How can I help you?  That’s usually the first question that comes out of my mouth whenever I have the pleasure of meeting with someone in the real estate industry.  That’s usually, followed up in short order, with the question “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?”

Those questions are not just ice breakers or matters of politeness, they are fundamental to what we on our team do when we work to help people achieve their real estate dreams.  Whether you work in the industry as  professional or need help in making your dream of home ownership come true we want to first make sure that we listen, so we can give the best professional advice possible.

What does that look like in the real world?  We offer a suite of products for anyone and everyone, from standard conventional loans with as low as 3% down, to no money down government loans through the VA and USDA, to FHA loans, down payment assistance loans, loans for those with imperfect credit (we’ve had closings with individuals with low 500 FICO scores), self- employment loans, bank statement loans, construction loans, loans for raw land and anything else you could imagine. If there’s a need or a niche we likely have the product to help make that loan a possibility, but nothing we offer matters as much as our commitment to take the time to listen to your story, hear what it is that you want to accomplish, and work with you to provide options and guidance to have a loan that fits your needs and lifestyle.

Although we are incredibly proud of our consistent low rates, this is often times not the best way for a consumer to shop for a mortgage. I’ve had many people call me looking for help, and the first words out of their mouth are invariably, “what are your rates?”  That’s often times not the best question to ask, as getting the best deal for you often times doesn’t mean picking the “lowest” rate.

A few real life examples:  We helped a young couple buy a house earlier this year with an interest rate of 4.875%  At the time, they could have qualified for a rate of 4.5% but upon talking to them I found out that they had owned 3 or 4 houses in the previous 10 years.  They were just starting to have children and said they didn’t plan on this being their final house ever, so I pointed out to them that if they took a higher rate I could pay for $5,000 worth of closing costs, and their payment would go up a mere $50.00 per month.  I asked them if they thought they would live in this house 9 years from now, since that hadn’t been their previous history.  They laughed and said “No, this isn’t the final house we will ever buy, we will probably want to move again in 3-5 years” so they decided they’d rather save $5,000.00 cash in hand today then take the lowest rate possible.

Another client and I had the same type of conversation later that week, and we talked about some of the same things. They were adamant that this was the house they were going to die in (or at least watch their brand new baby graduate from high school in).  They had a strong cash position and decided  Two customers, seemingly alike in assets, income, liabilities and credit score, yet with totally different dreams and goals in life.  Each got the deal that made the most sense for them because we don’t take a 1 size fits all approach to lending money.  It’s your home, it’s your dream, and it’s going to it would make sense for them to actually pay a little bit of money up front to buy the loan down a little bit.  They closed with an interest rate of 4.375% be you that needs to be comfortable and satisfied with the mortgage.  You owe it to yourself to work with someone who is going to treat you as the unique individual that you are.

For professionals, we’ve come up with an option of 20 different things we try to do to go above and beyond in being a good partner in the business.  We promise that we will always follow up with every lead, give every borrower the time and attention they deserve, close on time and communicate throughout the entire process, but we recognize that different professionals want different things from the lenders that they have on their “team”.  We’ve put a lot of time and effort into thinking about what it means to be a good teammate, but the first way we try to demonstrate that is by listening and hearing what it is that you want from a partner.

If you have any questions about how we can make your life buying a home easier, more convenient and more customized to your particular needs please don’t hesitate to call me at 832-557-1095.

Thanks
Gabe Winslow

NMLS #1613381