They're sociopaths. We were introduced to Guaranteed Rate through our real estate agent at the time because they share an office space. We were interested in getting pre-qualified for an offer we were about to put in on a house. Red flag #1 was our call with them to get pre-qualified. We told them the amount we were prepared to offer, and we were peppered with "Are you sure?? We could qualify you for WAY more!!" Folks, this is how foreclosures happen. When you decide on a price range that fits your financial situation you absolutely should not be talked into a higher range by a complete stranger, especially not one with a financial interest in driving up your mortgage amount. And your mortgage lender absolutely should not be trying to goad you into a higher offer amount. They tell you this in any first time homebuyers class. We did not put in any more home offers with that realtor, and we had no reason to contact Guaranteed Rate. That didn't stop the DAILY barrage of texts, emails, and mail from Shant and Guaranteed Rate. Nothing has stopped them from constantly pestering us with the exact same content like we're somehow going to finally come around on the 10,000th "Hey just checking in..." Don't take my word for it. Google it. Take a homebuyer's class. Ask anyone in the real estate business without an immediate financial interest in getting you to buy a mortgage. They'll all tell you that this kind of predatory behavior is the textbook example of what to avoid when considering a mortgage lender. read more

Avoid! Avoid! Avoid! This was mortgage refinance nightmare. If I could give zero stars I would. It started with typos on my appraisal. Followed by by failure to returns calls/emails in a timely manner. No biggee, I'll just deal with your boss rather than you. I closed in November (or so I thought). Got called back in Dec telling me that they made an error and I had to go back to the lawyer, sign again and bring more $$$. At that point I called the corporate office in Chicago and lodged an official complaint. I thought we had straightened things out, although I had to go back and resign and bring the $$. I was told there would be no further issues. Lets face it, Guaranteed Rate had me over a barrel-they had closed out my prior mortgage and owned me. Fast forward 3 weeks. My mortgage broker and his boss are not returning any of my emails. The settlement check still hadn't been cashed despite confirming delivery. When I called the branch manager, I was told it was up to me to find out what happened and was given a number to another department in the Chicago office. WHAT??? So now it's on me to do YOUR job. Numerous phone calls and emails later, they finally located my second settlement check and cashed it. It still took days to get the loan transferred to the correct entity. I'll believe it's finally through when I see the welcome package. The best (of the worst) part....I made enough phone calls and eventually was able to speak to the VP of Client Relations. He apologized for the series of errors and told me that he would now personally follow my mortgage until it was finally transferred. I told him I wanted and expected close attention and he agreed. Yesterday, I got an email from him telling me things were almost finalized. He then proceeded to-not once, but twice-tell me to enjoy my NEW home. Here's the kicker, this was a mortgage REFINANCE! The subject line of the email was "my mortgage refinance". Nice work, Mr. VP. Glad to know sloppiness starts at the top and trickles down. read more

The level of service at Guaranteed Rate is ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL. I was referred to Shant Banosian from a friend who found these guys on the internet. I contacted Shant and he was more than kind when we first spoke. He asked me a few questions and was excited for my business. In the application process we hit a snag when Shant realized my tax forms weren't what they were typically used to working with. He said it may take a bit more work in my behalf but they can get me the loan. Shant asked me for all my tax forms for the last two years, copies of all my paycheck stub and credits into my checking account for the current year. I spent a good hour collecting all this information entrusting his word that he would help me. The next morning I emailed all the necessary documents he requested. These documents had all my bank account information, my tax information, and private personal information. I NEVER HEARD FROM HIM AGAIN. ABSOLUTELY stonewalled me. I called his office and left 2 voicemails. I called his cell and left 2 voicemails. I emailed him AGAIN asking what the status was. Days passed. I called one last time and I was abruptly sent to voicemail. Did you know these guys screen your phone calls when the loan isn't a slam dunk? I went to a local bank and got the loan I needed. As Shant said, it took a little extra work than a usual loan, but these guys werent willing to do what it took to make their client happy. Why didnt he just act as gentleman and say "I dont want to take the time to work a little harder for you." Guaranteed Rate should change it's name to Guaranteed LATE, (and sometimes never.) read more

Let me start by saying how extremely happy we are with Shant and his team. They really work well together & provide unsurpassed service to their clients. They were amazing! Cindy Johnson, our realtor, referred us to Shant B. @ Guaranteed Rate and let me just say how very happy we are we went with Shant and his team! They were a pleasure to work with. I was amazed how they kept us in the loop at all times. When we had a question, they were very quick to respond. They explained things that we may not have understood. Their team works very hard, kind, knowledgable and most of all professional. I highly recommend Shant and his team. Thank you Shant B., Liam R., Paul P., Jennie S. And Lisa F. for all your help. I highly recommend Shant and his team. I will certainly refer them to all of our friends and family. You do an amazing job at what you do. Thank you. read more

The mortgage process is complicated, especially for a first time homebuyer, and it helps to have someone reliable to help you through the process. Unfortunately, I haven't had much luck with Guaranteed Rate. I was referred to a Mortgage Specialist in this office by a real estate agent. My situation was (somewhat) complicated in that I have both a salaried full-time job and self-employment income. As my salaried position was relatively new, lenders are understandably reluctant to count both until I have a year or two under my belt. My Mortgage Specialist initially thought his underwriters would consider both sources only to be told they would only consider my salary. After this decision by the underwriters, I decided to get a pre-approval based just on my salary but my mortgage specialist became markedly less responsive. It almost felt as if he had given up on me and had turned towards more "promising" clients. I was initially told I would only be approved for $100k. This made no sense to me and it turned out he hadn't factored in debt I previously told him I had or intended to pay off before purchasing. I had to call and email several times and at one point weeks passed without a response. Finally, after expressing some frustration, I was finally given a pre-approval for $200k. Only a couple of months later, I went to another Guaranteed Rate Mortgage Specialist at another office and based on almost the exact same information was given a pre-approval for $300k. The confusion about how much I actually qualify for and the slow responsiveness has been disenchanting and dampened my hopes of being a homeowner in the near future. read more

Worked with Sovereign bank for weeks/months preparing my loan application. I finally got a voice mail from my broker saying she had spoken to the head underwriter, and my loan was approved. I still have this message saved. That was a good day. After a long silence, I call them back as my closing date approaches, and she tells me the loan was denied. I now have less than a month before closing....I was sure this was it, and I would't be owning a home any time soon. Not sure how I ran into Guaranteed Rate, but it was one of the many places I called. Worked with John Pace. Emailed all the required documents within minutes of our first communication--obviously, I was desperate. His only issue was time, so we had to get a week's extension. John delivered on every promise he made. I even avoided closing costs, which wasn't on the table with Sovereign. I would definitely recommend him....I'm still amazed at how he managed to get things done in such a short period of time. read more

I was referred to Shant by a real estate agent that I ended up not using to get a pre approval. Just under a year later, I ended up buying and Guaranteed Rate was among several options under consideration. I really did not expect I'd use them in the end, since I had another option so highly recommended by a friend. It just became clear that both the terms of the loan and the service were superior. Also, Shant is a bright guy who seems to actually know what he's talking about. In the home buying process, I was surprised by the number of trained, licensed professionals who had no idea what they were doing or who were not aligned with my interests. He figured out my approach/strategy, and presented me with a few options. He recommended a specific option which I did end up choosing. His team worked hard, efficiently and effectively to deliver. That's why he got my business and this strong recommendation. There were a few small communication issues, but they got clarified quickly. read more

I had an absolutely brilliant experience working with Shant Banosian at Guaranteed Rate for my home mortgage. It was so much easier than having to deal with banks myself and Shant and his team even secured me a much lower interest rate than I was expecting. Just amazing. Shant was truly wonderful to work with -- he was professional, courteous and extremely helpful. He was always there to answer questions (literally anytime throughout the day) about the process and I constantly got updates regarding the status of the loan and never felt neglected or out of the loop. It was a great experience and would not hesitate in referring friends, family and colleagues to him since I know they will be well taken care of. I simply can't recommend him enough. read more

This is the second time we have used them!! First time was when we first bought our house. Shant and his team did so much for us getting us the loan. Just recently we did a Refi and of course used Shant. I loved how Any updates to my account was all sent via email to and documents were so easy to Sign through a program they use on the computer. read more

They doubled my tax escrow by mistake and there are so many obstacle to request an re-evaluation on my escrow amount. I contact them 4 times in the past week, some ignored me, some told me they can't make any changes. Terrible, Worst, Careless!!!!!!! I am losing money because of their mistake and they are indifference and not willing to even just help take a look at my case. Miserable customer experience. read more

My wife and I were referred to Shant Banosian by a friend, and he and his team did not disappoint. They had the best rates around. Buying our first home we read as much as we could, but Shant really went out of his way to explain everything in detail especially when I'm sure he's heard the same questions over and over again. I could tell he was very busy, but still found time to call me directly and answer questions. He gave us a great quote, which even shopping around, no one was able to come close. He was very honest and sincere, and I never felt like I was being pressured into buying something. The process was very easy. We then were lucky to find a house very shortly after getting our loan thanks to our great Realtor Todd Mikelonis. Shant has an amazing team of people that he turned us over to. Brian, Lisa, Jennie, and Paul were all fabulous. Each with a specific task to move us along towards closing. Their online document signing and review of all documents made sure we were on track and getting stuff done. We always got great emails from the team telling us exactly what we needed to do, and they were always quick to respond with any questions we had. Shant was also great in referring us to many other people. He had insurance people, lawyers, recommendations for contractors and electricians. And you didn't feel pressured to have to go with any of them if you didn't want to. We did end up using a recommended attorney Nicole Starck who was amazing, and half the price of other people we got quotes from. The whole closing process was a piece of cake. Everything was pretty much done a week in advance. We went to our closing and got the house we wanted! We closed on 2-25-15. I can't imagine the process going any smoother all thanks to Shant and his team. I see why my friend had raved about them, and we will definitely recommend to anyone needing a mortgage! As well as, we'll definitely be back for any refinancing or future loans. read more

There is no way to leave review for Guaranteed Rate the company and not the loan originator's office. This is a review of what happens AFTER you've bought your house. You call guaranteed rate main phone number and they immediately start trying to get you to miss your monthly payments as that is their profit model. Want a new mortgage - they pick up the phone right away! But if you want to make a payment - the first phone call hangs up on you as soon as the payment representative answers, the second phone call drops and nobody answers, and the third phone is the one that actually works. Each time you have to go through the main number and have the representative transfer you to the payment department or you can press 2 to get transferred. First time the representative told me you cannot pay online! Then I found they do have an online registration and payment option a week later?! Which I did. You can also pay by phone with a debit card. I recommend you call and stay on top of what is happening with your loan and ask ahead of time: has my loan services been transferred from guaranteed rate to this year's contracted servicer who collects payments? When will that servicer change again? I'm guessing first time I called my servicer was still in house at Guaranteed Rate which is why I couldn't pay online. Or maybe they added online payment due to COVID? You can google who guaranteed rate's servicer is for this year. This year it is Donahue. At some point be it months or years, the servicer will change and they will send the new payment information to my mailbox and will give sixty (not thirty) days to pay during the change.. the people who don't understand the servicer pathway of your loan are the ones who got in trouble with foreclosures! I have already signed up for automatic payments and made my next months payment! Remember, they make extreme amounts of money on getting you to miss monthly payments because the late fee and the collections fee and the foreclosure fees are pure profit for them! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Shant and his team during my recent home buy. Guaranteed Rate is a great organization filled with very helpful and market educated individuals that drove us thru a very smooth process. I would absolutely recommend this group to anyone \looking to get pre-approved and purchase a new home. read more

Rachel Lake is top notch and her team has helped make the refinancing my Boston condo fast, easy, and low cost. All paperwork was all done with online forms or email. Now my mortgage is lower than my neighbors. I hope the rate keeps going down I will definitely repeat. read more

I have never done business with this firm. I dealt with one of their brokers (Mike Suffoletto) when he was with Bank of America. When he left Bank of America to join Guaranteed Rate, he must have taken my contact information with him. I never authorized this. It seems like a very shady business practice. I have requested to be removed from their mailing lists several times over the past 4 years but I continue to receive solicitation emails "by accident". Trust and integrity are paramount for a firm that will deal with one of the largest transactions people ever engage in. Based on the practices above, I would advise anyone to think very carefully before doing business with this firm. I see there are a lot of other positive reviews, so maybe this is an isolated incident. Or maybe not. I know I will never do business with this firm. read more

My wife and I had an absolutely wonderful experience working with Shant. We were very nervous first time home buyers and he took his time addressing all of our concerns to make sure we were fully informed and comfortable with our mortgage. We would work with him again in a heartbeat. read more

Abysmal Customer Service Terrible experience working with Hong and Crystal--who are both unprofessional, rude and curt. They have both frustrated me so much that I've signed up for yelp--just to warn others. Crystal is the worst--I asked her a question and in her reply she wrote: xxxxxxxxxxx. Understand? If these people can't even professionally correspond with clients--how professional are they in securing a mortgage? read more

I would NOT recommend GuaranteedRate for your mortgage lender. I had to call them almost daily to figure out what documentation they needed from me. There always seemed to be one more thing. When it was time for the final loan commitment letter, they said everything looked good from their end until they blew the commitment date. When I called them to ask what was up, they provided me with a list of a few more documents that the underwriter needed... All of which I had already provided. read more

This review is long overdue for Shant and his group. I have to say that the service and attention I got from him and his team was nothing short of phenomenal. We were in the market as first time home buyers back in February 2016 and I had 3 different quotes from other companies. I contacted Shant based on a colleague's recommendation and I am so happy I did. Shant not only gave us the lowest rate out of all 4 but he made the process easy and advised me on the best program for our situation. Once it was time to lock the rate, his team (Lisa Gere, Lisa Ferrante, Rose Crotty, Liam, others behind the scene) had the process down to an art. Everything was electronic and they made sure that we had all the documents needed for the underwriter. We would communicated sometimes late at night and I would get a prompt response from them, especially Lisa G and Rose. Once we got to the point of closing, there was a slight snag with the underwriter being a bit slow in reviewing the documents that could have delayed the closing. This made me nervous, especially that the sellers were under tight timelines since they are going out of state. I contacted Shant directly and he personally intervened to make sure we close on time. His team got involved to push the underwriter to expedite document review so that we can close on time. We ended up closing within 2 hours of the original time and got into our first home. Shant and his team went above and beyond to help us through the process and made a high anxiety mortgage application and home buying into a more bearable process. I have been referring all my friends and colleagues to him and will definitely go back to him in any future mortgage applications. read more

This company and the people that work for it disgust me I originally put up my review about how they discriminated against me which they did due to my disability !!!! I had posted about how both Nick and Andrew are the worst workers ever and they made me jump through hoops to meet deadlines when they did not meet theirs which COST my family more money because they are inconsiderate and rude and did not think I was capable of getting my paperwork completed in time and I did but they are the worst company in America and they complained about my review and I was kind enough to take down the description for a while to give them a opportunity to redeem themselves and they didn't! They put in no effort at all to do anything differently! They are terrible! DISCRIMINATION DISCRIMINATION DISCRIMINATION how would they feel if it was their sister with cancer and someone treated them the way they treated me! I'm simply disgusted they robbed my household of $1300 EXTRA due to them not being responsible and doing their part when I could have used that money toward my health care so because they have not tried to put in a effort or even apologize that's why I put my description back up!!! Do not use this company EVER they will treat you like a peasant like they are doing you a favor! Sorry honey don't do me any favors i will gladly show the world your companies true colors! TAKE CARE! read more

As a first time home buyer, I must admit that I was somewhat overwhelmed with the process but this is where the guys from Guaranteed Rate came in to make the whole thing as painless as possible. My wife and I, were quickly approved for the mortgage and things moved fast. We were gently guided and had all of our questions answered in a timely manner. All in all, we are very happy with the service and definitely recommend them for anyone trying to buy a new home. Great job!!!! read more

I had the pleasure of financing a new mortgage with Shant Banosian and his team. He came recommended from an attorney friend of mine. I shopped around and Shant quoted me the best rate. He then proceeded to give me the best service I've had out of the seven mortgage processes I've been through. I was pretty well prepared with all of my essential documents (taxes, bank, 401k statements, etc in PDF form), so I'm sure this helped, but he responded to every single question I had in a timely manner. His team was not confused by the other mortgages I already had for other investments and not confused with the fact that I was renting at the time I came to them for help in buying my first single family. (This confused two other refinancing teams from BAC and PNC). He was up front about all costs and made sure I got to closing without any issues. I would highly recommend giving him a call if you're in the market. read more

We were directed to Shant Banosian and his team at Guaranteed Rate by our Realtor and could not be more pleased with our experience. From pre-approval to closing, the process was pain free. We had our offer accepted on a condo in early March and started the loan application mid month. We were aiming for a 4/26 close date and Shant made that possible by making sure all our documents and signatures were in ASAP. Shant and his team remained accessible and in constant contact throughout the entire way so we were never left wondering about the status of our application. I will certainly be using them for any future mortgage needs and will also be referring any friends and family. read more

Just financed a new condo (my first) with Ricardo Brasil of Guaranteed Rate. Ricardo and his team deserve 5 stars for their truly exceptional responsiveness--replying to emails very rapidly 24/7, putting out fires with remarkable efficiency. After struggling a bit, I knocked down the rating to 4 stars for GR as a whole, because several of the "fires" that needed to be put out were quite significant and should never have happened (e.g. wrong loan structure on the form from the underwriting department on the day my loan contingency was due). I would encourage GR to try to get their obligations done well before deadlines when possible. Most of the issues that arose could have been avoided if the work had been done 24 hours earlier, and it seems to me that all of the information they would need was always available to them much farther in advance. I am new to this process, but this issue of waiting till the last minute may be an industry-wide issue, which seams odd to me considering the stakes. If I do my part weeks ahead of schedule, why should I have to notice problems with the largest financial transaction of my life in a document provided to me 15 minutes before a deadline, or after business hours on the business-day before closing? I imagine many of the issues I noticed either would not have mattered, or could have been fixed later, but I am very detail oriented and I was quite demanding during the entire process, to ensure every detail was perfect. In that way, I imagine I was a difficult customer in ways that Ricardo probably understood would not likely matter at the end. And yet he always responded to my requests for information and action rapidly, efficiently, clearly, and with respect (no frustration or annoyance appreciable in his calls or emails). Same for Kisha. Finally, I was particularly impressed with my interactions with Ricardo in the month after closing. During this period, it seems likely to me that a loan officer would be less incentivized to help a borrower who by then is locked in regardless of service. RIcardo, however, provided the same high level of service as he had throughout, even though he had little to gain by that point, and even though my questions had more to do with servicing the loan, which is not even his GR department. It was this service that prompted me to write this Yelp Review. read more

We worked with John Pace and his team. In one word - AMAZING! They worked tirelessly to get everything done and kept us updated throughout the entire process. We would recommend working with John without any hesitation. read more

I don't even know what to say. This team is the real deal. I had a HORRIFIC time with a lender and Shant (plus Paul, Lisa, Julie) jumped in to save the day. Had me ready to go in less than 14 business days to meet my closing day. Thank you for making my life 1000% less stressful and being awesome. As a first time homeowner I was totally discouraged from the process until I met everyone here. read more

They helped a lot - our case was not an easy one as we were out of US. Five Stars - no doubt!!!

This is a review for Shant Banosian's team: Ted, Julie, Lisa - each team member was so very helpful and on top of things - and also so very reassuring for us as first time buyers in a very competitive landscape. Without the support of this team, we may not even have won our bid - Ted made himself available at the time of our offer to provide convincing evidence that our funding situation was very solid. The seller was considering another offer for less money with a smaller loan. Without Ted's stepping up, we may not be homeowners now. That means a lot! During the appraisal and loan approval process, Lisa and Julie were very helpful and always available to answer my questions. At closing, a few snags on the part of the seller's situation were promptly dealt with by Shant's team, which meant we still closed on the day intended. I can't say enough great things about this lending team. Also, I should mention, that Shant and Guaranteed Rate were able to offer us a jumbo loan product that no other lender could offer us, and at a very good rate. They are very much worth the effort to talk to if you are frustrated by the typical jumbo offerings by the big banks. read more