*Note: CPAs may specialize in different areas. Be sure to check credentials and service offerings.*
If this is your first time working with a CPA, don’t worry — most professionals offer a free consultation and will walk you through what to expect. You may be asked to complete an intake form, share financial documents, or set clear goals for your session.
*Note: Every CPA operates a bit differently. Don’t hesitate to ask questions before committing.*
*Tip: Organize your documents in advance to save time and ensure accuracy.*
*Note: Preparation helps you make the most of your CPA’s expertise.*
*Note: Every CPA is different — take time to find one who fits your goals and style.*
1002 Eleventh St
Lakeport, California 95453
Jacie has been very understanding, compassionate, informative, and expeditious with her services. She has made the home buying process very easy and understandable. She has always available for consultation and mediation. And is especially good at calming an anxious person who's new to the process of home buying.
If you want someone extremely knowledgeable who will work their tail off for you, Jacie and her team at Sterling Mortgage are the group for you! We were under a time crunch to close on our house, and Jacie made it happen. We are so thankful for all she did for us!
Jacie is very knowledgeable and helpful! She helped my boyfriend and explore all our options and we're able to make a well-informed decision. She's very sweet and caring, and is a pleasure to work with.
My first time home buying experience was the best. Jacie was very responsive to my many questions along the way. She was very informative about the entire process. Always kept in touch throughout the entire process. Highly recommend Sterling mortgage.
My wife and I are 68 and 71. We didn't think we could get a mortgage due to our age but Jacie proved us wrong. She was extremely helpful, always answering our phone calls and emails promptly and provided an outstanding service for us. (My wife is extremely disabled and doesn't get out of the house much so Jacie even went above her job description and came over to our house to get some paperwork signed - so very helpful. got us a great interest rate as well and we now are in our new home thanks to Jacie and
Jacie was amazing, she worked her magic and was able to get us into a house in the price range we wanted. She?s super timely with her responses and made us feel very cared for and safe as we were anxious first time homebuyers.
Jacie & her team at Sterling Mortgage are amazing! She helped us figure out our finances and get into a beautiful home ?? Couldn?t have done this without Jacie?s help!
SOOOO Happy! Jacie stuck close with us as we traversed a seriously complicated exchange, with patience and compassion! Everyone we met at Sterling was Awesome! Julie
From start to closing in 3 weeks! Jaci was in our court the whole time day and night staying on top of what was needed next. She was always available for communication, effective and efficient. The whole staff at Sterling mortgage worked pleasantly and diligently for us as if they were closing their own loan. Highly recommend this group of great people!
Jacie and everyone at Sterling Mortgage were so helpful in my Home purchase. This was my first time, and I had much trepidation. jacie made everything seem better than I had expected, and made Lemonade out of a bag of Lemons I found myself holding at one point. I couldn't say enough about my experience with her efforts and results! Thank You! Terry
I couldn't be more satisfied and thrilled with the work Jacie did for us and our new home purchase. All parties involved stated this was the most well prepared and professional people they had dealt with. We finally found our dream home and it couldn't have been done without the work of Jacie and her team! You're the best! Thanks so much.
Sterling Mortgage team is great I will recommend them to everyone. Jacie and Christine are wonderful and helped me through the process step by step. Anytime I needed help Christine was a email away. She always got back to me in a timely manner. Thank you Sterling Mortgage for all you?ve done for my family and I.
I cannot say enough amazing things about Jacie and her whole team at Sterling Mortgage! Jacie worked with my husband and I for a whole year helping to get our credit where it needed to be to pre-qualify. Once we finally put in a offer on a home, Jacie, Christine and Erika, kept in contact with us daily and made sure we knew every single thing that was going on with our loan. They work so good as a team at Sterling Mortgage! It?s very rare to receive great customer service anymore but these girls really car
Jacie and her entire team were so amazing to work with! I purchased my first home and they helped truly every step of the way. I am so glad I trusted them with this process!
The thought of Buying a home for the first time was absolutely terrifying, until you?ve work with Jacie, Christine and and their team! They made my first time buying a home incredibly easy and pretty much stress free! I am and will forever be grateful for them and their patience and kindness helping me through my buying process! They are amazing !!! Thank you guys once again
Amazing loan and mortgage company. If you need a new purchase or refinance in lake county this is the spot they worked with me and made sure my loan went through under increasingly difficult circumstances. Happy 2024! Would easily purchase again with this team.
Jacie and her team at Sterling Mortgage are just amazing. This is our second time working with Sterling Mortgage in the past few years and they always make the process so easy. Thank you Jacie, you are truly an expert at what you do. We look forward to working with you on the next one.
Jacie Casteel was amazing. Her persistence and positivity during a time when the odds were stacked even against the most qualified buyers was absolutely incredible. Highly recommend her and the Sterling Mortgage team. If there is a way, she will get it done !!
I was originally working with another lender. When I was flat out left hanging and didn't hear back from this person/company, I was left to start the whole process over again. I was given a few different names of company's that worked with people in Lake County from a title company and I emailed all of them. Sterling Mortgage was the first to respond. They were beyond amazing through the whole process, start to finish. They made me feel important & that my loan mattered. They were quick, efficient, friendl
Jacie Casteel at Steeling was so so helpful. She went out of her way to help us purchase our first home. Dealing with things during Covid could have been difficult but we were able to navigate the process electronically in a seamless manner. Jacie was always available and answered all of our questions. Erika and Christine were also great at assisting us in the process! We can't recommend Sterling and Jacie enough! Super Thankful!
BUYING OUR HOUSE WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE, THANKS TO JACIE & CHRISTINE. THEY WERE VERY CLEAR THRU THE ENTIRE PROCESS. WE ARE SO HAPPY WITH OUR NEW HOME. GIRLS, YOU FRIGGIN ROCK & WE WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW. WE WILL REFER YOU TO EVERYONE...RESPECT & LOVE, MARCIA, JEFF & BRUTUS???
Christine is absolutely phenomenal! I live in Washington state and was not able to go through her and Sterling Mortgage for my first home purchase. But because of The countless phone calls and emails that Christine took her time to answer and guide us was above and beyond the help that we needed!! With the correct knowledge given to us by her, we were able to see that our loan officer wasn?t getting us the best loan option and with Christine?s advice we were able to buy our home AND get the best loan option
I can not say enough positve things about Jacie and her staff that helped us threw our loan process. We had a few things on the way that had to be corrected and they stood right thru it keeping us positive and helping when they could. It was a great experience for me and my wife.
Jacie & the team at Sterling Mortgage were awesome to work with! They are prompt, responsive, patient & so knowledgeable! I would highly recommend their services. Thanks Sterling Mortgage ??
Sterling Mortgage made my home buying experience easy. Whenever I had a question about the home buying process, Jacie was there with answers, I felt like I was her only client. I highly recommend Jacie if you are looking to buy a home.
Great communication between me, my real estate agent, and Sterling Mortgage made for a quick and simple home purchase. Very pleased!
These folks ROCK ! This was my first home buying experience and Jacie and Christine walked me through the process with professionalism and friendliness. This was done long distance, over the phone & internet, yet I felt like we were "face-to-face" every step of the way. Jacie is very experienced and knowledgeable in the process of loans and real estate transactions as is Christine. For someone such as myself, allowing an agency into my life and feeling that trust, was very important. I felt mentored and s
Jacie and her team are a pleasure to work with. She was awesome through the whole experience. I heard so many horror stories to buying a house and with Jacie it was a breeze. Thanks for the best experience.
I have always wanted to buy my own home. Yes it took awhile but worth it. She helped us dealing with anything that held us back. She never turned her back on us. This office went beyond just helping. Now we are in a place we call home. Thank you one thank you all. But we can not forget the other key player our realtor. You all have been a blessing.
Very knowledgeable, and professional. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. I highly recommend going through Sterling Mortgage if you're buying a home. Best choice I ever made. Thanks to a local friend who recommended Sterling I just closed escrow on my new home.
Jacie Casteel and her staff were wonderful to work with. Everyone I spoke with was knowledgeable about the refi loan process and type of loans available to me. They were very professional yet personable. I highly recommend Jacie Casteel and Sterling Mortgage.
Jacie Casteel exceeded her "fabulous reputation" that I had heard so much about. Her and her wonderful staff went above and beyond to make sure we got our dream home. I would DEFINITELY recommend them to anyone! Thanks again ladies...for everything!
With many years of experience and knowledge of Lake County, Jacie Casteel provided the finest transaction through professionalism and exceptional standards that a previous major bank failed to deliver. Jacie was able to rescue my dream of owning a property at a youthful stage in my career by specifically tailoring my situation to a loan that granted my needs in Clearlake. Christine VandenBroek was prompt and resourceful in verifying all guidelines. As a first time home buyer, both Jacie and Christine have a
Jacie has always made the buying and refi process really easy. Returns calls and emails very fast! Will always go to her for anything we need! Thank you once again Jacie!
Jacie ( pronounced Jackie ) managed to assist us in getting us our forever dream home on the lake and we are both retired and on disability & had no credit to speak of as we are old fashioned and believed cash was always best. So we couldn't get a home purchase loan to save our lives, until we found Jacie. Actually our realtor recommended her. Her creativity, perseverance, patience , open-mindedness, extensive knowledge regarding the financial end of things, fortitude & willingness to work with us and see
Google should have a million or unlimited stars for rating!!!!! My husband and I would give unlimited to sterling mortgage for the kindness, patience, knowledge and above all, the love they have for making clients feel at home. I have new friends now at sterling mortgage Jacie, Erika and Christine Thank you!!!!! We finally closed our house/home! Thank you so much !!!! -and for all who are reading this, I recommend sterling!!!!!
Jacie and her team were amazing! Made my dreams of a buying a home come true! Highly recommend Sterling Mortgage!
All the folks at Sterling Mortgage were extremely helpful and responsive throughout the entire process. They went above and beyond in helping to move the process forward smoothly and quickly. Highly recommended to all!
We did three transactions at once and Sterling mortgage didn't bat an eye. Their team worked tirelessly to finalize everything and really cared about the outcome. We appreciate them and will be doing business with them in the future.
Thank you so much for everything that you've done! You say I've worked hard for this, but it was most definitely a team effort, and an effort that would have been wasted if not for your ingenuity, creativeness, and tenacity. I sincerely believe that if it weren't for you, and your team, that being the hard case that I am, I would not have been able to buy this house. You are by far one of the most understanding and gracious people I've worked with.
JACIE & CHRISTINE WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING THRU OUR ENTIRE PROCESS OF THE LOAN ON OUR NEW HOUSE. THEY ROCK!! TY..MARCIA, JEFF & BRUTUS
Jacie Casteel worked tirelessly on this refinance. We hit all kinds of roadblocks, especially with getting appraisers to keep their promised appointment times. It took a very long time to complete the process, but we got it done,
Christine was great to work with on buying our dream home. She went the extra few miles to get us through complex issues. Thank you Christine!
Jacie and the team were first rate. Very professional and helpful. I would gladly recommend them to one and all! Thanks again you guys I am getting my keys today!
Jacie was very informative through the whole process. I?m very grateful for her help thank you Jacie.??
Jackie and her crew are top notch. Very professional and helpful from start to finish. Anyone looking for help with their mortgage should call Her.
I would highly recommend Jaci Casteel.at Sterling Mortgage. Her and her staff are fantastic! They worked endlessly on my loan and made it work for me. Thank you.
Jacie was a delight to work with. Very happy with how quick and seamless our process was with her.
Jacie was amazing! We had to restructure a couple times and she made everything work perfectly.
Excellent customer service helped me every step of the way in my home purchase I would highly recommend Jaci and her staff at Sterling Mortgage company in Lakeport California
Everyone on the team is friendly, responsive, and personable! I will be recommending Sterling Mortgage to all my friends and family.
Great people and was very easy to work with. I would recommend them to anyone. Thanks you guys for making our home buying experience just that much easier.
Best service ever. The whole crew is professional and courteous, they will answer all the questions customers may have. I was always contacted if I left messages or sent emails. I will always recommend!
Excellent service, super helpful and supportive every step of the way in my home buying process.
So impressed with the job Jacie Castillo did and her team in the office, I am speechless, will not go no where else....Thank you Jacie you're the best...
It was a great pleasure working with the staff at Sterling Mortgage! Very kind and understanding people, I would highly recommend them!!
Jacie helped me to put all my finances in order so I could buy my house. She was a help with every step of the process.
Sterling was behind us backing us all the way through all the obstacles we encountered to a wonderful end result.
This company was helpful and supportive all the way through the refinancing process. I would recommend them to anyone thinking about refinancing.
Sterling Mortgage is the best - very helpful - very considerate of your time - the best at what they do Thank You Jacie
Highly recommended! The whole process went very smooth and professional.
Jacie made the process fast and easy. Everything went smooth.
Great to work with and made escrow and the entire home buying process very smooth and easy
Jacie, Christine and Erica were great to work with!!!
Great and friendly staff. Answered any questions we had promptly.
Friendly, responsive and make the whole process fast and easy.
Amazing team! Very helpful
Thank you! You guys make my dream come true ??
Look for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, which ensures they’ve passed rigorous exams and meet state requirements. Check for relevant experience in your industry, additional certifications like CFA or CMA, and membership in professional organizations like the AICPA. Verify their credentials through state licensing boards.
Use online directories like the AICPA, CPAverify, or state CPA societies. Search platforms like Yelp or Google for local CPAs with reviews. Ask for referrals from business associates, friends, or financial advisors. Local chambers of commerce can also provide recommendations.
A CPA is a licensed professional who has passed the CPA exam and met state requirements for education and experience. An accountant may lack this certification and could have varying levels of expertise. For complex tasks like tax audits or financial reporting, a CPA is typically more qualified.
Ask about their experience with your specific financial needs, such as tax preparation, small business accounting, or estate planning. Review their website or LinkedIn for case studies or client testimonials. Inquire about their client base to ensure they handle similar financial situations.
Yes, reviews provide insight into a CPA’s reliability, communication, and performance. Check platforms like Google, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau for client feedback. Look for patterns in reviews, but verify their authenticity, as some may be biased or outdated.
Visit your state’s Board of Accountancy website or use CPAverify.org to check a CPA’s license status. Confirm their license is active and check for any disciplinary actions or complaints. This ensures they’re in good standing and meet professional standards.
Ask about their experience with your financial needs, fee structure, availability, and communication style. Inquire how they handle tax filings, audits, or financial planning. Ask for references or examples of similar work to assess their expertise and fit.
Fees vary based on location, services, and complexity. Basic tax preparation may cost $150-$500, while business accounting or audits can range from $1,000 to $10,000+. Request a detailed fee structure upfront and compare quotes from multiple CPAs.
Yes, many CPAs offer remote services through secure online platforms for document sharing and virtual consultations. Ensure they use encrypted tools for data security. Remote CPAs can be effective if they understand your local tax laws or business regulations.
During consultations, evaluate their ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly. Ask sample questions about taxes or financial strategies and note their responsiveness and clarity. Good communication ensures you understand their advice and fosters a productive relationship.
Beware of CPAs who guarantee specific tax refunds, lack a valid license, or have disciplinary actions on record. Avoid those with poor communication, vague fee structures, or negative reviews highlighting unethical behavior. Always verify their credentials independently.
Large firms offer more resources and specialized teams but may charge higher fees. Solo practitioners often provide personalized service and lower costs but may have limited availability. Choose based on your needs, budget, and preference for personalized attention.
For individuals, annual meetings for tax preparation may suffice. Businesses may need quarterly or monthly check-ins for bookkeeping, tax planning, or financial reporting. Discuss your needs upfront to establish a meeting schedule that aligns with your financial goals.
Yes, many CPAs handle both, but confirm their expertise in both areas. Ask about their experience managing personal taxes and business accounting simultaneously. Ensure they can balance both without compromising attention to your specific financial needs.
Discuss concerns directly with your CPA to resolve issues. If unresolved, check your contract for termination terms. Seek a new CPA by researching reviews, credentials, and referrals. Request your financial records to ensure a smooth transition to a new professional.