So a very important question I’ve gotten is, how do I know if I’m working with the right lender? How do I find the right lender? And that really, really is important. And so my answer to that question would be, Well, start with a real estate agent. Start with an agent who has used a ton of lenders to help other people.
Start with someone that gets your personality, your particular financial situation, perhaps, and can sort of lead you in the right direction. Better yet, start with a real estate agent who used to be a lender. So here’s why I can help you. It’s important to know that there are a million different lenders out there. There are a million different institutions.
There are not a million different loan products, but there’s a good amount available. There are things that are offered now to homebuyers that didn’t always exist. Rates are a big thing. They’re extremely low right now. That won’t always be the case.
And that hasn’t always been the case. But there are programs to help first-time home buyers in ways that didn’t exist before. There are jumbo loan programs. There are loans that require no money down. Still little money down.
There is state assistance that can be used for first-time homebuyers. There really is so much to navigate through. You really want to be able to select the loan program and the lender that really best suits you. That gets you the most house for the smallest payment in the easiest process as possible. If you’ve done this before, you’re thinking, okay, Jess, that doesn’t work.
No, it can work as long as you’re prepared. So I said this before. I was a loan originator for twelve years before I got out of that business and into selling and buying homes. And I’ve learned so much from an underwriting standpoint, an appraisal standpoint. There really is so much that goes into qualifying someone and getting them to the closing table for their loan.
And if you work with a good realtor, you won’t know half of it. You want someone such as myself that can sort of navigate landmines and get you out of the way of them because a lot can come up in your initial conversations with lenders. I would think their objective is to make you feel comfortable in it so that you commit to them because once you start bringing your W two s or your tax returns or your personal business statements to one person, they got you. You don’t really want to do that with ten other people, and I get that.
It’s intimidating.
It’s uncomfortable. You have someone breaking down what you just spent on that new car purchase, what you may spend on whatever the case may be, and it can get uncomfortable. Sometimes you don’t want to ask questions when you really should. That being said, I have worked with so many lenders, some in particular, that are amazing. And when I say amazing.
This is what I mean by that. They are honest. They are upfront. They deliver good and bad news at equally the same rate. It’s a really comprehensive process with these particular lenders, and they have proven to me over time that what they say they’re going to do.
They will work very hard to do just that. Now. That does not mean that there are many other lenders that might be better suited for you. And I totally get that. Some people want to start with their banking institution.
A lot of times there are programs for people. If you have a current checking or savings account with your bank, you might want to start their veterans. There are VA loans, especially for you folks. And thank you so much for your service. But there are a lot of programs for senior citizens again, first-time home buyers.
Really, there’s a lot out there to navigate through. What I would suggest is sitting down, talking with one or two people, and really looking to find that feeling of comfort being at ease, especially right now. Lenders are so busy. And just like me, everything is based on timing and getting things done when they need to get done. So you don’t want to feel rushed.
You want to have some options. So how do you know the lender is right for you? You’ve got to go with your gut and feel comfortable. You have to know that the person who has been honest and upfront with you isn’t just a yes to you to the point of nausea and then boom at the end. Explosion because nobody wants to see that.
I do not want to see that happen again. What I can offer you is some really good advice. There is some help, some support in your lending processes. I can do that because I’ve done it. I know what I’m talking about, and I know what to expect, so we can chat about that too.
When you call I’m Jessica Hayes and your home goal.
