Agent: Jim Tausche As first time buyers, I was extremely nervous about the process of buying a home. What concerned me the most was the fear of being ripped off or taken advantage of. So I began the process by reading books, looking through websites, and finding any tips I could to make sure I knew what to expect and what not to put up with. I put together a spreadsheet of questions to ask each lender (some of which I knew the answers to, but wanted to see if they would try and lead me astray) and started calling people all over Chicago. When I got to 1st Advantage, I was put in touch with Jim Tausche, who spent almost 40 minutes with me on the phone walking me through the process, answering my questions, asking me questions, and most importantly, making me feel comfortable with how the process works. What impressed me the most was his honesty - he told me not what I WANTED to hear, but what I NEEDED to hear. Soon thereafter, I scheduled an initial meeting with him in his office to further interview him. He waited 40 minutes for us while we were caught in traffic after 5pm to talk us through the process (again, we hadn't committed to him at this point) and we continued to feel at ease with his answers. I flat out asked him questions like 'what is your commission' to see how he would react, and he continued to be honest and professional. Soon thereafter, we were applying. The application process was as smooth as could be expected...lots of paperwork, but that's going to be the case anywhere. He always followed up with us on its status, kept us advised on rates, and recommended to us what he would do if he were in the situation we were in. He was able to lock us in at a favorable rate AND give us credit at closing. As the process continued, he was always prompt with following up (very important to us) and was accessible by e-mail and cell. We had a few unexpected items come up towards the end (not his fault) and he did his best to handle them and guide us through. At the end, he came with us to closing and secured us a loan with a competitive rate and never left us on our own. We were very glad that we went with Jim and would recommend him to anyone. read more

Jim Tauche goes above and beyond our expectations of a mortgage broker. He always makes us feel like we're his best and only cleints. We appreciate the attention to details from him and his team. Well done! Smoothest close ever. read more

James Tausché was absolutely wonderful to work with! He was extremely professional and always made sure my husband and I understood every detail and option we had when buying our home. He was easy to get ahold of and always made us a priority! We truly appreciated his attention to detail and the fact that he made the process of buying our home as smooth as possible! read more

In August 2012, found 1st Advantage on a recommended list of mortgage bankers in Illinois & began a refinance app for my condo. After initial shock at the level of detail and volume of documentation required in this new lending environment, my Loan Officer, Jim Lawlor really stepped up to the plate up on my behalf. He provided excellent customer service, always stayed in touch and worked diligently to keep my app moving forward. Thanks!! read more

My wife and I had the good fortune of working with Jim Tausche as first time home buyers and again recently when we decided to refinance. Jim and his team were wonderful to work with and we would happily work with them again in the future. At every step in the process Jim made sure that my wife and I understood all of our options and that we weren't extending beyond what we felt comfortable. He consistently made himself available whenever we had questions and always made us feel like a priority. Recently my wife and I moved to Washington but were interested in refinancing our home in Evanston. I made a quick call to Jim to see if he could assist us with the refi and he assured me that it would be his pleasure to help us out. Throughout the process Jim worked around our time-zone difference to make sure we were able to connect at convenient times for us. He and his team also helped us resolve some unexpected surprises during the refinance and close with a much better rate all from the comfort of our own state. Jim's positive and friendly attitude makes the whole process a stress free affair. If you're looking for a good lender, look no further than 1st Advantage Mortgage. read more

Working with Steve Siwinski was an unpleasant experience. He may know his numbers and offer a good deal, but I found him to be rude and insulting. read more

I refinanced in February 2010 with Adam Kriticos @ 1st Advantage. Adam seemed to really want to find me the best offer available and one that would work with my goals. He was not a pressure salesman, but I felt truly respresented me as a home owner. Very relaxed and smooth transaction. Made everything very simple...no surprises. I would highly recommend Adam for any mortgage transactions. He can be reached at extension 269. read more

I recently purchased a home in Chicago and had worked with Adam Kriticos at a previous mortgage company. Adam walked us through the new process of home buying and was a delight. If you are looking for a get it done mortgage broker I would recommend Adam Kriticos. In addition, 1st Advantage lends there own money which is important to getting things done these days! read more

Jamie did a refinance for me several years back when he was with Guarantee Rate and did a fine job. Last month I contacted him for another refinance. Jamie Simpson blew me off twice. If you are looking for a responsive professional broker contact Alex Margulis at Perl mortgage. Just closed with Alex, no problem. read more

We originally worked with Jamie Simpson a few years ago when we were first time home buyers. He did a fantastic job back then, so naturally we went back to him again when it was time for us to Refinance. Jamie and everyone else at 1st Advantage did an awesome job making the process as smooth and convenient as possible! They presented us with all options, made everything simple to understand and delivered exactly what was promised. read more

Suzanne Stiefel was a true pleasure to work with. After Chase Bank dropped the ball, Suzanne was able to push through a loan in record time. She is a true professional with a great personalized approach to lending. Thank you Suzanne! read more

After a terrible experience with another mortgage company, we were connected to Jim Tausche at 1st Advantage Mortgage. As first time home-buyers, we had a lot of questions and a lot of choices to make in how we wanted to finance our home, and not a lot of knowledge or experience upon which to make those decisions. Jim was so helpful throughout the process, presented all of our options, and made sure we understood what we were getting ourselves into. Due to our circumstances, and the situation we were dealing with at the previous mortgage lender, we came to Jim with very little time before the date were scheduled to close. Not only did Jim make the time to work with us, he set us up with a mortgage that worked better for us, and was able to approve our loan in time for our closing. We so appreciate his knowledge and expertise in the industry, and his willingness to help us out in a crunch! We thought we were going to lose our dream house, and he was able to make it happen for us. We would absolutely recommend Jim and 1st Advantage Mortgage to anyone who is shopping around for a mortgage lender!! read more

I reached out to Steve Siwinski trying to get more information about the IHDA program and to go over the loan process since I'm a first time home buyer. I emailed him first and the response I got was "Call me". I would have expected an introduction and a bit of information, then maybe a "Give me a call and we can go over it in more detail". So right off the bat I wasn't comfortable, I decided to check him out a little further and checked the reviews on Zillow as well as the one I found on Yelp. The reviews on Zillow were great which made me excuse the Yelp comment that he was "rude and insulting". I gave him a call and left him a detailed voicemail about my interest in the IHDA program and had a very specific question about which Fico scoring model they use (Fico 8 or the older Fico 2 model). He returned my call within the hour which was great but as soon as I answered and reiterated my interest and questions he interrupted me and said "Ya, I know what you're calling about already, I listened to your very long voicemail..." He then gave me a generic answer regarding the Fico question and told me they take the middle score. I told him I was aware that middle scores are used but wanted to know which scoring model they worked with (so far I've found that not many brokers know about the different models and/or which one they use when checking scores). I didn't even have a chance to finish my question and talk with him about the models I was familiar with when he interrupted again and said "There's only 3, Experian, Transunion..." I stopped him there, and told him I'm very aware of the credit reporting agencies and that wasn't my question. When I asked for more information about the IHDA program and the process he quickly ran through what he'd need to confirm and that he'd get me a pre-approval letter. I'm a first time home buyer and wanted more detailed information about the program which he didn't provide despite me asking twice. I asked if the application was online and he advised he likes to do it "in person". So I asked what I would need to bring in to the office and he laughed at me and rudely replied "Not face to face, over the phone and I already told you what I needed, it's simple, you give me the information over the phone and i'll tell you what you're approved for." I'm sorry but what does "in person" mean again? This guy was rude, not professional, and extremely condescending. I would not recommend Steve Siwinski if you're a first time home buyer. He may be great at getting down to business, but he was not pleasant and I would not want to work with anyone like him who thinks it's okay to treat people like they're idiots. read more

Jim Tausche sets the bar pretty high. My wife and I recently closed on our first condo and had a wonderful experience simply by working with Jim. We have heard all of the stories about how confusing and stressful the home buying experience can be. Not with Jim. First of all, he is extremely flexible. Where other lenders say they are only available during certain hours, which makes sense, Jim consistently went out of his way to talk to us over the phone after hours due to our busy work schedules. He was very responsive during the home buying process and even after closing. Jim makes you feel like you are his most important customer. I recall a handful of times where he would actually drive to my work downtown and pick up or drop off documents since I was unable to make it to his office during normal business hours. It is safe to say that you are in great hands working with Jim. You will receive all the attention you need and no question goes unanswered. It was a pleasure working with him and we will definitely recommend him to others. read more