Here’s the thing about online mortgage lenders (of which there are many): They know how to manipulate pay-per-click ads and utilize SEO to show up in your news feed and Google searches. Of course, they’ll say they can offer the best rates and loan packages, so they’re pretty good at capturing buyers’ attention.
You’ve probably seen these kinds of ads before, and you might even have applied to one of these lenders, but let me share my experiences with some clients who worked with these out-of-state lenders.
We strongly recommend that you work with a local lender. Whenever clients work with our local lender and compare what they can do with what an internet lender can do, there’s usually a difference of a couple hundred dollars, and often, local lenders are even better than online deals. It’s at least worth it for you to talk with a local lender before making a final decision.
“We’ve just had much better success with our buyer clients who work with local lenders.”
When buyers insist on using an internet lender who’s based out of the state there are almost always problems.
Why? Well, the lender is out-of-state and they don’t have any contacts in your area. They don’t know any of the appraisers or attorneys around town, and they don’t know how to get a quick turnaround on the process, meaning they can cause delays in your closing. They might not think your time matters, but if you’ve taken off work, changed your utilities, and enlisted your friends to help you move, then the lender’s delays have thrown your plans all out of whack.
The local lenders we work with have deals that are comparable or better than online deals, they know how to close a deal, and they know how to work within your time frame. They know that if they drop the ball, we won’t refer any business to them in the future, which puts pressure on them to be responsible and timely, unlike online lenders. In general, we’ve just had much better success with our buyer clients who work with local lenders.
If you have any questions about lenders or financing your next home purchase, reach out to us. We’d love to help you.
