We were first referred to Tristan back in 2022 when we began our journey of purchasing another home here in Hawaii. Life happened and our plans were put on hold, but he was never forgotten! Fast forward, we decided it was time to start our home-buying journey again, and thankfully, he still had the same number! We gave him a call, and just like that, we were able to rekindle our home-buying journey. Tristan and Cara were both absolutely wonderful to work with, knowledgeable, responsive, patient (sooo many documents LOL), and made the lending process feel so much easier. We truly appreciated their help and guidance throughout the process and are so grateful they were part of our journey to finally getting the keys to our next home! Thank you both for everything! We look forward to working with you again in the future and would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for a great lending team! read more

Jessica was outstanding!! Very responsive & jumped into every roadblock that was presented.

My wife and I had an amazing experience working with Kama'aina Mortgage Group during our first home-buying journey. From start to finish, the entire team went above and beyond to make the process smooth, stress-free, and easy to understand. A special shoutout to Hayden Weighner, Taylor Kaiura, and Philip Nguyen for all of their hard work behind the scenes. Their dedication, communication, and commitment to finding us a great mortgage rate truly made a difference. They consistently worked in our best interest, answered all of our questions, and even helped cover expenses along the way, which made the entire experience even more manageable and appreciated. As first-time homebuyers, we were often times lost/confused about the process, but Kama'aina Mortgage Group made us feel confident every step of the way. Their professionalism, transparency, and genuine care for their clients set them apart. I honestly put all of my trust in their wisdom because more times than not I found myself asking "what do you recommend" and was never lead astray. I would absolutely recommend Kama'aina Mortgage Group to my family and friends without hesitation and already have. If you're looking for a team that will work hard for you, secure competitive rates, and provide exceptional service, look no further. Thanks to Hayden Weighner, Taylor Kaiura, Philip Nguyen, and the entire team for helping make our dream of homeownership a reality! read more

We worked with Hi Five Team Loans powered by Kama'aina Mortgage Group and specifically Preston Sims and Kira Maddox for our recent home refinance and it honestly couldn't have gone smoother. After attempting to refinance with a large company and having it go really poorly to the point we pulled the plug, Preston and crew handled us with such care. They were highly responsive and used as much of our work from the prior attempted refi as they could, including the appraisal we had already paid for. They got us a great rate and walked us through the whole process step by step, readily answering any of the questions we had and trying to make things work for us in the best way possible. We can't thank Hi Five and Preston enough! Highly recommend! read more

John and his whole team is "top notch", they fight for you until the job is done. John never gave up and kept on smiling through the tough of it. At the end of the day, everything came out smelling like roses! Could not have asked for a better experience. V&J Diaz hugs Mahalo! read more

I can probably write a story about my refi journey, but I will keep it short. All in all, my experience was great. Stieler Seki is very knowledgeable and great to work with. I had many unforeseen bumps on my road to refinancing, but he stuck by even when I was starting to get frustrated. Too bad Yelp only allows for 5-stars. He deserves 10. read more

I would like to give a shout out to John Keifer, Jennifer LaRochelle, Melissa Stutes, Krista Martin, Vern Heath (First Hawaii Title), Brian Bender and Thomas Wilson (Elite Realty). If you want a tag team loan officer/realtor team these are the guys. John and Melissa are so awesome! John is an expert when it comes to consulting and choosing the right loan for you. This is how badass John is he went above and beyond to lock in our mortgage rate and told us he would cover the loeven if the interest rates went higher just so me and my family didn't loose our dream home. John Keifer and Team I cant thank you enough. So I hadn't talked to John in forever when out of the blue he called me with good news. Im guessing since the economy is doing so well the feds lowered the interest rates and once again, John and his team were there to take care of us. He went above and beyond on this one. John hooked us up with a refi @ 3.50% APR, and get this......he covered ALL closing costs. The only thing I paid for was the VA funding fee, minor. So, to recap, we initially purchased our home @ 4.25% APR and to get it lowered to 3.50 % equals mondo savings. Hell, it shaved off $300 from my monthly. I couldn't be happier and Melissa Stutes and Jennifer LaRochelle, you girls kick major ass! Thanks for working so hard on getting the loan closed on time. You made it such a breeze. read more

Kama'aina Mortgage group were outstanding in helping us get our refinancing. It was a pleasure to do business with them..They were very professional and made the loan process so very easy.. We especially enjoyed working with Kai Mills. She was amazing and and kept everything going smoothly. Mahalo Kai !! read more

I recently completed a Refi with KMG - refinancing is a complex process these days, especially with underwriting when you own a small business -they were great from start (getting the best rate) to finish (getting through underwriting and getting it done). Thank you Kai! read more

Provided very competitive rates but in the end decided to go with a competitor with a slightly better offer. But it was a pleasure to work with Mel Stutes. She was friendly, responsive and professional. She even compared my offer sheets and gave objective advice. Its clear they want the best for their clients. I would recommend them to anyone. read more

This review is a bit overdue. Thanks to Brian and his great behind the scenes operations team (especially Jessica) we were able to purchase a beautiful home for our family that we have been living in for just over a month now. As a first time homebuyer and self proclaimed antagonist of all things banks/financial related, I become frustrated when things don't work out the way they should because of our Very flawed credit score and banking system. We had a long battle with escrow, including having to get two extensions to gain the mortgage loan we needed to seal our purchase. Trying three banks and giving them everything just short of a DNA sample and our first born to satisfy their inquiries so that they would approve our loan. There were definitely times I wanted to just give up believing it was over after the first two loan attempts failed for various reasons. And then almost not getting that second extension to push back the closing date. Many nights of anguish and frustration, but Brian had hope. He kept saying to trust him. Even when things got dicey and there were a few hours one day that we really thought we weren't going to get our home because the seller absolutely did not want to give us a second extension. Somehow it worked out. We got the loan and closed late which got fined for the late closing, but we got our dream home. I'll admit there was a point in those days leading up to the closing date from the first extension that Brian was going to have a very angry Chinese woman demanding answers for when the sale fell through. But he and his team pulled off some kind of magic and made it work. Between Brian, the seller, and our phenomenal agent from Shinsato Realty, they were able to come to an agreement that we would for certain close if we had just a little more time for the bank to finish what they needed to do to draw up the papers for the loan. Somehow by the grace of the heavens the seller had a heart to give us the second extension and we were finally able to close after two months of being in escrow. Owning this home has truly been a dream come true. Jessica was just awesome at returning calls and keeping us up to date on what was going on and doing the leg work of gaining our loan. She's such a dear heart that she called us the day the sale was finally official to personally congratulate us on our new home. That right there is absolutely fabulous customer service. Having had such a long and arduous battle, it felt like a huge victory for all those involved when we sat down at escrow to sign the closing documents. I can't thank them enough for making this dream come true. read more

Brian Bender and the whole Kama'aina Mortgage Group team were great in all parts of this home buying experience!! From the very first phone call all the way up to the last signing, everyone from Kama'aina treated me with respect, courtesy and did a great job of putting my mind at ease. Anyone who has purchased a home probably will know what I'm meaning! My particular situation was a bit tricky logistically but Brian and his team made me feel like everything was going to be okay, and it actually was! I strongly recommend Kama'aina Mortgage Group to anyone. Thanks again guys and gals! read more

Kama'aina Mortgage Group - Brian Bender of Kama'aina Mortgage Group (left), Myself (center) and my realtor Nina Johansson (right). Signing day baby!!! - Mortgage Brokers Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

I wanted to throw a shout out to Kama'aina mortgage group as they just recently helped me close out a sale of a new house that we are very pleased with. Dealing with KMG is very easy, all documents needed for the loans can be submitted securely online and all needed signature are done painlessly with docusign. Special shout out to Mel for doing a great job and being very attentive during the whole process. They also got us a killer low rate for the mortgage, not much else you can ask for! read more

We are so thankful for Kama'aina Mortgage Group coming through for us on our Home Refinancing needs. We want to especially thank our agent John Keifer who walked us through the process painlessly, efficiently and timely! John was always available to communicate with us. We connected immediately and was treated like a member of the family. His assistant Jennifer was amazing in the processing of necessary paperwork needed from us via email. John continues to check in on us and remembers us on holidays and important dates even after the successful Refi. He is truly one-of-a-kind! We are very thankful and look forward to future business opportunities with John Keifer at Kama'aina Mortgage Group! read more

It's with a sense of awe and happiness that I stand on the precipice of being a homeowner. I am soon to close. :-) I will fondly remember this experience . John Keifer went above and beyond the call of duty. His work was extraordinary! ...from masterfully navigating the financial end -- to patiently and expertly explaining all of the financial jargon. (Pretty complex stuff to understand) Not only did he provide financial information in an understandable way--he also made me feel like I was part an ohana. It was... well it was downright visceral. That is the awesome part of it. I was genuinely made to feel comfortable and cared about within the context of a BUSINESS venture! Mr. Keifer made sure that I was secure in the understanding of what was occurring each step of the way. Jennifer was friendly, efficient and so helpful as well ...You guys really made me feel like my welfare was really important to you. Thank you so much KMG Mortgage Group. AND thank you for finding me the best mortgage ever! What a rare and wonderful business model you have. I am a fan. I ain't goin anywhere else for financing needs. No one else should either! read more

Cannot recommend John, Melissa, Jennifer, and Kandra of Kama'aina Mortgage Group enough! The team did an outstanding job putting our loan together while we simultaneously sold and relocated from NJ. The entire process was seamless and without any interruption. Excellent communication despite a 6 hour time difference; the despite I've experienced from any lender yet. Strongly recommend KMG and look forward to working with them again in the future! read more

Thank you to Melissa, John, Jessica and the rest of the Kama'aina Mortgage Group! This was my second time purchasing a home, but the first time using a broker. They were able to take care of everything and Melissa provided us with updates and advice throughout the entire process. KMG was referred to us by our real estate agent and we couldn't be happier! Thank you KMG! :) read more

I had a very unique credit situation where I had more than enough cash for the down payment (and even the unit if I wanted to) and income from several sources, but none that was very lender friendly in the conventional sense. I worked with John Keifer at KMG ... he ran through all the options and found me a lender that was able to use their heads to get the loan done. I can't really emphasize enough how hard it was to find someone that could make it work. I probably talked to eight other lenders over the past couple of years, but John was the only one who stuck with it and actually figured out a way to make the loan happen. Once we got into escrow, his team managed the process very efficiently and we were kept up to date every step of way through closing. We now have our new property and couldn't be happier. read more

I am not one to write reviews very often, but I feel compelled to write one for John Keifer and his team at Kama'aina Mortgage Group (KMG) after the excellent job they did on my recent refinancing. When I choose someone to work on my behalf, my first requirements are that the person be honest and trustworthy. John passes that test with flying colors. He was absolutely committed to working in my best interests. I don't have a great deal of knowledge about real estate, and on many occasions, John had opportunities to talk me into accepting situations that might have boosted his bottom line at the expense of mine. Instead, he always talked me through all of the details of what was happening, making sure I could make an informed decision before going forward, and he accepted my decision even if it meant more work for him. I also found John to be very reliable and responsive. He always responded to my emails and phone calls in short order, even on weekends, and the people working for him were the same. His loan processors, Jessica, and Jennifer, were very easy to work with, and they were extremely efficient. It was obvious they have a wealth of experience in the field because they were able to provide quick and informative answers to all of my concerns. When there was a snag due to the credit agencies mixing up my info with my brother's (don't even get me started on the *#$% credit agencies), Jessica not only fixed things with the lender, she went the extra mile and submitted a credit supplement to remove my brother's account from my credit report! John obviously knows how to surround himself with the best, and I really appreciated seeing the professionalism throughout his organization. Of course, the most important quality in a loan officer is that he gets you the best deal, and John certainly did that. I had asked him to get me a cash-out refinance that would 1) get rid of my PMI requirement, 2) lower my rate, and 3) get me the cash I needed to do some remodeling and pay off a few debts. He came through on all counts, and my overall financial situation is much improved as a result. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but I have to go back to the issue of integrity to end this review. I was so impressed with John that I had a few conversations with him about his approach, and his answer made me like him even more. He explained his philosophy was basically that he was in the business of helping people. And if he was able to help someone get a great deal to buy or improve their home, it was a win-win because that person would likely be pleased with the service and more likely to refer friends and family to John. Well, he was certainly right in my case. I've told everyone I know at work about John, and I hope this review will help a few more people make the great decision to give him a try. read more

Brian and his team were awesome to work with. They were patient and provided helpful advice, allowing the home buying process to be less overwhelming especially as a first time home buyer. Brian was always available to answer questions and explained the numbers to me. Thank you for realizing our dream! read more

Exceptional staff and exceptional business. My family and I have worked with KMG over the years and highly recommend working your home loans through them; you will not be disappointed. Not only was the initial service informative and easy, Brian and his team at KMG were extremely responsive. The follow up calls were welcomed and it seemed the team really cared about my experience. They did reach out when the market changed and options were beneficial to me and my situation; no annoying quarterly sales calls. Thank you again to Brian and his team at KMG. read more

Kama'aina Mortgage Group is the best! It was an absolute pleasure working with John and his team. They helped us tremendously throughout the entire process and consistently offered support if we ever had any questions. Kama'aina Mortgage Group made the home buying process easier than my wife and I could have imagined! We are very grateful to John and his team and would definitely recommend to anyone looking to purchase or refinance their home! 5 out of 5 stars to Kama'aina Mortgage Group! read more

As a new home buyer and probably the most nieve to the whole process Im beyond glad I've made the right choice with Kama'aina mortgage. I have to say after 2 failed attempts at other mortage companies i Can now stand by recommending Kama'aina. My go to guy was travis Matthews. Patient, a friendly soothing voice, always in a good mood, positive, prompt service when answering emails, calls and texts, and also always wanting to explain everything every step of the way. He has made this experience a joyous one. MAHALO NUI to the whole team of Kama'aina mortgage!!! read more

I can't say how much I loved working with John Keifer and his team! I have never had such impeccable service. He treats you like you are family and not just another number. The communication was great, the loan process was smooth and they were on top of everything. If you are looking for someone who really cares, understands your needs, and is looking out for your best interest call John Keifer! I will definitely be using him again and recommend him to everyone buying, investing, or refinancing a home. read more

*REVISED REVIEW* Mr Brian Bender called me after my original Yelp Review. He explained while my original experience does happen in the industry, He doesn't want it to happen within his firm. He followed up by saying reputation and word of mouth is more important in Hawaii. He apologized for my experience and asked if he could make it right. He told me if I gave him and his firm a second chance he would personally be following the case and have his best team members expedite my refi. I agreed we got started. Mr Bender gave me his personal cell number, and put me in touch with his Kai Mills the Branch Manager. Kai was an absolute pleasure to work with. She gave me constant updates, and made sure we understood exactly what was happening. Mr Bender did check in on the process a couple of times during the process. Overall Mr. Bender's team did exactly as he promised, and kept us informed the entire time. I have updated from zero star status to 3 stars mainly because it is hard to forget the experience with Mr Eric Day. But I would not hesitate to work with Kai Mills again, she was excellent through the process. read more

I recently did a refinance of my home and Kai Mills was my loan officer and there were no hiccups from start to finish, Kai did a excellent professional job for me !!! I would recommend her to my friends and family and anyone looking to refinance their home !!!! She is friendly and makes the whole process comfortable !!! read more

If you are first time home buyer with hurdles to conquer, then John is your guy! Burying is a new home is stressful, lots of red tape, lots of paperwork, lots of going around in a circle. My situation was extremely difficult. Let me tell you what this guy did for me and my family. My husband is a vet and we wanted to get a VA loan for our home. The condo we LOVED was not VA approved. John got the building approved, it took longer then normal only because the property managers were not returning his calls. Once we got the building VA approved, I thought it was going to be smooth sailing. Um, no. Not the case. My husband misplaced his divorce papers and let me tell you what John did. John reached out to my husband's ex-wife and tried to get the necessary paperwork. Tell me what lender would do that? I highly recommended John and his team! read more

John Keifer and his team at KMG were able to help my wife and I purchase our first home, using the VA home loan benefit, and we closed in 30 days! John and his team were respectful and transparent throughout the entire process and were always available to answer any questions my wife and I had. He went above and beyond the call of duty to get us the best deal we could and we cannot thank John and his team at KMG enough. I highly recommend them for your mortgage lending services. read more

This group is on the pulse! We actually found and closed on a house within 40 days! It could not have happened without KMG. When they received any information regarding our property or mortgage that needed an action it came straight to us without a moments delay. Literally. Their customer service, responsiveness and expertise was THE BEST we have experienced hands down. Agree completely with all the five star reviews! If we could give ten we would. Immense gratitude to the team at KMG! read more

If you were like me months ago reading the reviews on KMG, you're probably thinking that these reviews are too good to be true. But let me say that every single 5-star review is very true and very much deserved. I did not know a single thing about purchasing a home as it was my first time, but John Keifer and Melissa Stutes provided me with all the answers to my endless questions and concerns, which resulted in such a smooth, quick, and easy process to becoming a home owner! They were very accommodating to my financial status as well as to my work schedule. Because my greatest concern was my finances, Melissa provided me with multiple different mortgage presentations, which allowed me to see all of the options that fit my specific situation. I could go on and on about my experience! It's been a month and a half since I closed on the purchase, and John and Melissa still continue to answer my questions! They are very dedicated to both their current and past clients, and I cannot thank them enough for the best first home purchase experience! read more

This was our second time using Kamaaina Mortgage Group to secure financing for our new home and they are the best. Great communication throughout the process and they make everything easy. Always ready to answer my questions. They are true professionals. Thank you Melissa Stutes, John Keifer, Kandra Durfield, and Jessica Zeller! read more

Brian and his team were great! One thing is for sure, they don't work on island time. They were very proactive about getting everything done on their end as quickly as possible, to help ensure an on-time closing, even if there are delays on other ends. Thanks to them, I closed my VA loan in record time, with a super low interest rate, and minimal out of pocket expenses. Couldn't have asked for more. read more

I've been working with the wonderful team at Kama'aina Mortgage Group the last few weeks assisting them on their technology needs. They are so wonderful and they welcomed me into their family. Brian and his staff always try to look out for you and your Ohana. Thank you KMG for your Aloha and support. You guys are the best! read more

Kama'aina Mortgage Group gave my wife and I a clear advantage when going through the process of purchasing a home. Their one-on-one approach simplified the experience and made us feel that we had someone watching for us at all times. Their knowledgeable staff was easy to reach, direct and ever so accommodating to our busy schedule. Both Brian and Jessica were very proactive and walked us through what to expect so nothing came as a surprise. I also found that Kama'aina Mortgage Group was very well respected among realtors, escrow officers and others involved in the sale-purchase of a home, which gave me great confidence when negotiating the purchase of what is now our beautiful home. I am elated to write this review today and report that KMG got us to our wonderful home in Hawaii and they did it while reducing the amount we will have to pay for our mortgage vs rent! Mahalo to Brian, Jessica and the team, you guys have fan in the Gonzalez family. Aloha. read more

In process of refinancing- they have been courteous, timely and patient!

My husband and just recently closed escrow on a beautiful piece of property that sits at the top of a hill overlooking Kailua, Kona. We will have sunset views every night once we build our dream home. This was all made possible because we just happened to be placed in the right hands at the right time. We presently live on the mainland however our long time dream was to retire in the islands. After a lengthy search for the right home we decided on one of the most beautiful pieces of land where we could build our dream home. However, it quickly got complicated. We did not know how difficult it would be to find land financing. I must admit that by the time we reached out to Brian Bender at Kama'aina Mortgage we pretty much had given up all hope as our dream was diminishing. We originally entered the search with a pre-qualify letter from our local bank on the mainland for a home loan. However, we quickly learned land terms are quite different and our major US mainland bank did not have any further recommendations and was In fact, discouraging. That was about when I was given Brian Bender name. We did not know him from atom but, he took the time to listen. We spent a great deal of time on the phone exploring various options, and crunching numbers. His experience and knowledge made all the difference. He raised recommendations that had never once crossed my mind. It was not long before he came up with the right solution for us. I would personally like to recommend Brian Bender at Kama'aina Mortgage, and his entire team who were all very instrumental in making our dream possible. Aloha! Hawaii here we come! read more

If you're a first time home buyer, don't hesitate! You can do it with the help of John and his team! We had been saving and looking into buying our first apartment for a while but were reluctant to actually put it into motion as it can be quite an intimidating process. We met John and instantly clicked. He was not only friendly, but truly cared about making us happy. He excelled our expectations by finding us a great program with the best rates and even a rebate! Plus we closed weeks before target date which was the cherry on the sundae! If you're a first time home buyer and wondering where to start, give John a call! He'll walk you through the entire process and I'll be honest, it's not as hard as you think! We'll definitely be keeping his info on file for all of our friends and family! Thanks John! We truly appreciate all of your help to beginning our next chapter :) read more

I strongly believe that providing truely exceptional customer service is hard to come by too often, that is why I felt compelled to write a quick note to thank and recognize Angel Berger from Kama'aina Mortgage Group. I had been working with my primary bank on a mortgage loan to purchase my first home, but wanted to do my due diligence and see what other options were out there. After a quick Google search and reading some reiviews online, I submitted an inquiry through their website. No sooner had I clicked "submit", I received the auto-response email from the company, followed by a phone call 30 seconds later from Ms. Berger. We had a 30 minute conversation in which time she provided me tons of information and knowledge about my different options and the mortgage loan process. To make a long story short, Ms. Berger provided more information in the half an hour phone call than my current mortgage loan officer (who shall remain nameless, lol) had done in the previous 2 weeks combined. I could feel that Ms. Berger had a lot of empathy and it felt like I was talking with an old friend... along with her knowing everything about mortgages front and back. I hope to be moving into my own home in the next few months and I think I may have found the right person and company to make that dream a reality. I would strongly encourage anyone in the same situation to reach out to Angel Berger and Kama'aina Mortgage Group -- you will be pleasantly surprised that excellent service and loan officers are not mutually exclusive. Thank you again Angel! Mike D read more

Red flag #1: I am a soon-to-be-first time home buyer, and this mortgage company was the first I went to for prequalification, etc., based off of Yelp reviews. Brian responded very quickly via Yelp, which was nice. He then set me up with a loan partner, Brandy Noss. She too was fairly quick with her responses via email. Went through the process of prequalification over the phone and online, which was easy. She gave me confidence! ...Until I asked to meet in person to go over options, the next step, etc. Now THIS is where it goes downhill for me. She told me that she works remotely and isn't physically in the office, so she can set up an appointment over the phone to complete my next steps. As a first time home buyer, this made me uneasy. Nothing beats actually meeting someone in person to look over numbers and documents- especially regarding one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. I responded to her with my concerns via email and she hasn't responded since. That email was sent 12/17/2016 and today is 1/5/2017. Now for someone who was responding very quickly, not responding within weeks is a huge red flag. If I had known from the start that I wouldn't be meeting this particular loan partner in person, I wouldn't be as disappointed. The fact that she didn't respond to my email of concern is unprofessional in my opinion. I wouldn't have written this review if it wasn't for being left guessing. She left me to assume that there isn't another loan partner in the office that I could've met with in person? If she, herself, couldn't help me face to face, are there no other options she could have provided me with to suit my needs? And if this company mainly does things over the phone/online, then a simple, courteous explanation would've been nice. So many questions left unanswered from this particular experience. Based off of the reviews, I expected more. Red flag #2: One other unusual occurrence with this company was when someone called me a few times within a week without leaving a voicemail. I never called back, because there was no voicemail, and I had NO clue who/what was calling me. It gets even more unusual- I finally figured out who the "mysterious caller" was when the same phone# called me THREE CONSECUTIVE times (and at a weird time!). When you get 3 consecutive calls, any normal person would assume it was an urgent call right? Anyway, I ran out of something important I was doing at the time to answer the third call- only to find out it was someone from KMG who obviously didn't know I was already working with Brandy. A little messy if you ask me. read more

Brian and his team are AMAZING!!! I'm a first time home buyer and a single mother and I was scared! But Brian, Brandy and Jessica all worked hard to make sure I was ready for the process of buying a home. I've never met people who reply to emails so quickly! We all worked together as a team and as a result, I have a home! I would recommend Kama'aina Mortgage Group to everyone. read more