EDIT: Scott responded to my review below. I'm not sure what that means as I showed Scott the upmost respect throughout this eight month ordeal. I have the text messages and emails to prove it. I do find it odd though, he didn't dispute that this refinance took 8 months, or that the cash close changed four times.. or we missed multiple closings. You'd think someone in Scott's position would at least try to disprove it. He didn't. Instead he tells you to go read reviews on a site where you must pay at minimum $30 to review people. P.S if you search Big Valley Mortgage, on Google/Yelp and look at the bad reviews you specifically see other people calling out Scott for his issues and lack of communication. So was it just me? I cannot in good faith recommend the use of Big Valley Mortgage, specifically Scott Cooper (NMLS #220458). I started an FHA streamline with Scott Cooper over 8 months ago! Yes, it took this man the better part of a year to close a streamline refinance. I was lured in on one of those zero cash to close refinance ads Scott had mailed out to houses in the area. Sadly, Scott failed to complete my loan under the conditions he promised and my deal ended up changing MULTIPLE times. My cash to close went from $0, to $400~, to $700 to over $2000. I was informed on THREE separate occasions we were closing; those closing dates came and went, and not even a single peep from Scott. At one point Scott had failed to keep my loan active, so the lender cancelled and deleted my file entirely, yes, at month six we had to begin this process ALL OVER. During this entire process I maybe spoke to Scott on the phone a handful of times (he heavily preferred email/text) and he'd only ever call me to give me bad news. Right around month six, I received a call from him letting me know that the lender cancelled the file due to inactivity and we had to begin this WHOLE process over. I think, as most people would be I was furious, though, I stayed calm with Scott, but I demanded answers. Well Scott did not have any answers, and in-fact he yelled at me over the phone and tried to shift blame onto me. Scott was completely unremorseful of the situation. He simply did not care. In the midst of all this, we were able to track down the VPs phone number, so we gave him a call. While Buzz is clearly, a well-educated and professional person he remained distant from the actual issue. The position he took was more of a coworker who had no power to discipline Scott. However, we were told Scott was 'yelled' at... I will say, Buzz explained more about my refinance, and lending in general in two limited phone calls than Scott did in 8 months. I appreciated that. Finally, it is time to close. Documents have published and all I need to do is sign and wait the three days. But wait, my closing cost is showing as $2000~. Well that is not right. Last I spoke to Scott I was told $700~. I then received a phone call.. (if you guessed it was Scott, you win a gold star). Scott did indeed confirm the bad news, but said, "I was going to make it right, you have my word". He instructed me to sign the documents so the clock could start and we could close. In my gut, I knew better, but at this point 8 months later, I just wanted this over. I signed the documents, and soon found out that BVM was going to cut me a whopping $500 check. Well thanks, after eight months of hell, multiple cash to close changes, failed closing this what their way of "making it right". So I did what I thought was best, and I called a lawyer. I proceeded to pick up the phone and call Buzz. As mentioned earlier, Buzz is clearly well educated and knows how to talk to people. While the phone call was uneventful, I did ask them to up the amount. Buzz was a master at dancing his away around that, but ultimately he revealed two things. "Scott does a lot of business for us" and "We have no fiduciary duty to you". So that explains why Scott gets away with what he does, he makes them money so why possible harm that. My call with a lawyer were equally uneventful. Indicated that litigating this would take many years, and no one would likely come out on top. I should accept whatever offer and put this behind me. Big Valley Mortgage upped their offer to $750. I accepted. At the end of the day, I do have a lowered interest rate and a more manageable payment, even if it took eight months. I still sit here wondering if it was worth it, and if I should have pulled out of the refinance earlier. I am still not sure, and even if I did pull out I would have been in a worse situation. See CalHFA stopped doing refinances on FHA loans in the middle of mine, so if I left I would have been unable to achieve a refinance anytime soon. What am I sure of though? Scott Cooper lied to me, and took clear advantage of a new homeowner. I guess some lessons are learned the hard way. I will not be making this mistake again, and I hope you do not make the same mistake as me. read more

Scott is an amazing loan officer. I met him a month ago and he helped me to get a loan for the first time owning a house. He was patient and informative in providing all the information. I went to other places to find a good rate for my loan, but no one is comparable with Scott. He helped me to get a better rate for my loan which made me satisfied about his job. I highly recommend Scott, if you need help to get a loan. Mr. Cooper appreciate all your efforts. read more

Scott is a LIFESAVER! I started with a different loan officer and had a horrible experience. I'm the kind of person that needs the details (I'm a first time home buyer), I need to understand how everything works! Buying a house involves 1,000s of details and most people don't take the time to cover all of them. Except Scott! After having an emotional breakdown, I text a friend asking for a referral and got Scott's name and number. I told Scott about my horrible experience and what was important to me. I like Scott for 3 major reasons: Knowledgeable: Scott took the time the listen, actually listened, to what I was feeling and wanting. After hearing me out, he told us about a problem with the house we were looking at. No one had caught that and we had gotten pretty far in the process (with the first loan guy) and Scott figured it out in an hour! That house was a waste of time, but no one was guiding us. Scott got us on the right track! Listens Attentively: We are a two income family and using only 1 of us on the loan. We told Scott we could afford more than what banks were going to allow us to spend. Scott looked into our situation and told us we actually had the ability to go $35,000 higher than what the first loan consultant told us! He listens to what you need and want. Customer Service: Scott has a great sense of humor (kinda even sounds like Dane Cook) and makes the transaction fun. Yes, fun! Scott knows this process inside and out and that allows him to make the process stress free for you. He listens to your needs, educates you on the process and prepares you for what is to come. He has things so organized that the weekly/daily updates through email/phone become a friendly chit-chat than stressful loan stuff. Now we are finally in our dream house. We closed escrow last Tuesday. We would have never found this house without Scott! And I am forever grateful! He called me to let me know I'd be expecting some checks in the mail! He was able to get the Seller to pay for MORE things and they would be reimbursing us! And it is enough to pay our first mortgage payment... Scott is amazing!!! When the process is over you feel like you've made a friend. Scott will be added to our Christmas card list :-) read more

I met Scott back in 2010, he actually represented the buyer on a listing I had. I was very impressed with his communication skills, follow-through and his knowledge of the industry. This was a very difficult file. It was a short sell with two loans and the bank was only giving us a two-week window to close want to be received an approval. Anyone that has dealt with a short sale knows the stress and the urgency of time. Scott was able to get us closed in two weeks. With that being said, I was extremely impressed with Scott and his team. Since then I have sent him several transactions....it's always a treat to work with him! read more

I've know Scott for many years now and can say that he loves what he does and will always do his best for his clients. Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions you make so it really does matter who you use. Scott is honest, hardworking and has the knowledge that can get you through any situation. read more

I would not have a house now if it wasn't for Scott Cooper. It's really that simple. Scott went above and beyond his role as the "Money Man"; he took point and helped guide our transaction to completion. He reached out to all parties in order to coordinate the close of a short sale that required constant attention. He helped to alleviate my fears every time a hurdle was thrown my way (and there were a lot of them). When it seemed that the whole deal was going to collapse Scott graciously allowed me to vent my frustrations and then outlined how we were going to proceed. Scott never lost sight of the target and helped my wife and I keep our home-ownership dream alive. I have had little to no contact with loan officers in past real estate transactions. I thought they worked in the background and only contacted you if they needed documentation. Scott changed my view of what a loan officer does. He kept the lines of communication going between my real estate agent and the sellers. He worked with the title company and followed up with me constantly. I was never out of the loop. If you're looking for a loan officer you should pick up the phone and call Scott NOW! He was a pleasure to work with and always made himself available. He walked us through every step of the loan process and no question was too small. He was a reassuring presence during the closing of our home and I would gladly recommend him to anyone who is looking to finance a new home or even to refinance an existing loan. read more

Scott is amazing. Very patient, very helpful. He's answered every question I have had, some multiple times, and more. I'm so glad he was recommended to us! If you're a first timer, I highly recommend Scott! read more

Scott just helped us with our loan. There's so many words to describe him and the process. Everything was done so fast and amazing. This is the second house we bought and the first experience was horrible. The guy pretty much belittled us. We were first time home buyers and didn't know what to expect. But the way Scott handled our file from beginning to end. Took great care of us and helped us in so many ways. Made this whole process so easy. Such a wonderful experience that we almost forgot the last one. Thank you Scott read more

Scott is an amazing loan officer. I have referred five friends and family members to him in the last two years and every one of them has come away singing his praises. He is extremely knowledgable about the loan process and he does an excellent job communicating from start to finish. There was never any question about what was happening with the loan at any point in the transaction. I would refer him again in a second and will definitely use him for my next loan. read more

Scott is honest and great to work with! He has gotten me 2 home loans so far and I highly recommend him to anyone in the market for a mortgage. He also makes the process pretty easy on you and is quick to act and get things done. read more

Scott is my go to loan officer. Scott always tells it to me straight, whether it be good news or bad, I can always rely on it to be the truth. Scott is a great professional partner, I always feel confident that when I refer one of my clients to Scott they are in good hands and Scott will move heaven and earth to get results. Scott is honest, experienced and tenacious! read more

Scott has glowing reviews and I wish I could give the same report, but unfortunately I cannot. I feel it would bore the reader to list the numerous issues I experienced as the listing agent (Scott represents the buyer) in this transaction. If Scott and I have the opportunity to work together again, perhaps the situation will be different. I hope so. Kandace M. read more

My husband's job had been relocated and we needed to find a home, get qualified as a first time home buyer and move within 2-3 months. We were getting prequalified for a loan with a different company and discovered that we were getting misinformation which had a negative impact on our credit score. Through our relator, we were put in contact with Scott. THANK GOODNESS WE FOUND SCOTT. After our first discussions with him, we felt that he had our best interests at heart. He explained the loan process, reviewed our financials and gave us guidance through this stressful yet exciting time in our lives. Ultimately, he guided us to achieve a better credit score, reduce our overall monthly debt (car loan, credit cards) and purchase a beautiful home that we could afford while still maintaining the lifestyle that we wanted for our family. He was available to answer any and all questions and put us at ease through the loan process. As we sit outside at night around our fire pit we are still amazed that this beautiful home is ours. I would highly recommend Scott to anyone purchasing a home and have already done so. read more

Scott made everything so simple and easy to understand. Everything that he told us gave us the confidence to get the house of our dreams. He made the process as simple as it could possibly be and i am very grateful for that. He was a friend throughout the process and if/when i am looking to acquire my next home Scott will be the first the call i make. read more

Are you are looking for a fabulous loan officer who is knowledgeable, informative, and has excellent customer service? Well Scott Cooper is your guy!!! He walked my husband and I through our first home buying experience and it was fantastic! My next home loan will definitely be through Scott Cooper at Big Valley Mortgage. I felt at ease during the entire loan process and felt like Scott made himself available to take any questions I had. What I particularly liked was Scott's weekly email updates and his published help aides which allowed my husband I to feel apart of the process and to visually see where we were in the life cycle of our loan. What I really admire about his work ethic is his unique ability to be very proactive and troubleshoot any issues which arose. He was always two steps ahead of the game and if we came to a snag in the road he approached us with suitable solutions in a timely manner. For my husband and I the best part of having him as our Loan Officer was his dedication and flexibility. He practically made himself available anytime Monday - Sunday! read more