We worked with Ruby at Salmon Bay for about a year and a half as we searched for and bought our…read morefirst home. At the end of the process, my husband said to me, "Now that we've experienced Salmon Bay, no other services are good enough anymore. I want everything I interact with to be as good as Salmon Bay - banking, insurance, everything." A few things we loved: responsive and crystal-clear communication from Ruby and her entire team, sound education for us on how home loans work (I feel like I ACTUALLY understood what was happening and what all the numbers meant the whole way through, as a complete novice), proactive check-ins for 1.5 years just to make sure they stayed updated on our thinking and finances, professionalism in all forms of correspondence, a team that inspired so much confidence with their expertise (special shout out to Paige), kindness and cheerfulness without exception, proactive outreach to the seller's agent within minutes of us making an offer to assure them we were in a strong position to buy (even though it was a major holiday), local credibility and relationships that certainly played a role in getting us our house even though there was a competing offer for $50K more, a clear roadmap for closing and frequent video updates for the whole buying/selling team along the way, willingness to answer all 5,000 minor questions I had during closing as if each one was important and worthy of attention and time, and absolutely no surprises the entire way - not a single surprise. I can't recommend Salmon Bay highly enough!

Ruby and her team were so friendly. They ran scenarios for me and made the refi process quick and…read moreeasy. The weekly video updates were a whimsical touch. Thank you!

Mike at Westlake Mortgage has been a total game-changer for me, honest, low-pressure, and genuinely…read moreon my side. Two years ago he walked me through refinancing, knocked a full point off my rate, laid out every number crystal clear, and made the whole thing painless. Saved me serious cash without any surprises. Then this year he popped back up, had spotted an even better deal, another point drop, and didn't just wait for me to ask. He proactively hunted it down, explained why it made sense, and handled everything again. No sales pitch, no hidden fees, just real savings when it actually mattered. He's not out to nickel-and-dime; he's looking for the big wins that actually move the needle. Feels like he's working for me, not the bank. If you want someone who'll keep an eye out for you without the hassle, Mike's your guy.

Westlake mortgage was a pleasure to work with. Micheal insured the refinance process was completed…read morein a timely manner and was always available to explain the process. Would not hesitate to contact Michael for our future mortgage needs.

Mike has helped us with a refinance on a home and the purchase of a new home. He was always…read moreavailable for a quick phone call to answer questions, crunch numbers and help us figure out what we could afford. When it came time to purchase our home, he got the paperwork processed quickly. Buying a home isn't an easy or quick process but Mike made it as painless as he could. We would definitely work with him again if needed.

I worked with Mike for over two years while house hunting and dealing with ever changing…read morecircumstances that caused us to delay and restart the process due to personal life changes. Throughout the entire process Mike was a wealth of knowledge and extremely accessible. He was also very keen with deep experience in solving some of the unique problems that we ran into. When we were finally ready to make an offer, he created a tailored offer letter and made sure all our paperwork was in order. We were able to lock in a great rate and closed within 35 days. Very smooth process and extremely pleased with the final outcome. Thanks, Mike, for your relentless patience over the years and helping deliver us into our happy home through your great work!

Jon was one of five in a list of recommended loan agents provided to me through my real estate…read moreagent. I contacted all 5 at the start of my loan process, and Jon was the clear "winner." He was prompt in responding, had a great website and other methods of communication, and was the most understanding of my vague (at that time) yet somewhat complex financials. Jon walked me through the entire process and was sure to only request the minimal necessary information at each step, something that was very important to me. I had many questions both at the start and throughout the entire process, and Jon was careful to answer all of them. I also very much appreciated his weekly check-in calls during the process. We were able to close quickly which is important in the Seattle market. Thank you, Jon, for your help in securing my new home!

Jon is easily the best mortgage broker that we have ever worked with. From our first interaction…read morewith him while we were considering other brokers (he won us over with his current, easy to understand document upload tools) to our very last minute closing issues, he was attentive, knowledgeable and helpful. His advice was solid and thoughtful. In a very competitive housing market he was almost insanely reliably responsive, much more so than it is fair to expect. In the house we ultimately won, we asked for an updated approval letter well after the close of the workday and, still received it that night. Along the way of our housing quest we bid on and lost an offer and he was gracious in the acknowledgement and support. In our ultimately successful offer, we had a miscommunication about insurance and he handled it professionally, and then we had a very last minute issue with the underwriter - necessitating many things including a conference call with the IRS, and he was with us in every step, seemingly like we were his only client (we very much were not). He uses a very hands on approach, and even swung by our escrow signing to apologize for the last minute stress and issues (even though they were not his fault) and thank us. My husband and I highly recommend Jon and his team, and would work with them again in a heartbeat.

Michelle and Nabil were great, supportive, responsive, and efficient. We decided to put an offer…read moreon a home and within 12 hours, they were able to get us a loan approval that we could present. They made the loan application process easy and transparent. They answered our questions without delay and problem solved for us when issues came up. They also handled their end with escrow without having to get us involved. The whole process reduced our stress when we bought our property.

I was referred to Michelle by my friend (who also left her a raving review) and my experience was…read moreA+++ with Michelle and her team Nabil and Angie at CrossCountry. I vetted many lenders during my househunting, but Michelle left the biggest impression with her ability to communicate complex points with incredible clarity and she knew exactly how to answer my questions. This is a professional who is at the top in her field. I left almost no stone unturned during the process and Nabil on Michelle's team was very patient and equipped me with all the information I needed to know as a first time buyer. During the latter part of the process, Angie kept me up to date on all the paperwork and made sure I knew what I was signing and kept me abreast of important milestones. With Michelle's team, I was able to close in 20 days without rush appraisals in this crazy competitive market and I got the best rate that no other online or local lender could beat. I will be most happy to work with her again for my mortgage financing needs! Thank you Michelle, Nabil, and Angie!!!

I can't thank Enrique Pelayo of IServe enough for all his efforts in getting my mortgage loan done…read more When everyone turned their back on me and said they couldn't do it, Mr. Pelayo made every effort to get it done! Another noteworthy issue is that he kept me informed on every step of the way, and that is something very important to me that others never did. I was aware of the entire process and that made me feel very comfortable

This review is long overdue. When Dane at Mortgage Lending Group approached us about pre-approval…read morefor a home loan, we had no interest in even looking. We wanted our own home, we desperately needed out of the place we were living, but we were kind of stuck. We didn't think we could buy a home on my income alone, especially since I had only been with my company for a few months. Dane offered a no pressure pre-approval check just to help us see where we were at. No strings attached. He genuinely wanted to help us out of our situation, and into a home for our budding family. We basically said "well, what the hell, give it a shot" to Dane, he crunched the numbers, and within an hour or so he called back to tell us we qualified for a hell of a lot more than we thought possible, and to let us know that my time with my company wasn't an issue. Again, he said no pressure, but if we decided to pursue a home loan, to let him know and he would do everything in his power to help us along the road. We still didn't feel like we were completely ready, but we knew it was time to take the plunge. I mean, who can stay at their mother-in-law's house forever? Especially with a rapidly growing family. We told Dane to go for it, take us to the next step. Fast forward a week or two in to our home search. We found a house we thought we liked, but Dane was on vacation. We weren't sure if Dane would be able to help get the pre-approval letter amended and forwarded to our agent. All we did was say "hey Dane, we found a house..." and Dane was right on top of getting all the information to get the letter sent out. I think our agent had it, and attached it to our offer within an hour. Granted, we ended up walking on that house, but damn, Dane is quick! We finally did find a home we seriously wanted to buy, Dane got our pre-approval letter out within 15 minutes of our request. Once we had everything going, and our offer was accepted, Dane was right by our side through the whole process. He would check in on us daily, give us advice and updates. Best thing, he would always offer encouragement and help us remember why we started the process. Buying a home can be stressful, especially if you have an anxiety disorder, or extremely stressful situations at home. Dane was there through every bit of it, and never stopped helping, never stopped caring. We never had to ask for updates on our loan, he was always there to let us know the status, and if something was held up, he was already on the phone getting it sorted out. Dane really came through for us and helped us get into our own home. Not just a house, but a real HOME. We love you Dane.

Jeanne is one of the most all-around amazing lenders I have ever worked with. As a real estate…read morebroker, I understand how critical it is to have a knowledgeable, ethical and responsive lender, and Jeanne exceeds each of those criteria. Jeanne genuinely cares about her clients. She is patient, wonderful at answering questions, and very knowledgeable about the mortgage market. Her attention to detail is outstanding, and she is great at responding quickly. If you are looking for a lender that will really care about your specific situation, will give you focused and personalized service, and get you a great rate, then Jeanne is your best choice!

One thing you gotta know about mortgages is this: It's a field for experts only…read more We came in with an overload of information about a wide variety of loan programs and incentives - so much that it was impossible to make a good choice. Jeanne took the time and helped us sort out what was actually best for us. In the end, we ended up with a fantastic house, came in under budget on our monthly payment, with an incredible loan program (fixed rate, I might add). Jeanne's estimates were nearly exact, she was very responsive to our many questions and the whole process went without a hitch. She's the expert you need to have in your corner. Highly recommended!

Jeff has helped my husband and I with the purchase of our home in Washington after moving out of…read morestate. He makes what can be a stressful and intimidating process very smooth - always listening to our individual needs and questions throughout the entire process. Since our purchase he keeps us informed with refinancing options so that we can take advantage of great conditions through market updates and scheduled consultations. Those conversations have helped us prioritize our needs to make sure we are making the best decision for my husband and I by aligning options with our goals. The same care and attention to our needs was always appreciated and noticed by all members of the McGinnis team. Thank you again Jeff, Irina and Brittany for a wonderful experience. I'm sure our paths will cross again one day! Don't hesitate to reach out to Cross Country Mortgage and the McGinnis team. You won't regret it! Sincerely, The Karpiak's

Jeff was fantastic in helping to guide me through this purchase. I was originally working with a…read moredifferent company but they weren't really explaining things/processes/options. Jeff was thorough and everything he did was exactly what I needed. I would absolutely work with him again.

I know, I know, it's tough to credit all 5-star reviews, but at least in my case, it is absolutely…read moretrue and I couldn't see giving any less. Jim Hoge at Seattle Mortgage Planners just did an amazing job for us in getting our house refinanced, which was an obsession for me over the past three years. I'm a lawyer, and I've been a serial refinancer, but I also had a hard-to-compare house that was essentially underwater, so I was basically a broker's worst nightmare. Nonetheless, Jim was extremely always patient with my calls and questions and great about keeping in touch on his own, and in fact was always a real pleasure to chat with. Even more importantly, he stuck with me over nearly two years of ups and downs due to the market conditions and my own situation. In the end though, he was able to get us just the right loan at just the right time, where other brokers hadn't been able to. Once the time was right, Jim got it moving efficiently and quickly and he was always calm despite some curveballs right before closing. I should also add that I came to Jim also through Internet searching and was initially skeptical that the person in the Google ads and the website pictures was actually on the other end, but he really is and knows his stuff. I chose Jim because I wanted someone who was actually local after I tried to use an online mortgage matchup service that put me with an out-of-state broker that didn't know our market. Jim knows the Seattle market extremely well, especially my own quirky neighborhood (Q.A.), and that local knowledge really made the difference in key spots. I would never hesitate to use Jim again, but for the fact I think I now have a loan good enough to keep through the full term! If I ever do need another one, though, Jim will be the first person I call. I can't recommend him enough.

We simply can't believe how easy and stress-free a refinance is with Jim Hoge and his team! Best…read moreloan experience ever. This is our second refinance with Jim, but it won't be our last. Jim and his team are beyond organized and helpful. It took minimal effort and time on our part to provide them what they needed to get the job done. That's what happens when you work with consummate professionals! Honestly, we cannot recommend them highly enough.

My wife and I recently purchased a home in the Seattle area. As you may already know, the area is…read moreso competitive with offers that it is sometimes necessary to waive certain items in your offer in order to be chosen by the seller. In our case we waived our financing contingency. This ended up being the thing that had our offer chosen, so we were ecstatic. However, it also meant there had to be no delay in our financing. In our case, we were approaching the winter holidays so we even had more of a time crunch. To say I was stressed is a major understatement. Well Jay and his team came through for us. His ability to come up with the perfect strategy for what my family needed was amazing and I do not believe there are many agents that understand the industry the way he does. We closed on time with no issues and we move into our new home this weekend. There were likely plenty of opportunities for a ball to be dropped yet Team Crowell came through in every way. In my opinion, if you have a simple or complicated home financing need it would be in your best interest to call Jay.

it was great working with Christian and Team Crowell at Cornerstone. Things went very smoothly and…read moreI signed on my new home today! Everyone was very pleasant and supportive through the process of buying a home across the country. the sun is shining here and I am excited. Judy Casler