We found Joe here on Yelp, and if you think that having all 5 star reviews was fishy, you'd…read morenormally be right, except in Joe's case. He is a true rockstar for his clients! It probably took us 4-5 months to find and close on a house due to our unique requirements, and Joe believed in us all the way. He was able to qualify us for more than anyone else, and he was constantly trying to find ways to get us more money back. AWESOME! We signed for our new home last night and it's set to close today. The timing was REALLY tight because of the house we were selling, something totally out of Joe's control, but he spent the past two days on the phone, hounding the mortgage company and the escrow firm past their office hours to make sure we closed on time. He sticks with his clients through the ENTIRE home buying process. He doesn't drop out of the picture once your loan is approved like a lot of mortgage brokers. Best of all, he makes everything as stress-free as possible. What can I say? Don't look anywhere else. Save yourself a lot of time and stress. Just call Joe!

Two months ago I remember reading Yelp reviews about mortgage brokers and feeling somewhat ashamed…read morebecause for something as important as buying your first home, you almost certainly didn't do it based off Yelp reviews, right? My wife and I just bought our first home and we're so happy we took the time to find Joe on Yelp. If you're a first-time home buyer like we were, forget what you think you know about mortgage brokers. Don't bother going with a credit union or bank. Joe is the person you need to talk to. Regardless of your situation or where you're buying or what you're buying with, Joe can not only make it happen but he takes the time to explain to you how it all works and what your buying power really is. The best parts? He's just a genuinely nice, great guy and he works SO FAST and at all times of day and night. You can text, call or email Joe and he's always there. After a while it didn't even seem like we were talking to our 'mortgage broker' -- we were just talking to Joe. He weathered several possible housing situations with us and was always there to advocate for us. Many times he knew a listing agent or knew a broker or someone else on the other side of the transaction and reached out to them to help make something happen. Eventually we found the home we wanted and extended an offer, won and closed on the home. Joe was extremely fast -- we closed 22 days early! Here's the part where Joe proved how great of a person he was: at one point, the lending program Joe hooked us up with had changed their criteria resulting in reduced closing cost credit to us. Joe emailed us and said he's a man of his word and stands by his quotes, so he gave us a check out of pocket to cover the reduction in closing cost credit from the lender. What bank would do that? He even met us to help the papers at escrow. We really cannot recommend Joe enough, especially if you're a first time home buyer and you're wondering how it all works.

I have worked with Derek and his loan team for the past 2+ years, not as a client, but as an…read moreunderwriter, working behind the scenes. I have more than 25 years in this industry so I've worked with many mortgage originators in my career and I simply cannot say enough good things about Derek Wetzel and his entire team! He is one of the hardest working in the industry, always keeping himself educated on the latest guidelines and programs (which is not easy in this ever changing mortgage world) and he always goes above and beyond to make sure he finds the best program and pricing for his customers and their needs. He is forward thinking and proactively anticipates any hurdles that could come along and puts contingency plans in place if needed. He keeps on top of every step in the process to ensure that things go smoothly. And his files do go smoothly because of how thoroughly he and his loan team work to ensure that they do! Derek also treats his internal staff with the same professional courtesy and kindness that he shows to his loan clients and referral partners. To me, that says a lot about his character and that's who I would want working on my behalf.

Derek is simply one of the best mortgage people I have dealt with. He really knows his stuff and…read morehis advice and counsel are based on in-depth knowledge of current events and future developments. Simply put, he knows what's going on and has a very good sense of what is about to happen. He is easy to get a hold of and will spend a great amount of time with you making sure you understand your options and get the best program available and the most competitive rates available. Even if you're considering other lenders you should give him a call if for no other reason than to get a second opinion. You will be very glad you did.

Listen to Steve on the radio "Dori Monson Show" for years. Finally turned 62 to do a reverse…read moremortgage. Scheduled an interview with Steve. He asked me some personal questions and turned down my business. WOW........ WHAT AN HONEST MAN. Not to get into the fine details but he told me the reverse mortgage would not be right for my family. Like I said WOW. If in the future I have no choice but to do a reverse mortgage. Steve will get my business. Any seniors out there make sure you talk to Steve before signing anything.

I have just completed a refinance with Best Mortgage and they have been terrific. Having done this…read morewith other companies before, I had some first hand knowledge of how difficult doing a refi can be. I was pleasantly surprised at how good Best Mortgage was. From my first contact via their website through the signing all the documents, the process was so smooth. Cheryl and Nancy kept me informed with the process, they responded very quickly to any questions I had and seem genuinely interested in providing excellent customer service. I would highly recommend Best Mortgage for a VA loan and/or refi.

Given my excellent credit rating and the large amount of equity in my downtown Bellevue house, I…read morewas assured that the refinance transaction started early December would be completed by late December 2020/early January 2021. Due to horrible customer service having nothing to do with COVID, not being given critical information because - as the supposedly knowledgeable agent even admitted - "it took him by surprise'", repeated requests for paperwork that had already been submitted but somehow 'couldn't be found' to cite just a few of the frustrations with this company, it did not close until February 25, 2021. Those were two of the most stressful months, especially because it didn't have to be that way had I worked with a different agent/company. Lesson learned.

Rich Hall seeks to act as a trusted advisor who will ensure that you are educated about the loan…read moreprocess, as well as helping you develop a plan to get approved for your mortgage. Axia has 25 years of experience, provides excellent customer services and loans that can be processed in a third of the time! Amazing!

I know, I know, it's tough to credit all 5-star reviews, but at least in my case, it is absolutely…read moretrue and I couldn't see giving any less. Jim Hoge at Seattle Mortgage Planners just did an amazing job for us in getting our house refinanced, which was an obsession for me over the past three years. I'm a lawyer, and I've been a serial refinancer, but I also had a hard-to-compare house that was essentially underwater, so I was basically a broker's worst nightmare. Nonetheless, Jim was extremely always patient with my calls and questions and great about keeping in touch on his own, and in fact was always a real pleasure to chat with. Even more importantly, he stuck with me over nearly two years of ups and downs due to the market conditions and my own situation. In the end though, he was able to get us just the right loan at just the right time, where other brokers hadn't been able to. Once the time was right, Jim got it moving efficiently and quickly and he was always calm despite some curveballs right before closing. I should also add that I came to Jim also through Internet searching and was initially skeptical that the person in the Google ads and the website pictures was actually on the other end, but he really is and knows his stuff. I chose Jim because I wanted someone who was actually local after I tried to use an online mortgage matchup service that put me with an out-of-state broker that didn't know our market. Jim knows the Seattle market extremely well, especially my own quirky neighborhood (Q.A.), and that local knowledge really made the difference in key spots. I would never hesitate to use Jim again, but for the fact I think I now have a loan good enough to keep through the full term! If I ever do need another one, though, Jim will be the first person I call. I can't recommend him enough.

We simply can't believe how easy and stress-free a refinance is with Jim Hoge and his team! Best…read moreloan experience ever. This is our second refinance with Jim, but it won't be our last. Jim and his team are beyond organized and helpful. It took minimal effort and time on our part to provide them what they needed to get the job done. That's what happens when you work with consummate professionals! Honestly, we cannot recommend them highly enough.

Brent does a great job at what he does! I went to several different banks to try and get a…read morerefinance on my home and I just got the run around. Brent worked wonders to make my loan work in my benefit. He went above and beyond and answered all my questions in a timely manner. I like to ask a lot of questions and he was very patient. My loan got refinanced and everything worked out well. I would refer anyone to him!

Wow! He was unprofessional in his response to a query about a refinance of our downtown Seattle…read morecondo. He apparently did not like an up front manner of a professional and lesbian woman. So sad.

John went above and beyond to make sure my home purchase closed on time. As a first time home…read morebuyer, I didn't realize how much the process was a group project with 5+ parties, multiple deadlines, and lots of communication. And just like any group project, some people end up pulling more weight. Whether it was dealing with an unexpected document, the Fall 2024 bomb cyclone taking out his power, or people being out of office for Thanksgiving, John stayed accessible by phone and kept in touch with everyone. I got the sense that he truly cares about doing a good job, straight dealing, and educating the consumer. He understands his products, and is willing to share his expertise. I spoke to 10+ lenders, in and out of state, with different business models before deciding to work with John. It was a comfortable decision to work with him, and I think you'll be in good hands. Cheers!

I can't say enough good things about working through this refi. They were always available, quick…read moreto respond and got my loan closed quickly, even with the tight deadlines. Very happy with John and Sheila both. Pleasure to work with and I will be sending them additional clients! Rate was so good I hope to never need to refinance again, but am happy I chose to work with them. I don't think I ever waited more than a few minutes for a reply to a question of mine... and I had a few!

Matt MacGregor is completely incompetent and could not handle a contingent sale that he had a month…read moreto close. We were told that our buyers were pre-approved but that was a complete LIE. When the deal was in jeopardy of falling through on both ends, he stopped returning our realtor's calls. Stay FAR away from Matt MacGregor and Lakeview Mortgage. Our broker was Caliber Home Loans and our documents were ready two weeks early.

In the fall of 2013, our financing fell through just 36 hours before closing on a beautiful brick…read morehouse for our family of four. We were keeping our old house and the renters had already signed a lease so we had nowhere to go. A friend told us to call Lakeview mortgage. Lakeview listened and understood the situation and worked overtime to get us the financing we needed. Luckily the sellers agreed to push the closing back two weeks and Lakeview secured the new loan in plenty of time with a lower interest rate to top it off! Mike Eskenazi and his crew at Lakeview Mortgage truly saved our family! We love our new house and our son and daughter love their neighborhood schools!