How ZenFi Works

1. What ZenFi is

ZenFi Inc. is a California-based marketing and technology company serving homeowners across the state.

We publish educational content about cash-out refinancing. We run a short qualification form so homeowners can tell us about their situation. Based on what they share, we connect them with a licensed mortgage broker who specializes in cash-out refinancing and can actually do the loan.

That's the whole business. We're a front door. The people behind the door are independent, licensed brokers.

2. What ZenFi is not

• Not a bank. We don't take deposits or hold money.
• Not a lender. We don't originate, underwrite, or fund loans.
• Not a mortgage broker. We're not licensed as one, and we don't act as one.
• Not a financial advisor. We explain how a product works generally; we don't give you personalized financial advice.
• Not an affiliate of any specific lender. Brokers we work with shop across multiple lenders for each client.

This isn't just language. It's the legal posture that lets us operate the way we do: we're upstream of the mortgage transaction, helping homeowners find the right broker, not inside the transaction itself.

3. How we find brokers

We don't connect you to whoever paid us the most. The ZenFi Network has specific criteria every broker has to meet before we'll route a homeowner to them:

• Active state license in California, NMLS-registered, clean record on public license lookups.
• Cash-out refi as a core specialty, not a sideline. This is a specific product and brokers who do a lot of it get better rates from lenders.
• Transparent pricing behavior. The broker is willing to give every homeowner a clear Loan Estimate with all fees itemized before any commitment.
• Conservative math in client conversations. No high-pressure sales tactics, no exaggerated savings promises, no "limited time" urgency that isn't real.
• Willingness to tell a homeowner "no." If cash-out refi isn't the right fit, the broker says so.

For the California launch, our founding broker partner is Victor Martinez of Victory Home Mortgage (California DRE #01764042, NMLS #463448, Company NMLS #1866428). He meets every one of these standards, and we expanded the network deliberately rather than quickly.

4. What happens between the form and the phone call

Walking through it step by step:

1. You submit the qualification form. Contact info, estimated home value, approximate debt balances. Takes about two minutes. No credit check, no loan-specific questions, no document uploads.
2. We receive your information. Within seconds, it's routed to the broker's system. We don't store it on our own servers; we pass it along.
3. The broker reaches out. Usually same business day. They introduce themselves, confirm a few details, and schedule a full conversation when you're free.
4. The full conversation happens. Typically 20 to 40 minutes. The broker walks through your equity, your debts, your monthly picture, and tells you honestly whether cash-out refi makes sense for you.
5. If it does, you proceed. The broker sends over a Loan Estimate with real numbers. You review. You decide whether to continue.
6. If it doesn't, you don't. No pressure, no follow-up barrage. The broker may suggest alternatives, or just wish you well.

Between step 3 and step 5, ZenFi is out of the picture. You're in direct contact with the broker. They represent you and are legally responsible for the quality and accuracy of everything they tell you.

5. Why we don't charge homeowners

ZenFi is completely free for homeowners, forever. Our revenue comes from the brokers in our network. They pay us a flat fee per qualified connection we send them. That fee is agreed in advance and doesn't change based on whether you end up closing a loan, how big the loan is, or what rate you get.

This structure matters for two reasons:

• It removes our incentive to push you into a loan. Whether you close or not, our fee is the same. So our honest advice to you and to the broker is the same: only do the loan if it makes sense for you.
• It keeps us legally clear as a marketing platform. Federal and California rules on mortgage referrals require that our compensation be for marketing services actually provided, not for the outcome of any specific loan. Flat per-lead pricing meets that standard.

The broker pays for access to you as a qualified homeowner who understands the product and is interested in talking. That's a service we provide. We're paid for providing it. That's the full story.

6. Your data and privacy

We collect as little as possible, and we only share your information with the specific broker you ask us to connect you with.

We do not sell personal information. We do not keep a database of leads and auction it. Your information goes exactly one place: the broker you're matched with. Service providers who help us run the site (Typeform for the form, Cloudflare for hosting, PostHog for analytics) see what they need to do their job and nothing more.

Full details in our privacy policy.

7. The ZenFi Network, clarified

When we say "the ZenFi Network," we mean the group of licensed mortgage brokers we've vetted and actively connect homeowners to. For California right now, the network is small and carefully selected — we prefer to work with fewer brokers who meet our standards than many who don't.

As we expand, we'll be publishing our vetting standards so every homeowner can see exactly what a broker had to meet to be in the network. That's the right direction. We're building toward it deliberately.

8. What we will never do

• Sell your information to a third party we haven't described to you.
• Route you to a broker who didn't pass our vetting.
• Charge you a fee under any circumstance.
• Claim a loan rate, payment, or savings amount as guaranteed.
• Pressure you to proceed if the math doesn't work.
• Operate as a broker or lender ourselves.

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Still have questions?

Email us at hello@zenfiusa.com. If your question is specific to a broker in the network, we'll tell you how to reach them directly.