The Best of the Best
Each week we will seek out the best of the best in every imaginable business and explore the secret to their success. Prepare to gain insights and perspectives that will help you propel your business and personal growth forward. Hear how these leaders started, the stumbling blocks they overcame, and what’s next in their journey.
The Best of the Best
Navigating the Homebuying Labyrinth with Expert Adam Waldman
Unlock the secrets to a perfectly tailored mortgage with the guidance of Guaranteed Rate's very own Adam Waldman, a mortgage maestro since 1999. In our candid conversation, we delve into the essence of customizing loan solutions that resonate with each buyer's unique financial landscape. Waldman's innovative strategies, like the head-turning 1% down initiative paired with a 2% grant, exemplify how Guaranteed Rate stands out from the crowd. But it's not just about the numbers; it's the symbiotic dance between loan officers and real estate agents that truly orchestrates a seamless homebuying symphony, where trust is the leading note and collaboration the harmonious melody.
Step into the world of real estate where communication reigns supreme, and discover the monumental value of an agent who navigates you through the twists and turns of appraisals and underwriting with finesse. As we dissect the journey a potential buyer embarks on, we underscore the importance of starting with a solid financial foundation, ensuring clarity on what one can afford before the property hunt even begins. Adam's refreshing transparency and his moral compass steer the conversation towards setting realistic expectations for clients, even if it means advising against a deal. Tune in for a treasure trove of insights that promise to arm you with the knowledge and confidence needed for your next, or perhaps first, property venture.
Another episode on the best of the best. And we have our host, therese Brittenham, from Collegeville, pennsylvania, and a special guest. Therese, what do you got Today? I have Adam Waldman, with guaranteed rate. Adam and I have known each other for how long now.
Speaker 2:It was April of 2016 when I started working with you, so it's been a little bit of time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, adam's awesome. We love working with him. Adam's a loan officer and, of course, in our business we need to work with loan officers, and it's nice when you can find someone that you trust and knows going to get the job done. So I wanted to invite you on this show because I do consider you to be one of the best of the best in our business, because you do something that a lot of people don't. You really care, you really care about the consumer, you care about the agent, so I feel like it's a really nice combination. So tell us a little bit about your business and what you do and what your favorite part of it is.
Speaker 2:Sure, well, like I said I have been doing, I've started in the business in 99 2000. So I started in a call center environment, moved to a self producing loan officer role than a branch manager. A couple of different companies. One was bought out by guaranteed rate and then went away for a little bit and that's when I got to meet you and came back to guaranteed rate. So that's where I am now. I love it. It's really a technology company that happens to do mortgages. Best part of my job is working with the agents, the agents that love their job, that consider themselves to be matchmakers with buyers and homes, and then I can help out those buyers and helping them fit them into the right program for their situation, their family, to meet their needs.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's almost like a passion.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's great it's no longer just a cut and paste order taking. It's not about that anymore. It's about because with all the different programs you need to make sure that you're fitting the budget for that family and that situation in that particular home, and so that's a lot to think about. But I pride myself on taking the weight of those decisions off the buyer, making sure that they know the options, and then we match make from there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that's important for real estate agents to have a trusted advisor, because there are so many different loans and programs that are out there. And I mean I've actually talked to you about a buyer in the past where you said, you know what, there's a program that your person's perfect for and I don't have it. And I've that meant a lot because you were giving away your business because it was right for the consumer and that is very endearing. So at the end of the day, it creates this trust relationship that you know you're always doing what's right for our customer, who we want to be clients for life with, and that just kind of screams to them like come back, come back, come back, always use these agents and this loan officer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so I think, that's one of the things that makes you stand out.
Speaker 2:And you know being being with a company like guaranteed rate, where we are always innovating new programs. We have a 1% down program with a 2% grant up to $2,000. We're doing stuff like that. That molds to the current environment where millennials are short on cash great income, they can qualify for the loan, but they don't have a ton of money to bring to the table. So we, with all of the different programs out there, it's important to have somebody who is paying attention and knows what options are out there. There are a lot of different things to learn and some obstacles to avoid to really get the best deal for the client.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's not. It's not cookie cutter and it's not just go to any mortgage person that happens to be out there, because there are different programs and one of the things that you guys do really well is you're more visionary, you know what's coming down the pike and you're starting to put programs in place now, not like, oh geez, we're here and now we need these programs to help the consumer. You already have them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, guarantee rate is very proactive, not necessarily reactive, and that's why I I love coming back to them, because they are at the forefront of the technology piece, and with that also comes with the programs that they're always. Because we have the volume, we do a ton of volume, where I think last year we ended up with the third in the country, nice, and in total loan volume, we're doing that. That many loans allows us certain preferential programs.
Speaker 1:Like anything, yeah Right. So, and we do it the right way so it seems like you're you guys educate yourselves a lot too. You're I see you go to seminars and classes and you're always coming back with new ideas, so is that something that your company is focused on?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we as a requirement a loan officer has to get continuing it just very similar to realtor's. But but yes, we always have classes. We always have investors that come in and teach us about new loan products and certain programs that are you know that aren't that haven't been available in the past but, because of the current environment, have become available because we're we're molding to the new environment. But, yes, classes all the time. I had a webinar today that taught us about the different loan products that we have coming up.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so always, always at the forefront. I love that. I think the other thing that's really fun too is you're here at the office, you're part of the team, you know when we're. We have a company picnic coming up and you're going to be there and you're participating and it's. It's really nice to see that you just are. You're one of the gang, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I've said Since I started working with you that I love coming to this office. I really did when we were in limerick and now that we're in college, well, I I appreciate the atmosphere and the the culture that you've created here. I come every day I can. I Pride myself on being available to the agents, and that's that. I know you work seven days a week, so do I, and that's all part of it. It's and I. That's not a that's not a negative to me.
Speaker 1:No, no, it's because we do like what we do. It's a lot of fun to watch people have success whether it's the agents having success, or Watching those buyers and sellers coming together and putting that deal together and seeing it come to fruition is nice, and you work really well with the title companies, like everything. It's not you don't do, you just your piece. You know you follow that transaction all the way through to make sure that it's really going to get to the table on time. The communication with the agents is Fantastic because we always know where we are in a transaction and I think if you're an agent out there, that's something that you're probably thinking is like gosh sometimes I don't even know if we're gonna close.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of our systems do it automatically, but I Try to get ahead of that system and make sure that the agent knows, hey, the appraisal just came in and the underwriter hasn't seen it yet, but it came in, it at this number and it looks well supported, so we're good to go. And that that's a very typical, because I, I do want to be the go-to, yeah, I do want to be that guy that that the agent calls on the weekend when they need a pre-approval, and I'll be there.
Speaker 1:I think we were talking in one of our other episodes about communication and and how important it is. I mean, people really want to know what's going on and Sometimes we assume, because we do this every day, that they know. So I think that's one of the things You're always in front of is making sure that the consumer knows where are they in the transaction, what is that they need to be doing, and they're not surprised because you're telling them along, all along what to do. Yeah, so I think Adam's awesome. So if you're thinking about refinancing, if you're looking to purchase a property, you really should start your search Right here and then start looking for your agents. Do it in the right order so you don't get disappointed and you know that you can afford what it is you're looking for, because you'll tell them right.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely. I don't have a problem saying no, but I'd love to say yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, exactly Well, Adam, thank you so much for being on the best of the best. We appreciate you so much.
Speaker 2:Thank you for having me.