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.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Another episode on the best of the best.
And we have our host, thereseBrittenham, from Collegeville,
pennsylvania, and a specialguest.
Therese, what do you got Today?
I have Adam Waldman, withguaranteed rate.
Adam and I have known eachother for how long now.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
It was April of 2016 when I started working with you,
so it's been a little bit oftime.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Yeah, adam's awesome.
We love working with him.
Adam's a loan officer and, ofcourse, in our business we need
to work with loan officers, andit's nice when you can find
someone that you trust and knowsgoing to get the job done.
So I wanted to invite you onthis show because I do consider
you to be one of the best of thebest in our business, because
you do something that a lot ofpeople don't.
You really care, you reallycare about the consumer, you

(00:46):
care about the agent, so I feellike it's a really nice
combination.
So tell us a little bit aboutyour business and what you do
and what your favorite part ofit is.

Speaker 2 (00:54):
Sure, well, like I said I have been doing, I've
started in the business in 992000.
So I started in a call centerenvironment, moved to a self
producing loan officer role thana branch manager.
A couple of different companies.

(01:14):
One was bought out byguaranteed rate and then went
away for a little bit and that'swhen 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 technologycompany that happens to do
mortgages.
Best part of my job is workingwith the agents, the agents that

(01:40):
love their job, that considerthemselves to be matchmakers
with buyers and homes, and thenI can help out those buyers and
helping them fit them into theright program for their
situation, their family, to meettheir needs.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Yeah, so it's almost like a passion.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
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 thedifferent programs you need to
make sure that you're fittingthe budget for that family and
that situation in thatparticular home, and so that's a
lot to think about.
But I pride myself on takingthe weight of those decisions

(02:25):
off the buyer, making sure thatthey know the options, and then
we match make from there.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, and I think that's important for real estate
agents to have a trustedadvisor, because there are so
many different loans andprograms that are out there.
And I mean I've actually talkedto you about a buyer in the
past where you said, you knowwhat, there's a program that
your person's perfect for and Idon't have it.
And I've that meant a lotbecause you were giving away

(02:52):
your business because it wasright for the consumer and that
is very endearing.
So at the end of the day, itcreates this trust relationship
that you know you're alwaysdoing what's right for our
customer, who we want to beclients for life with, and that
just kind of screams to themlike come back, come back, come
back, always use these agentsand this loan officer.

(03:15):
Yeah, so I think, that's one ofthe things that makes you stand
out.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
And you know being being with a company like
guaranteed rate, where we arealways innovating new programs.
We have a 1% down program witha 2% grant up to $2,000.
We're doing stuff like that.
That molds to the currentenvironment where millennials
are short on cash great income,they can qualify for the loan,

(03:41):
but they don't have a ton ofmoney to bring to the table.
So we, with all of thedifferent programs out there,
it's important to have somebodywho is paying attention and
knows what options are out there.
There are a lot of differentthings to learn and some
obstacles to avoid to really getthe best deal for the client.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah, it's not.
It's not cookie cutter and it'snot just go to any mortgage
person that happens to be outthere, because there are
different programs and one ofthe things that you guys do
really well is you're morevisionary, you know what's
coming down the pike and you'restarting 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 (04:27):
Yeah, guarantee rate is very proactive, not
necessarily reactive, and that'swhy I I love coming back to
them, because they are at theforefront of the technology
piece, and with that also comeswith the programs that they're
always.
Because we have the volume, wedo a ton of volume, where I
think last year we ended up withthe third in the country, nice,

(04:50):
and in total loan volume, we'redoing that.
That many loans allows uscertain preferential programs.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Like anything, yeah Right.
So, and we do it the right wayso it seems like you're you guys
educate yourselves a lot too.
You're I see you go to seminarsand classes and you're always
coming back with new ideas, sois that something that your
company is focused on?

Speaker 2 (05:15):
Yeah, we as a requirement a loan officer has
to get continuing it just verysimilar to realtor's.
But but yes, we always haveclasses.
We always have investors thatcome in and teach us about new
loan products and certainprograms that are you know that
aren't that haven't beenavailable in the past but,

(05:37):
because of the currentenvironment, have become
available because we're we'remolding to the new environment.
But, yes, classes all the time.
I had a webinar today thattaught us about the different
loan products that we havecoming up.

Speaker 1 (05:53):
So, yeah, so always, always at the forefront.
I love that.
I think the other thing that'sreally fun too is you're here at
the office, you're part of theteam, you know when we're.
We have a company picnic comingup and you're going to be there
and you're participating andit's.
It's really nice to see thatyou just are.
You're one of the gang, yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:12):
Yeah, I've said Since I started working with you that
I love coming to this office.
I really did when we were inlimerick and now that we're in
college, well, I I appreciatethe atmosphere and the the
culture that you've created here.
I come every day I can.
I Pride myself on beingavailable to the agents, and

(06:34):
that's that.
I know you work seven days aweek, so do I, and that's all
part of it.
It's and I.
That's not a that's not anegative to me.

Speaker 1 (06:43):
No, no, it's because we do like what we do.
It's a lot of fun to watchpeople have success whether it's
the agents having success, orWatching those buyers and
sellers coming together andputting that deal together and
seeing it come to fruition isnice, and you work really well
with the title companies, likeeverything.
It's not you don't do, you justyour piece.
You know you follow thattransaction all the way through

(07:05):
to make sure that it's reallygoing to get to the table on
time.
The communication with theagents is Fantastic because we
always know where we are in atransaction and I think if
you're an agent out there,that's something that you're
probably thinking is like goshsometimes I don't even know if
we're gonna close.

Speaker 2 (07:22):
Yeah, a lot of our systems do it automatically, but
I Try to get ahead of thatsystem and make sure that the
agent knows, hey, the appraisaljust came in and the underwriter
hasn't seen it yet, but it camein, it at this number and it
looks well supported, so we'regood to go.
And that that's a very typical,because I, I do want to be the

(07:46):
go-to, yeah, I do want to bethat guy that that the agent
calls on the weekend when theyneed a pre-approval, and I'll be
there.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
I think we were talking in one of our other
episodes about communication andand how important it is.
I mean, people really want toknow what's going on and
Sometimes we assume, because wedo this every day, that they
know.
So I think that's one of thethings You're always in front of
is making sure that theconsumer knows where are they in
the transaction, what is thatthey need to be doing, and

(08:16):
they're not surprised becauseyou're telling them along, all
along what to do.
Yeah, so I think Adam's awesome.
So if you're thinking aboutrefinancing, if you're looking
to purchase a property, youreally should start your search
Right here and then startlooking for your agents.
Do it in the right order so youdon't get disappointed and you
know that you can afford what itis you're looking for, because

(08:38):
you'll tell them right.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
Yes, absolutely.
I don't have a problem sayingno, but I'd love to say yes.

Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yes, exactly Well, Adam, thank you so much for
being on the best of the best.
We appreciate you so much.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
Thank you for having me.