James W. Argo

Senior Loan Officer - San Francisco - Montgomery St. Guarantee Mortgage NMLS #257031 / 1850 - CA DRE #00869591 / 01215943
I have been providing personalized mortgage advice since 1984 and I am passionate about my work. I love what I do. I am an advocate for clients, not for banks.

Early in my career, I observed and realized that my clients needed financial advice on more than just their mortgage - advice that included the best ways to save for retirement, save for college, pay off debt, build a rainy day fund and properly invest for future needs. Today I uniquely advise each client holistically on how to handle their money and their mortgage, so they can achieve financial security faster.

Other things I am passionate about are my family, making wine, cooking amazing food at home, canoeing the rivers & lakes of Northern California and blowing the room away on my tenor sax.

Equal Housing Opportunity
NMLS #257031 / 1850
CA DRE #00869591 / 01215943
Jan 14, 2021
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim was recommended to me for home mortgage when we first purchased our home years ago. He was able to help with our initial financing and was answered all our questions during this stressful process. When it was time to refinance, Jim was the only person I considered for this task. Just as before, the process was smooth and painless. It took a little longer during COVID times, but the loan was set up and closed without any issues. Whenever anyone I know needs help with their home mortgage needs, Jim is always the first person I recommend.
Jan 12, 2021
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim has helped me with a number of loans and has always made the process easy. I would recommend him to anyone.
Jan 1, 2021
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James did a fabulous job navigating a very tricky refi. He was great at communicating and was there with every step of the way - he's the best!
Nov 7, 2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I met Jim many many years ago as a wide-eyed twenty-something, long before I was ever ready to consider real estate in San Francisco. And, I am so grateful that I thought to contact him as I explored the prospect of putting an offer on a house.  Jim not only carried us through the challenging task of learning to become first time homeowners but he always took the time to really educate us on the nuanced process.  He went above and beyond to find suitable financing when other lenders weren't available to us. Jim was very diligent about anticipating complications and kept in constant communication with our wonderful real estate agent.  And, despite a rushed close date during an already chaotic time of Covid, Jim was able to pull all the pieces of the puzzle together seamlessly. We couldn't be more excited about the home we closed on and its in large part to Jim that any of it was possible. He fought for us throughout every step of the process. I am so grateful we had him on our team!  You can trust that with Jim you will be in the best hands.  Thanks for leading us through the whirlwind, Jim! Perfezione Qualificata!
Aug 20, 2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I came to Jim after already having had made an offer on a home at that offer having been accepted. I was not prequalified and was not even planning on buying a home. Jim went out of his way to make sure we got everything done on time and set everything up to put me in the best possible situation as far as the loan went. He guided me step by step throughout everything and made sure we met every deadline. Looking back now I must say the situation I put Jim in was almost unfair to him. At the end of the day he was able to get everything done perfectly and there was never a doubt in my mind he wouldn't. I will definitely be back to get all my financing done in the future with Jim. He is a stand up guy and always looks out for your best interests.
Thanks Jim!
Aug 1, 2020
Teacher
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James did an outstanding job. He kept us informed about the steps we needed to take, and he was always available to answer any questions that we had. He’s honest and reliable, and I highly recommend him!
Jun 1, 2020
Assistant Professor
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Can't tell you how lucky I was to be able to work with James. He helped me navigate through a couple of real estate transactions, one of which was quite a bit involved. He also put in a lot of extra time getting me the best loans I could get for my specific circumstances. I'm sure it would be hard to find that kind of customer service elsewhere. I can't recommend him highly enough.
May 1, 2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We love Jim! He has helps us with many loans and refinances over many years. He is always quick to respond and always has answers to my many questions. Everything goes smooth when we work with Jim and I look forward to working with him on our next loan.
Mar 30, 2020
Sr. Manager
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim was incredibly responsive throughout the process & got us an amazing rate. We were working with Jim when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the US, and throughout the chaos of that time, Jim kept us informed and I always felt like he kept us a high priority. We got a beautiful home in a timely manner thanks to Jim & his team.
Mar 30, 2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We had a fantastic experience working with Jim and his team. It was our first time buying a home and we were surprised at how smooth and stress-free the process was. He is clearly very experienced, and still takes the time to patiently spell each part of the process out for you if you need it. He and his team worked so hard to get us to close on time during the covid-19 crisis, and we really felt his care and compassion the whole way through. He's also just a fun guy to talk to!
Mar 11, 2020
Consultant
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim is a great professional. From the very beginning he was forthright about the reams of paperwork demanded by lenders today. This made the process, if not palatable, somewhat easier to swallow. Other than the paperwork, he was very clear in his explanations of various options and scenarios and prompt in his responses. Thanks to Jim, I was able to quickly pivot from a clearly undesirable lender to a much better one in a matter of a week. So that we lost at most a few days in closing on the new loan. Thanks, Jim!
Feb 26, 2020
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I would definitely recommend James Argo as a mortgage banker. From the initial informational call, he displayed endless patience answering questions and was committed to educating us on the entire process. He was always affable and responsive (and got us an excellent rate). In addition, he worked seamlessly with our agent throughout the offer and escrow period.
Dec 8, 2019
Loan Recipient
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim came highly recommended to us for our financing needs, and he did not disappoint. He is experienced and knowledgeable and is a pleasure to work with. Jim kept us informed every step of way on our loan process and strategically procured the best interest rate, with the lowest amount of associated fees. His combination of business savvy and availability made us feel extremely confident that our needs were top priority. We would definitely use him again for any future transaction.
Nov 12, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim was awesome from the beginning. In the beginning, he spent time getting to know us and explained to us how he can help us succeed in purchasing our home. I worked closely with Jim on my goals. He was available to answer all my questions. When we were ready. Jim and his team was on top of getting everything pushed and finished as soon as possible. He made this an easy process and we will definitely work with Jim again. Thank you Jim for your expertise and knowledge in the Home lending business. You will hear from us again.
Sep 19, 2019
Sr. Mortgage Broker Retired
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I was a successful mortgage broker for approximately 25 years. Mr. Argo is the most professional loan officer I have ever met. His knowledge and caring for his clients is beyond anyone I have met in our industry.
Aug 7, 2019
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Wow. Jim and his team really went the extra mile for me. My loan was a bit 'out of the ordinary' and had quite a few moving parts.
Their ability to get the deal done was amazing, their communication outstanding, and I was quite pleased to work with them.
I recommend James W. Argo for your mortgage needs.
Aug 7, 2019
Chief of Staff
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
A loan process can be unclear and painful but James expertly helped us navigate this. He was incredibly responsive, always on top of the meticulous steps. He also guided us with sound advice along the way. I would highly recommend him.
Jul 23, 2019
Attorney
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim did a great job advising us and managing our situation which required some extra steps due to the July 4th holiday. Can't provide enough high praise about the level of professionalism and service one can expect from Jim.
Jul 11, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James made the whole process
seamless and easy.
May 21, 2019
Enterprise Account Executive
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
We can't say enough about James Argo and the work he did to help us refinance our home. Our situation was a bit unconventional but Jim navigated the waters and got us a great final result. He is professional, knowledgeable and truly understands that this is not just about numbers and money - he gets the human side of the equation. Jim will be our go to guy from now on. We highly recommend him!
May 15, 2019
CEO of The Simplified Life
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James helped me through a refinancing of my rental property in San Luis Obispo. I couldn't have been more pleased with his thoroughness and likability, as well as the way explained each step of the process so that I could understand it. While refis aren't exactly fun, this was as painless as possible. I couldn't recommend him more.
May 15, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim came highly recommended and did not disappoint; what a pleasure to work with him! He was relentless at finding the best loan for us, while kindly appeasing our first-time home buyers' doubts and responding to our many questions. His knowledge, expertise, and patience, thoroughly prepared us for each steps of the loan process. I would seek his services again without a minute of hesitation.
May 7, 2019
VP Finance
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Jim is not only thorough and timely in processing a loan application, but he offers insight and solutions on how to best go about solving difficult problems. Over the last ten years when considering a new loan or a refinance, I knew the best first step was to call Jim for his view and perspective on the availability of funds as well as the steps needed to improve my situation.

I therefore highly recommend Jim as a resource and a proven professional.
Apr 17, 2019
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James made the process very smooth and explained every step of the way. I would definitely recommend him!
Apr 11, 2019
Inside sales of electric industry
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
James is super responsive and amazingly responsible for clients, always take care of his clients and put clients benefit first. I would highly recommend him as your next finance consultant. And I will always come back to him if I have any more investments or loan requests.
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My Associations

Equal Housing Opportunity | NMLS #1850