Salaams all. I am a professional living in LA California. My family members have used them in the past and we have learned repeatedly that: THEY SELL YOUR LOAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER TO SALLIE MAE and FANNIE MAC. This means there is NO SUCH THING as "Co-Ownership." The "imams" being paid to fool people into paying higher RIBA because it will be called "PROFIT FACTOR" instead of RIBA-- only allows these criminals to make twice the profit off believers who are trusting when they hear ASA. AGAIN, right before they sell the loan IMMEDIATELY to the government. I gave them every chance to help a brother and my family. They failed. Tried working with two or three different agents in different parts of the country. These guys lied about EVERYTHING. "I can't answer that because they just replaced all the furniture in our office and my computer is not plugged in." These are criminals, wolves in sheep costumes. You are a believer and they know you know nothing so they will lie and tell you things you should CONFIRM EVERYTHING. I dealt with one guy who was dishonest. Then I dealt with another who tried to call me at 1 pm west coast time only to LIE, claiming "We MUST lock in NOW!! We have only an hour to lock in the rate because the markets close." Please ask ANYONE in the mortgage business what the market closing has to do with locking in a rate? the answer is NOTHING. These people are liars and criminals. Their business is booming because 1) they are charging double what your loan would cost at ANY local bank (Who will NOT lie like Guidance does). 2) Uncles and Aunties are lining up to pay HIGHER RIBAA because they get to call it a Profit Factor. These people then get a letter in the mail saying their loan was sold, JUST LIKE any REAL BANK that would have charged them HALF. YES HALF what these guys charge. FIRST: WALK INTO ANY BANK OF AMERICA or WELLS FARGO etc and get a quote ON PAPER - takes 25 minutes at most. SECOND: Call all the "HALAL" companies (DEVON, UIF etc). THIRD: COMPARE RATES. Guidance is anything but HALAL. They are out to get the most profit and act like they know, the next sucker will be calling right after you so they don't even care if they lose one or two because we know from experience that they are CON-MEN out to take advantage of people who dont know what they are actually doing in the name of making things Halal. See the other reviews - THESE PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU OR THE DEEN. SAD SAD thing but this is true. read more

SCAMMERS Sad to see an Islamic organization is not trustworthy. Working with them was a complete disgrace. You will pay the HIGH-interest rate with them as compared to any other traditional bank (I found the word interest in every document they sent). Also, the people that work there have a glaring lack of competency and professionalism. In my case here is what happened: 1) They could have easily locked the rate ahead of time but waited till the very last minute and then called me saying there were only a few minutes left before the market is closed. This was a tactic to put pressure to hurry up and lock in your rate no matter you agree with it or not and agree with their Hidden fees. 2) Right before two weeks of closing time, the appraisal was ordered with the wrong selling price that caused a $10k difference even though my contract with the selling price was uploaded on their portal a month ago. I wasted the $575 appraisal fee for their stupidity and months of time that I wasted to get to closing. 3) From the beginning when I applied for the loan, I never got any written confirmation that I will not have escrow on my account since I was putting 20% down. They will not provide disclosure that has escrow un-checked even though I requested it 6 times. All I got was a screenshot from a computer that always has the escrow part checked. I think the plan was to make excuses and push until the closing date to sign at the last minute and agree with their conditions which are to accept escrow. Money to re-invest for them. Because of the appraisal's $10k difference (their mistake), they will avoid communicating with me, every person related to my account was on vacation. Third-person in line Sherise Girdy, I called her 6 times left multiple voice mails never bothered to answer or return my calls instead replied to one of my emails with a very rude tone. Finally, one lucky day I found a random manager's cell phone number when I called, he admitted it's their fault but insisted I will have to pay $10k for their mistake. From the beginning I had doubts about them being halal but still wanted to give them a chance and agreed to their high rates and hidden fees but pay $10K because of their incompetent people is unacceptable. Guidance people know they are dealing with people who are religious. That's why their employees answer the phone with Salaam and use the word InshaAllah and MashaAllah, don't get fooled with their Salaams and get ripped off. read more

Lied, stalled to help themselves, which hurt me. Never provided a REAL Good Faith Estimate (they delay and then send you a document that says: "this is NOT a GFE." They SELL YOUR LOAN to Sallie Mae immediately after making a ton of money off of you using fees and INTEREST by calling it a "PROFIT RATE." Avoid at all costs. They use USED CAR SALESMAN techniques, calling you and lying saying that there are deadlines which are not real (Market is closing, we MUST lock in less than an hour). NEVER USE THEM. They have destroyed practicing people, preying on believers who know NOTHING about finance. ZERO STARS. CRIMINAL CON ARTISTS: AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Do NOT be deceived. They lied to me and my entire family. They sell your loan to Sallie Mae and send you a letter within a year after they make huge amounts of money from their fees and "INTEREST RATE" renamed "PROFIT RATE." My accountant told me that they did much worse than any regular bank would have done after she missed payments. They refused to lock in rates even though they could have easily. They will not provide anything in writing (EVERY other bank does this and it is called "Good Faith Estimates despite asking 6 times and when they do send you an email, it says this is NOT a Good Faith Estimate." They waited till the very last second and then called me claming there was only a "few minutes before the market closed." This was absurd because any mortgage lender can lock in well after the market closes daily. They know they are dealing with people who are religious and trusting. They know the clients usually know little to nothing about finance. There non-muslim employees answer the phone with Salaam. Deceptive, criminals who are making millions at the expense of practicing families with a desire to live according to the deen. Even after giving them the benefit of the doubt and switching to 3 different employees, they repeatedly were caught lying and had no answer. We will never again make the mistake of trusting these CON-ARTISTS. read more

Business Ethics and Transparency Unlike most lenders, Guidance does not publicly disclose its rates. Instead, prospective borrowers must email them regularly--sometimes daily--to obtain current rate information. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for consumers to make informed decisions. Pricing and Rate Premium Guidance's rates typically run 0.5% to 0.75% above market averages. While this is often justified as the cost of "halal financing," in practice, it can feel more like the result of weak rate negotiation or a deliberately opaque pricing model framed as "trade." Contract Structure Borrowers are required to sign two distinct contracts at closing. One resembles a conventional mortgage agreement referencing "principal and interest," while the second includes Islamic phrases such as "Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim" and outlines a declining balance or rent-to-own structure. This dual approach can create confusion and raise questions about the legal and ethical coherence of the arrangement. Market Opportunity Although Guidance fills a gap in faith-based home financing, the market is clearly in need of a more transparent, competitive, and ethically sound provider--one that respects Islamic principles without sacrificing fairness, clarity, or affordability. Personal Experience In my own case, Guidance increased the rate by an additional 0.5% just days before closing, citing an unconvincing justification. It felt less like a commitment to ethical finance and more like opportunistic behavior. Conclusion Rather than innovating a truly fair, Shariah-compliant lending model, Guidance appears to rely on community trust while charging a premium--leveraging religious sensitivities without offering genuine value. There's significant room for a better solution that honors both faith and financial integrity. read more

I went with Guidance because it was recommended by various Islamic scholars including my local Imam. One could debate that it is not possible to have a 100% islamic compliant mortgage company in America, but the scholarly opinion is to choose the best of available options. I'm glad I chose Guidance for financing my new home purchase. As a first time buyer, I had a lot of questions, and my executive, Sr. Fatima Phall, clarified everything in detail. And, she was always available via text which helped me make offers in a timely manner in this crazy sellers market. Even on weekends, I was able to count on her to provide me with any documentation needed for making offers. Finally, when my offer went through, Sr. Fatima guided me through the full closing process. She helped me get the first time home buyer credits to assist with the closing costs. Even though she had to be out on the closing week, she had made arrangements for everything to go on smoothly. In her absence, Br. Mohamed Reja helped me with my last minute closing questions on the final week. He also helped me review my final closing costs, and to complete the settlement. He followed up with me to ensure everything went well after the closing. I had a very positive experience with Guidance Residential overall in the 7-8 month time frame when I was searching for a home. And, I would highly recommend Guidance Residential to anyone looking to buy a home or trying to switch to an islamic financing. read more

First off, I would like to thank Guidance Residential and their team for providing an halal option in the market where it is almost impossible to manage affairs without interest. My Account Executive was Muhammad Reja, who was caring, swift in responses and very informative. We started with getting all the information and documents together to see what I can qualify for and what I would need from the beginning to the end of the process. Mr. Muhammad was very patient with me and worked around my busy schedule, even working on weekends to complete my file. We did run into some hurdles with the underwriters but that can be the case anywhere as it is their job to make sure that all the documents meet the requirements of lending me a huge amount of money and taking on the risk factor responsibility along with me. Even in that situation Mr. Muhammad helped me in figuring out what alternative documents would satisfy the requirements. I would also like to point out, for those that calculate all the numbers like me, I was working with two banks simultaneously, Guidance and a conventional bank to make sure I was getting the best offer. There was not much of a difference and I decided to go along with Guidance. I am usually not one to write reviews but I felt that maybe others who are trying to get a halal mortgage can benefit from this and I also feel that Mr. Muhammad's efforts in the journey of my house buying process deserves the praise. read more

My experience with Guidance Residential has been nothing short of infuriating. They market themselves as a faith-based, Muslim-friendly mortgage provider--but in reality, their process is designed to lure you in with appealing promises, only to hit you later with nearly impossible requirements that make approval unattainable for most. They start off by presenting seemingly straightforward mortgage options, making everything sound simple and easy. But as you get deeper into the process, the story changes completely. Suddenly, you're dealing with opaque investor requirements, arbitrary disqualifications, and a complete lack of flexibility. It becomes clear too late that their investors are not only greedy, but have absolutely no trust in their customers. The entire process is built around suspicion, not partnership. The worst part? This company uses the banner of Islam to gain your trust and attract Muslim customers--only to leave you stranded halfway through the mortgage process when it's too late to easily walk away. It's exploitative and disingenuous. What they sell as a Sharia-compliant and ethical alternative ends up feeling like a bait-and-switch trap. I strongly advise anyone considering Guidance Residential to look elsewhere. There are other institutions with more transparent processes, better customer service, and far more respect for the people they claim to serve. Guidance is not it. read more

I had heard negative reviews about Guidance Residential, but experience was positive. My contact was Mahmoud Shehab and he was polite and helpful. When it was time to lock the rate, he advised me to wait another day (although I did not want to delay) or so to get a better rate. I listened and locked in a better rate. There were a few setbacks, however Mahmoud was very responsive and did his best to keep the ball rolling. Sharbani Rana was also very polite and soft spoken. She was able to figure out where exactly the delay was happening and reported back to me swiftly. She also did her best to keep the ball rolling and did a rush order on my PMI as that was from a third party. I did have to submit documents numerous times using the online portal. It seemed that the underwriting department took a bit longer than expected. We ended up delaying closing by 1 week to get the "clear to close". On closing day, the title company got the funds from Guidance early on (This was great). Overall I recommend Guidance to others, but know that there will be some setbacks. And also know that your guidance agent and account exec are doing their best to help you. read more

Saad Alameddin at Guidance Residential, LLC. was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was very responsive, an excellent communicator, very organized and treated us with honesty and integrity. Anyone who says buying their first home is stressful or overwhelming didn't work with Saad. He was always available and explained everything in the easiest possible way to understand. He was proactive in arming us with answers to any questions we had, often before we had to ask. His explanations gave us a bigger picture and gave us confidence to learn along the way. We felt assured we were in good hands every step of the process. When we learn of anyone we know buying a home, we will make sure they go to Saad. He is indeed a very genuine and extremely helpful person. He was always available to answer all questions immediately; even after normal working hours. When there was some hiccups at the end, he went above and beyond to get the loan closed. We highly recommend and will be keeping his name in our mind for any further needs. This was the best customer service myself and my husband had ever experienced with any company! read more

Chasity and her team from Guidance did an extraordinary job to get me my first house. I applied for a short sale house and it took 20 months to get the seller's bank approval. Once I got it, Chasity and her team worked really hard to get all documents in a faster pace as if anything was late, the bank would cancel the deal. Although they usually take a month to process my mortgage approval, they worked hard to finish it in two weeks. My attorney, however, did a bad job in following up certain things and our first closing did not happen. My wife and I really reached a point that we thought the house will not be ours because of the many complicated issues that depend on each other. Chasity and Guidance had to work again and update many things that has expired so we can move forward. At the end, I remember when Chasity sent an email asking everyone to do their part in finishing this deal and it is not fair for their client (myself) to wail all this long time and people are not doing their job as fast as it should be. I am really grateful to Chasity and her team and her boss who helped us to get our first house. read more

I strongly recommend Guidance Residential for everyone including people who aren't necessarily looking for Islamic financing. Here is why: This is my second home purchase through Guidance Residential and I am extremely pleased with their services. My Account Executive Amer Gohar was phenomenal in the services he provided. He kept me abreast of all of the milestones, document requirements, closing fees, profit rates and towards the signing of the final documents I was pleasantly surprised to see that the closing costs had been reduced even further than what I was expecting. All in all it was a great experience both times and I got the home that I wanted on time. Please be aware these days, mortgage companies are running behind and it is taking longer for Guidance to complete their applications since they are one of only a few companies offering "Islamic financing" so obviously the burden is larger than normal. Yes, I was anxious at times during the entire process, but it all paid off with a little bit of patience and faith in Allah Subhanahu WaTa'Alaa. read more

Based on a recommendation from a close friend, I had called Salman Ali, who is a senior account executive at Guidance. He was very responsive and answered all of my questions, especially since I was a first time buyer. He made the whole process simple to understand and broke everything down in layman's terms. He even answered questions which were out of the scope of a mortgage broker and helped us through the process, that seemed daunting for a first time buyer. We felt very comfortable working with him and with constant support till the closing and follow up there after, we felt as if we were part of an extended family. He even had another colleague of his reach out to us to make sure our questions were answered, if any, since he was away on a short break. If you are looking to save a lot of headache and constant back and forth, I highly recommend Guidance and Salman Ali for your mortgage needs. In my experience, Guidance was a very honest, transparent and professional mortgage broker, I couldn't have asked for more. read more

Salam. I recently bought my first house through them in Massachusetts with the help of Nabil Maataoui (Account Executive). I was worried about if it was Sharia compliant and how it would work. Nabil was very helpful throughout the process and was accessible whenever we had any questions or concerns. We didn't think it would be possible to purchase a house ever considering all our concerns and it was only possible with the help and support of Nabil. I really appreciated how he was open about concerns sharia boards and other had raised concerning guidance residential loan and he was not being deceitful. I also met the founder of the organization at a Harvard Univ conference, who shared his experience and vision of the organization. If not for meeting these folks, I would never have bought a house. Nabil was open about all expenses (LLC, etc) and felt like I was part of his family. I consider him a brother and will only look to hem and him for any future needs. read more

I don't mind sharing my positive experience with Guidance Residential even though I bought my first house through Guidance three months ago. I learned that being pre-occupied with previous customers experience is totally wrong until I myself prove it. I started all my journey of first time home buyer process with a smooth beginning and a pleasant ending. Salman Ali was so humble and quickly responsive at every step of the process. I was requested to provide certain documents and submitted all in time. AlhamduliAllah I was even able to close 2 days earlier than the original closing date. I recommend my fellow brothers and sisters to try your option with Guidance particularly Salman Ali and have all the requested documents submitted in time so that you can have a smooth journey in your financing. Finally, let's not rush to judge before we prove on the matter at hand, as Allah instructed us in the Quran. read more

Guidance Residential call themselves "Islamic Home Financing Provider". What a joke. They use the word "Islam" as a mean to make money from Muslims. Nothing this company does is based on Shariah or Islam. They charge interest rate like other non Muslim mortgage companies do and they know that interest is haram or forbidden in Islam. This company use credit score from non Muslim credit reporting agencies (CRA) just like other non Muslim companies do. To get financed with them a credit score of 680 is needed from these CRAs , yet other companies like Rocket mortgage and many others need only 620. If this company has money to lend and wants to help Muslims, lend Muslims money the way Allah ordered you to do it and you do know how Allah wanted it to be done. Else, do business like non Muslim companies do and please stop using Islam for monetary gains. What a disgrace and a shame... read more

We (my wife and I) as first time homebuyers had the privilege of working with Farzan Sikandarpur from Guidance Residential. Farzan was most forthcoming and transparent throughout the entire home purchasing process answering all inquiries be it, from my perspective, the most mundane questions to the more elaborate issues guiding and keeping us abreast of what was transpiring every step of the way. Farzan was most diligent in making sure that we had provided all of the relevant documentation required to make the entire approval process as stress free as possible. Farzan coordinated with all parties concerned in a most professional manner always keeping us informed and was always available if my wife and I had any questions pertaining to any aspect of the home buying process. We are now proud owners of a new home which has been our dream for many years. Thank you Brother Farzan! read more

I bought a house in Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania in May 1st, 2019. The Account Executive was Younesse Bernaki. He is more than excellent and helpful. I never texted or called him and did not respond. Never asked him something and did not help. I highly recommend him to any applicant. My Account Manager was Kazi Qureshi. He was not helpful at all. He never answered my calls or the title company calls. I emailed him several times and never responded to my emails until he complained to his manger. He made mistakes in before the closing and the progress towards the closing was soooo slow because of him. The title company complained about his very bad communications and I gave them Younesse's phone number to communicate with him. This means that Younesse did some of Kazi's work. The final "cost to close" was not finalized till the day of the closing because of Kazi and someone else. read more

"Nejat Abdurahman was an absolutely amazing loan officer to work with. We submitted our request for a mortgage with only one conversation with her we knew we had found our loan officer. Nejat was thorough, responsive, knowledgeable, and caring. She made sure we had all possible documentations, this definitely helped us get through the process much more quickly than we would have with anyone else. Najat was also incredibly responsive and informative. She answered nearly all calls immediately as well as emails even after business hours. She was always very prompt in keeping us updated on the status of the process as well. Najat's knowledge and understanding of the loan process absolutely was instrumental in getting us great rate. We can't thank her enough for all the time and energy she spent in getting us on our way. Thank you, Nejat and thank you Guidance Residential. read more

Guidance Residential are indeed true professionals in the industry. I am currently refinancing my home with them and have nothing but good things to say. I have called their 866 number and have had the pleasure of speaking to someone immediately from their corporate office. When I explained that I would like to refinance and that I live in NJ, they immediately transferred me over to an account executive who was just as pleasant and professional as the corporate rep. I then inquired about the process and how long it would take. The account executive was very thorough in explaining everything and made the whole process informative and painless. I would most certainly recommend Guidance to anyone looking to purchase or refinance a home through a Sharia Compliant way. They are leaders in the industry and for good reason, my experience with them has truly shown me why. read more