Smooth, quick, and easy. Derek, thank you for walking us through the process! Highly recommended. read more

My experience was excellent with Derek! He is highly professional and extremely easy to communicate with. It was never an issue with him responding back to all my questions, as long as he is awake. He helped me step by step with the process and explained every little detail. I highly recommend him. Even if you already have a lender in mind, just give him a call and see what he can do for you. No worries about him harassing you for a sale. He's not like other lenders which will constantly try to reach you day and night. read more

I initially contacted Derek with some basic questions about a mortgage loan. The entire process was slightly different with ours being a new construction, but Derek knew all the answers like the back of his hand. Derek answered every single question in extreme detail, and this was before we had even committed to him as a lender. Derek was a consummate professional throughout the entire process, and was able to answer questions that even he didn't need to answer. He knew how the entire process worked from every angle, and was able to get us a great rate, and went above and beyond to make the home buying process flow smoothly. I would definitely work with Derek again for my next loan, as well as potential refinancing of loans in the future. read more

All I can see is wow. My wife and I found Jon Lam through a recommendation and we couldn't have been happier. He served as our loan officer and even went beyond the scope of a loan officer and offered help every step of the way. He was almost like a second mortgage agent to us. Jon works EXTREMELY fast. You will never have to wait on Jon for anything as he takes care of it as soon as he gets it. Between the time we got pre-approved to actually finding a house and opening escrow, the interest rate had increased. Jon let us know immediately that it had increased, but did not finalize the loan. He told us that the interest rates are always changing and that if he can get us a better rate by waiting, he would. When we were nearing the loan contingency, Jon told us that not only has the rate gone down, it had actually gone down lower than our pre-approved rate and locked it in for us. We were ecstatic. As mentioned previously, Jon works extremely fast and protected me every step of the way. The escrow company was chosen by the sellers, and to put it bluntly, they were slow and made a lot of mistakes. Jon had to constantly push the escrow agent to send him documents and correct mistakes. He warned us that if the seller's agent and escrow are this slow and full of mistakes, that the whole process may be frustrating and slow. He told us that he has never worked with an escrow company like this before. In fact, he was so skeptical that he asked how much we loved the house, which took us by surprised. He asked because in the worst case scenario, we could lose our deposit or even the full offer amount if the escrow company were to take our money and run. He was more worried about us than about the commission he would make off the house. Our agent assured us that her broker had worked with the seller's agent before, so we proceeded on with the purchase. Dealing with the sellers/escrow got to a point where the loan contingency was 2 days away and Jon needed the information at least 3 days in advance. He advised us that the sellers would push us to sign off on the loan contingency, but under no circumstances should we do so. If we did sign it and something went wrong with the loan, we would lose our deposit. He told us that the seller could not force us to sign off on the contingency, and that the seller's agent would have to file paperwork that would require us to sign within 3 days, which essentially gave us 3 additional days to sign off. Fortunately it didn't come to that because Jon pushed the underwriter to prioritize our loan and it was approved the next day. I cannot say enough good things about Jon. Simply put, he is someone you want on your side. He prioritizes the client's interests before his. He works extremely fast and fixes problems himself and updates you on the situation. If I ever buy another house, I am 100% using Jon again. read more

Some people think that I can be a 'pain in the derriere', some people see me more as being 'Tenacious' :-). Regardless, Derek didn't give up on me and was able to make it happen; I was finally able to refinance my house at a pretty decent interest rate. This is my second time refinancing with Derek Shao of Emory Financial; I had been wanting to refinance since 2019. Derek provided me with up to date information showing that the time was not right to refinance. I contacted Derek again in 2020; it was a 'no go', not worth going through the whole refinancing process. Finally I checked with Derek again on 9/28/2021 ... this time, I guess all the stars must have been in alignment :-), smooth sailing ..., Derek just sent me an email this morning to let me know that escrow closed yesterday, on 10/19/2021. YIPPEE!!! Everything was done in less than a month; so needless to say that I have and will continue to recommend Derek Shao to my real estate clients for their mortgage needs. Derek is very efficient, knowledgeable and very quick at answering questions and I like that. Thank you so much for everything!  I am glad that you were finally able to help me lower my monthly mortgage payments.  My goal is to pay off that 'darn' loan in the next 10 years; so if another opportunity presents itself to lower my payments and contribute more towards the principal, you know who I will be bugging ... :-) read more

Our roommate recently bought a home and highly recommended Derek mentioning that of the 3 lenders that she was evaluating, he was the most responsive and reasonably priced. So when it came time for my wife and I to purchase a home, we asked for Derek's contact information and evaluated him against 2 other lenders that came recommended by our realtor. Derek provided the quickest response along with a competitive rate and was knowledgeable every step of the way. We were pre-approved through another lender but went with Derek because he came off as an honest person who had our interests in mind. He also provided some loan industry insight that we took into consideration, but ultimately stayed with our initial decision. Derek was not pushy about any of the loans he was selling and did not try and upsell us anything we didn't need. We worked with Derek entirely through digital means and had a fairly complicated situation along with contingencies, but he managed to work with our realtor and the escrow company and pushed everything through on schedule. For any future home purchases that we may make, we'd definitely work with Derek again. read more

Derek.. He was referred to us by my bro and SIL over a conversation we had about getting pre-approval for a mortgage. We gave it a go after getting some from traditional banks. Derek was very responsive, knowledgeable, and looked at possible programs in the respective area without us even asking. When it came time for our escrow, our realtor was skeptical since Emory is not in the area in which we were purchasing. But quickly, Derek gained the trust of our realtor and they both worked well together to get us our home. I highly recommend Emory Financial. I will definitely, actually already have started to, refer Derek to friends and family. read more

Recently closed off a refi with Derek (March 2018). Derek has shown professionalism, care for details and consistent communication to make sure I am getting the best possible outcome for every aspect of the loan. I will not hesitate to go to him for future needs and will recommend him to anyone. read more

I worked with Derek and Emory Financial just recently in the purchasing of my first home, though Derek has been helping me as I've offered on other properties in the past. Derek was incredibly knowledgeable and willing to help answer my (many) questions every step of the way during the home buying process. He was also extremely thorough in keeping the process moving and following up with other involved parties in a timely manner to ensure that the closing process was not delayed. If you are looking for a partner in this process that knows the business and will promptly communicate to ensure your deal gets done then you've come to the right place!stevesteve read more

I have to admit that Derek is a good dude. He is honest and straightforward. From a consumer point of view, that is the type of stuff that money can't buy. You don't have to believe my review. Just call the guy and fine out yourself. No joke. read more

I used Derek Shao and Emory Financial for my home Refi. I can tell you that Derek is the best mortgage consultant I have ever dealt with. I've gone through this process a couple of times, and the previous consultants were not bad but they also were not even as close to as good as Derek. He is always responsive and up to date on the file. Every question and concern I had through the process was either answered or alleviated and I have to thank Derek for that. Derek is the ultimate professional and I would highly recommend using him and his services at Emory Financial. read more

Derek is very helpful and easy to work with. He really listens and tries to get you the lowest rates. His connections are so wide, he is able to do that all the time. I am very happy with the mortgage I got. It's been a load off my mind... Thanks, Derek! read more

This is my first review for Derek, but this isn't the first time he has helped us. He worked with us on 2 previous refi's and it helped us save a great deal of money. Naturally when we recently looked to buy a new place, there was only one person we considered calling. Derek is super patient with explaining the process and decoding the complexities of mortgage financing in a way that is easy to understand. He is quick with replying to emails or text and bends over backwards for being available at not-normal-business hours. It is strange but we see him as a family relative that's always available to give us the time of day to help us through important phases of our lives. Of all the decisions one makes when buying a home. Working with Derek is the easiest choice we made. I would not hesitate to recommend him everyday of the week and twice on Sunday. read more

Great financial institution, I just did my 3rd refinance with Jon Lam. He is honest, professional, quick to respond and on the top of the process. If you want to take advantage of the low rates, contact Jon and he will take a great care of you. read more

Derek has helped me with about 3+ refi's and 2 original loans. Every single time, he has gotten us the best available rates. He is very responsive and always available to answer any type of questions you may have. You never have to worry about anything when working with Derek. Don't shop around, go with Derek 100%! read more

Derek was so easy to work with. He's a FULL SERVICE lender that handled the loan with speed and quality. He was the point of contact and was up-to-date about my loan status every time I called. It's much easier working with him because I don't get handed-off like my previous experiences with the bigger/online lenders which required me to verify who I am each time I called and takes forever to get up to speed because they don't know me. With Derek, it's a personal touch from a professional. He makes it easy. I will definitely be using Derek for all of my loan needs in the future. read more

Just funded an investment loan w Derek, one of the best loan officers in S Cal. Highly recommended

I'm glad I can finally write a review for Derek and Emory Financial for my refinance in 2016. Quick and easy process with Derek keeping close communication with me by email and by phone. Derek explained all the terms and conditions clearly to me without me feeling rushed. Kept me updated every step of the way. What sets Derek and Emory Financial apart from their competition is their customer service. To this day, Derek still sends periodic personalized emails to see how I'm doing. Would definitely work with them again. read more

Derek has been our go to mortgage broker for over 7 years! He has helped us refinance our homes with ease. He is very knowledgeable, quick to respond to any questions, and works quickly to help get our loans. I have recommend his services to all my friends and family. read more

Derek was very easy to work with and always available to answer any questions. I recently bought my first home and Derek was very patient and helpful throughout the entire experience. I would definitely use Emory Financial in the future and highly recommend them! read more

Derek did an excellent job getting us the best interest rates when we bought our first home in Reseda,CA. He was so great in responding, answering our questions and dealing with other issues as I was on maternity leave during the process. He is definitely my husbands and mine go to guy if we ever need any financial advice and home loan information. We will continue on using Derek again in the future. Thanks for everything ;) Best , Elizabeth and Giorgio read more

I had Derek work on my home loans, and he exceeded my expectations! He offers very competitive rates, and he was able to deliver what he promised - got me the loan on time before my escrow deadline. Derek always answers my phone calls promptly with patience and detailed information. He is detailed oriented, patient, enthusiastic and very helpful. He event went extra miles to provide me with the help I need. I strongly recommend Derek for home loans! read more

My experience was excellent with Derek! He is highly professional and extremely easy to communicate with. I had so many questions and concerns and there was never an issue with him getting back to me. I highly recommend him and this company! read more

We worked with Jon and he was great. This was our first time buying a house and he was so patient walking us through the process. He provided us lots of detail and entertained all my questions (i asked a lot of questions about everything!). He was great at following up with us and our realtor. Our realtor even commented how he was one of the best loan advisors he has worked with. We found out after we closed escrow that there were alot of issues with the escrow company but Jon took care of everything to ensure we had a smooth escrow process. Definitely ask for Jon! read more

We had the best experience we could possibly hope for while looking for a lender. We had a bit of a crisis and fell out with our previous lender during escrow. This was our first home purchase and he completely took advantage of our lack of experience and knowledge in the process. Needless to say, we cut ties and desperately sought a new lender. We reached out to many lenders in the span of a couple days, mostly through personal references. We found Derek through a family friend who had recently purchased a house. Out of all our interactions, Derek was the straightest shooter and most transparent. Just as importantly, he was also able to get us the best rate. We were incredibly lucky to find him. He was incredibly responsive during a time we were honestly freaking out. He really saved us during this crucial time in our lives and managed to help us close escrow in time. Thank you for everything Derek, we couldn't have asked for better! read more

I have worked with Derek on 3 separate occasions and have ALWAYS been fully satisfied with his services and professional services. My questions were always responded promptly whether weekdays or weekends. He also added me to newsletter that led me to my latest refinance. What I really appreciate is he is informative and adds value to the process. HIGHLY RECOMMEND (which I have on several occassions). read more

Most professional and reliable service we ever had. Derek answers all kinds of questions and always response call/email promptly. As a couple buying a house for the first time，he kindly guide us in each step and help us avoid unnecessary costs during the process. We are delighted with his service and highly recommend him. read more

I was referred to Derek through multiple recommendations from friends, who gave him glowing reviews and let me tell you the praise he gets is extremely well deserved. Derek is super thorough and always on top of things. The most impressive part to me was the speed at which Derek responds to questions. I sent him multiple texts and emails on a daily basis, and he always got back to me within hours, sometimes even minutes. Derek never left any questions unanswered and really help me put my mind at ease through the entire process. This was really important for me due to the market we're in where houses are basically flying off the shelves. Every time I saw a house I liked, I needed to be super quick at putting in offers, often times on weekends outside of working hours. Derek was always able to give me updated pre-approval letters in record time so that I wouldn't miss any opportunities. In the beginning, when I was shopping rates and comparing lenders, while Derek's rates were not the lowest (note - they were still very competitive comparatively), I chose to stick with him because he was always so quick, responsive, and very straightforward. Other lenders took 2-3 days to get back to me with a pre-approval letter and houses were already off the market at that point. Once my offer was accepted, Derek was on top of everything right away. I had shortened contingencies and tight timelines, but Derek was able to schedule an appraisal on the next day and keep things moving - we actually ended up closing a week early without any issues. I highly recommend working with Derek, he is very hardworking, honest, and will have your back throughout the whole process! read more

Derek consistently provides professional and efficient services with home purchase and refinancing processes. He explains all the best options available based on ones financial needs and makes the entire process seamless with the utmost integrity. We look forward to working with him again in the future and definitely recommend his services to all our friends and family. Derek is always available to quickly respond to questions during weekends and after hours which differentiates his services in the market place. Once you work with him, you will get to know that he's a stellar at what he does. He adds a personal touch with mailing a Thank you card as a token of appreciation when entire process is complete. read more

Derek was very responsive and knowledgeable. Our experience was excellent with Derek! He is highly professional and extremely easy to communicate with. He is on task and responds quickly via email or text. He was able to secure an excellent rate and would work with him again on our next transaction read more

Derek is an amazing mortgage broker. We were introduced to Derek by a mutual friend, who told me if you need a home loan Derek is the only person to consider. Over a year ago Derek helped us get quickly pre-approved for a home loan when our family was trying to buy a bigger house. Unfortunately our bid was not accepted, but Derek then helped us refinance our existing mortgage while we waited for another opportunity to bid on a home. We finally were able to buy a bigger home this year. Derek again helped us get pre-approved quickly and when our bid was accepted, he helped us constantly all the way through closing. Derek has always responded rapidly to any questions or concerns we give him with clear concise answers and advice. We greatly appreciate the hard work he puts in for us. Derek's loan rates and terms are always competitive with the market. We wholeheartedly recommend him for your home loan needs. read more

Worked with Derek and his team to refinance our house more than once. He is very polite, super efficient, and honest. He didn't make me feel like I didn't know anything about mortgages (which I didn't until working with him). Was super responsive to all my questions (via email/text/phone). He even called me up a few years after my first refinance to let me know we qualified for an even lower interest rate. He has totally helped my wife and I save a ton of money these past few years. Oh and one of the best part was that he was able to do most things electronically, so that really helped me since I was always busy. read more

Derek did a fantastic job getting us the best interest rate and shepherding the whole loan process from application to approval for our new home in Sherman Oaks. He answered every question immediately, even on weekends. Buying a home can be very stressful, but Derek made it easy. Highly recommended. read more

I'm a repeat customer at Emory financial. As interest rates declined around 2005-2010, I worked closely with Derek for an initial mortgage followed by multiple refis over a few years. Each time, he patiently helped me run a few different financial scenarios to choose the right mortgage terms. Received the highest level of customer service and have referred many friends to Emory as well. The process was also really smooth with clear next steps. If you care about great service, knowledge, and want to work with a company with high integrity, then don't hesitate to go with Emory financial. Ask for Derek! read more

Derek and his team are just amazing. They are extremely well versed professionals and truly care about each client.

Derek is awesome and did a great job helping me to get my home loan. I was new to the process and he did a great job explaining it to me and was very transparent . Strongly recommend Derek. read more

Derek was knowledgeable and friendly, and generously answered a lot of questions for us. He was fast, responsive, affordable, and professional. I look forward to working with them again in the future, and highly recommended him to anyone seeking loan. read more

Derek is a great guy to work with! He has deep expertise in the financial industry and provides great guidance. He reaches out proactively and has a great attitude. He is very organized and professional. I've referred him to several of my friends and they all have very positive feedback for Derek. read more

Derek and his team are extremely efficient and wonderful to work with! He has the best rates and makes the loan process so easy! My loan was done within 3 weeks...highly recommended! read more

After the loss of my mother in law last summer I was referred to Derek Shao at Emory as a possible listing agent for her property in LaCanada. Derek was very informed in his counsel and thoughtful re the loss and what I was tasked to do re her estate. As families are prone to do in these circumstances another member signed with a realtor the family had previously used. I had to go back to Derek, thank him for his time and advise we had chosen another realtor. Rather than move on, Derek continued to counsel our family in support of the other listing agent, step up when a few issues developed and provide us a higher level of support and acumen than the listing agent. All for no fees for our family or income for his efforts. I have bought and sold multiple homes. I have never dealt with such a combination of sincere human kindness or business insight. He made a client out of me going forward and motivated me to write this quick review. read more