it as easy and stress free as possible for us. I would highly recommend Mike.

Mike shared a whole lot of information and education with me for nothing. This is the type of service that builds relationship and ensure we will use him in future. He help me get a general plan in place for the next few years to buy a new house. So far so good. I’m always skeptical about mortgage brokers. And finding local and good is key.

I can not say enough good things about Mike and his team. We brought him a complicated problem and he was able to make it happen. We had been looking for a broker to transfer title on a family owned property while retaining the prop-​13 tax status and condensing multiple existing mortgages. Most of the professionals we talked to were not interested in helping us due to the complexity of the transaction and the fact that I am self employed. We had come to the conclusion it was not going to happen, then I came across Mike’s contact info and reached out on a whim. As soon as I explained what we were trying to do Mike got it. He was awesome, he developed a plan and went to work. I could have never have pulled all the pieces together, but he just knew how to get it done. It has been about a year since we closed and looking back I am still blown away at how easy Mike and his team made the process. In the future I know I will be working with him again. I don’t have words to express my gratitude for what he did for my family. If you need a mortgage guy and you are reading this, look no further. Thanks Mike.

My wife and I recently sold and bought a home. I must admit that the logistics involved with all the processes in buying and selling a home can get overwhelming. The financial side is a huge factor in ensuring all transactions are on schedule. And all I can say is that Mike has ensured that this was seamless as possible. We were in contract to close on the new property on the 24^th of December. Even during the holidays, Mike made sure this happened. It was the best Christmas present ever! Mike’s professionalism, expertise in the industry, sound logic and systematic thoroughness ensured this transaction was successful! Mike takes the time to look at different scenarios to ensure the best one works for his clients. He really makes the effort to ensure that you are in good hands! I cannot express enough how thankful we were to have him as a resource! Great job Mike and team! You guys rock!

Mike is the best! I cannot say enough about my experiences with him. I have worked with many loan officers in the past and simply put, Mike is the best. I value that Mike always treats my clients in a respectful manner and is a great reflection of me and how I do business. Mike is a man of integrity and it shows in his work. He is honest, thorough, knowledgeable, and is superior at communicating. He gets my clients great rates, treats them all like family, and works to be creative when needed. Best of all, he always does everything he can to get the job done successfully! Look no further, Mike the best loan officer you will find!

One of the greatest favors our RE agent did for us was to introduce us to Mike. We can’t recommend him enough. He was professional, knowledgeable, and very attentive. In fact, I’m still amazed at how easy it was to get in touch with him… even during odd hours and weekends. He guided us through some tricky situations with patience and grace. I can’t tell you how reassuring it is to feel as though the people involved in your home purchase, have your best interest in mind. Mike made the process as smooth as possible and has our full confidence. You’ll be glad you chose him!

I was introduced to Mike via my realtor Steve Eveleth. My fiancé and I were first time home buyers looking for a nice starter place in Livermore. After speaking with Mike for 5 minutes on the phone, and hearing his professionalism, knowledge, and understanding of our own situation, I was sold. The loan process is one that I had never dealt with prior to this. The amount of paperwork and financial records required was a little bit overwhelming. Mike made the process straightforward, easy to understand, and clarified any questions I had. He was always readily available to speak with, and if I missed him on the phone, he would call back the first chance he got.
What impressed me most with Mike is how he looked out for my fiancé and I. He understood our financial means and created a loan package that was optimal for us. He explained to us the workings of the loan process and the price range that we could be comfortable offering in. Mike takes everything in stride and continually found a way to help us out. My fiancé and I could not be happier with our loan experience. We could not have been treated better. Mike is genuine, very easy to talk to, and is brilliant in the loan game. Huge Thanks to Mike and his staff for everything they did for us!

Mike and his assistant, Melanie, were professional, helpful and clear through the whole process of securing funding for the purchase of my house. There were lots of bumps, but the ride was still pleasant! I can’t recommend Mike enough if you need help with a mortgage loan. I haven’t bought a house in over 20 years and things have changed. Mike was great at explaining the «why» of how things work now. 5 STARS!

Mike and his team are FANTASTIC. Mike is professional, knowledgeable, and available. Thanks to him we were able to navigate a tricky last-​minute situation with our underwriting; he was efficient and calm, taking care of the details and making sure nothing fell through the cracks. Mike and Melanie were in our corner throughout the process and the most satisfying part was being able to have complete trust in them. I have no doubt that, without Mike, we would have missed out on the perfect home for our family. Mike understood what we needed to stay competitive in this insane market but didn’t advise anything foolish or irresponsible.
In an industry full of amateurs, Mike is the real deal.

We refinanced our house recently, not for the first time. First of all, he got us a great interest rate with exactly the terms that we wanted. He took us through the process step-​by-​step, explaining everything along the way and kept in close touch with us throughout the process. It was the smoothest refinancing we have ever done. I would not hesitate to recommend him.

I feel horrible that this review is so overdue, but I intend to make up for the lost time!
After some unfortunate decisions in the real estate market, we were affected by the bubble burst in 2008. FINALLY we were back in the game in mid-​2012. Having a brother as a loan agent, I’ve *never* considered going to anyone else given the awful reputations many loan agents have. As luck would have it, when we were ready to purchase the home we wanted, the big bank my brother worked for was extremely strict and he knew we wouldn’t qualify. Being one of my brother’s best friends and a family friend of over 15 years, Mike Silva was our automatic choice with no further discussion needed! Both my husband and I always knew if we didn’t qualify for a loan with my brother’s brokerage/​bank, the ONLY other person we considered sharing ALL of our personal information with is Mike! (I mean… do people realize how much of your life and identity you share with a loan agent??)
After going through the purchase process a couple of times and far too many refis in the past, I sincerely loathe the entire loan process. Making such a significant purchase coupled with extensive time, open houses, inspections, negotiations, etc., it’s the worst! In the end, Mike was the BEST choice we made by far — we mean it when we say he was absolutely critical in the success of our home purchase… for far more reasons than we can articulate!
First of all, we trust him implicitly… an invaluable asset, in my opinion. Second, Mike is incredibly knowledgable in the loan industry and has a natural instinct when it comes to the ever-​changing world of interest rates, etc. His years in the business, successful track record and repeat customer base proves it, especially following such a significant downturn in the economy.
While we were watching the rates change over a period of a few weeks (since we backed out of escrow on a short sale property and had a little more time to re-​start escrow on our now purchased home), Mike regularly contacted us to discuss the frequent rate fluctuations. Though all any loan agent can do is speculate (and if you’re told otherwise — he/​she is lying!!), Mike made sure to clarify every move he made and explained WHY, while remaining completely open to whatever we wanted to do. We, of course, made the decision to follow HIS expert advice. Sure enough, just a day before rates went up significantly, he called to let us know he wanted to «pull the trigger» and lock our loan in. Thank God he did!!! What a relief it was — and we got a FANTASTIC rate! :o)
Communication, approachability and customer service are also mandatory in my book when dealing with what is typically a stressful transaction. Between multiple hiccups during inspections on the property and, quite possibly the most difficult realtor representing the sellers E-​V-​E-​R, Mike was honestly the most CALMING factor for me/​us!!! Every time I was ready to hit the ceiling (ok… I had already hit it… many times), Mike managed to always peel me off the ceiling and make everything better. PATIENCE! Did I mention patience?! Thank goodness Mike is so patient. :o) We could call him just about any time, during the week or weekend (and we did… poor guy), and he patiently and attentively would answer every single question under the sun that we could come up with, and he kindly ran every single financial scenario we asked him to… and in a timely manner!
As if our experience with Mike wasn’t awesome enough, a few months later, my co-​worker/​friend was in the market and needed some help after a loan fell through with her loan agent as a result of unforeseeable circumstances. Their realtor and I both HIGHLY recommended Mike… who totally came in and saved the day! As someone who hesitates to give referrals on the off chance that something terrible happens and I could be lumped in with the blame game, I was so pleased to see how Mike came through for my friends.
If you’re in the market for a loan agent, it’s in your best interest to shop around before committing to someone. I strongly recommend spending some time with Mike Silva to discuss your needs. After meeting him once, I’m confident you’ll see he’s the best of the best!
We cannot say this too many times… THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING, Mike!!!

Mike was referred to us by our realtor when an offer we had made on a house started taking a turn for the worse with another lender. Starting the loan process over with someone else was not what I had wanted to do, but Mike was responding to our inquires day and night, even on weekends! I hadn’t expected that at all. He was honest, prompt, and kept us up to date on what was happening. We ended up buying a different home than the one Mike was originally brought on to help us with. It felt like it only took 2 weeks to get everything approved and squared away on this second house! Quickest, most flawless process I’ve ever been through with a lender. Mike worked directly with our realtor, kept the lines of communication open between all of us, and was completely professional throughout it all. I now see how a relationship between your lender and your realtor ought to be!!! I have and will continue to refer Mike to friends and those I know who are looking for a lender and I will also return to him for any future lender needs.

Mike was a pleasure to work with! My loan situation ended up being pretty complicated, but Mike and his team followed through every time and got me exactly what I wanted. Thanks Mike!

My loan situation is difficult, no question. Having a substantial downpayment but due to difficult economy and a major surgery that left my income half from the previous 2 years, my choices were limited.
And at the same time, everybody in the loan business appears the same, they seem like your best friend and they are the smartest guys/​gals in the rooms trying to get your business telling you they know something the next guy doesn’t. And then when they get all your personal information and decide your loan is too difficult, they toss you like a porn mag with the pages stuck together. Well maybe thats MY perspective on the loan business and NOT the best analogy. But its my review Unilocalers.
Michael is different.
He listened to my situation and understood the complexities. He told me he would need to arrange a few special people on the coal bc they specialize in these, told me there IS a way but cautiously prepared me for the higher rate and lower years needed to qualify. He followed up with me along every step of the way and even advised me againsts a few of the options offered.
Ultimately, my only option was a hard money loan with a interest rate equal to my rent and nothing towards the equity so we both decided it was time to look for a condo within my reach as a flu cash offer.
Rememeber, he wouldnot make a penny off this deal bc i will be paying full cash BUT he still advised me to do this.
Can you believe it… someone who works harder than most, follows up with bad and good news immediately and recommends against his best interests and for your best interest.
Ya me too… that’s Michael Silva. Worthy of a 6 stars actually and a trustworthy loan guy and a transparent process.