My husband and I used Sammy this spring to finance our condo. As first-time buyers, the process can seem confusing and full of half-truths and things you're "supposed" to do. Thankfully, Sammy is the type of person who takes the time to explain things in detail and makes sure you understand his answers to your questions. We always felt well-informed about what we needed to do, how the process really works, and what the next steps would be. Most important, Sammy is responsive; we never needed to wait to hear back from him and he was always available to set up a time to talk - even when my work schedule made it possible only to talk later in the evening, Sammy was available. Also, the members of his team are also highly responsive and professional. Dealing with them was a pleasure, too. It's also incredibly easy to gather your documents for the approval process since Sammy and his team use a cloud-based server and electronic signatures to collect all of the important bank statements, tax returns, and other documents required for the underwriting process. This is super convenient if you're like me and cannot easily find time to make photocopies, go to the post office or to someone's office to drop off hard copies. This definitely makes the process smoother. I had several coworkers who used a traditional bank for their loans and in almost all cases it involved hassles and lots of running around. With Sammy, the process stayed digital and met every single milestone in the process he laid out at the beginning down to the day. Since we're so happy to be in our new place we probably won't need to return to the market soon, but if and when we do we're making sure to have Sammy's contact information because we're definitely using him again. read more

We've worked with Sammy on two mortgages over the last 5 years and he has been fantastic to work with. Knowledgeable, responsive, and just plain pleasant to correspond with. I have to admit that when we purchased our first home I was slightly skeptical of Guaranteed Rate as I had never heard of them (but in hindsight why would I have if we'd never shopped for a mortgage). There were/are so many scary stories of unscrupulous lenders, especially after the collapse, that I was very leery. That worry completely dissolved once I began talking with Sammy. He was 100% transparent during the process and took the time to explain anything we had questions on. He helped us navigate all of the paperwork and we felt like we had an ally in the process. On our second home purchase, we initially were working with a different local broker but we got tired of waiting days for incompletely answered emails. It was great going back to Sammy the second time after 4 years. It was also nice to know he was still with Guaranteed Rate which speaks to the integrity of the company. Overall, we were incredibly impressed with his work ethic (and his team) throughout the process both times we worked with him. He understands the meaning of "customer service" and we always felt as if we were his number one priority. I give him our highest recommendation as I don't think you'll be disappointed. read more

Sammy and the Guaranteed Rate team were very responsive and kept me in the loop about the mortgage approval process all along the way. They are great problem-solvers and kept the process moving briskly. Early on, Sammy won my confidence by quickly providing on-the-spot information that let me see the impact of different down payment amounts,payback periods and interest rates on my probable monthly mortgage commitment. Although I'm sure he was using a sophisticated spreadsheet macro to do so, Sammy was great at what I call those "back-of-envelope calculations" that can quickly let you know if you're in the right fiscal ball park for a potential property purchase. (I was seeking information from another financial institution at the same time, for comparison's sake, and GR was much better.) Along the way, GR's online document submission process was very secure and easier to use than other documents submission processes I've had to use: the links and messaging functions let you see quickly which of your filings were complete and which documents remained to file. I especially liked the very clear pre-closing summary of all the amounts you were responsible for, so there were no surprises as the process concluded. I am not a first-time home buyer, so I have something to which to compare this experience. I'd definitely go back to Sammy and GR in the future. read more

Sammy helped us purchase our house this year. Sammy was really great throughout the entire process and helped us make a time line to navigate the whole ordeal of buying a new home . He was in constant contact with us and never made us feel like we were taking up too much of his time or asking too many questions. Sammy did a great job explaining all of the different steps of the process, from the initial gathering of information to the final signing on the dotted line. Getting all of the documentation together for a new loan approval seemed like a daunting task, but Sammy made all of the leg work really easy and manageable. We were able to load up all the documents online easily for review and we were constantly given feedback on how the pre-approval for a mortgage was moving along. I've worked with another loan company before and there were much less so-called hoops to jump through this time around. Sammy was able to take our individual numbers and give us the pros and cons of all of the different scenarios. He was great to talk to. If I had to sum up my experience, I would say that Sammy made the really large, confusing, cumbersome task of applying for a new mortgage easy and enjoyable. I would recommend him to any of my friends or family that were looking to refinance or purchase a new home. read more

Sammy and his team is beyond of my expectations. I came to him after my first lender dropped the ball on me on the last minute. Sammy and his team pulled it through and helped me to close my house in just a week and a half! What a wow experience! The experience I had with Sammy and his team was such a night and day compared to the previous lender. Sammy and his awesome team had shown me that mortgage lending doesn't have to be that stressful. Sammy is extremely responsive and such a great communicator. He made himself available to answer all my questions. He walked me through the process and was always on top of everything after my first lender fail me. I can't thank him and his team enough. Sammy and his team is absolutely the best lender that you could ask for. He will surely get 100% of my referral and the only lender I use for my next home purchase! World best class customer service goes to Sammy and his A Team! read more

Sammy was recommended to us by a friend and I am so glad he was! He was with us from the start of our house hunting. He was always there and got back to us right away if we needed a pre approval when we put in offers (even on his birthday!). We put multiple offers on different houses and probably would have drove anyone crazy but not Sammy! He was so patient throughout the whole process and made us feel so comfortable. My husband lives in another state due to the navy and he was so accommodating with the time differences and all the emails back and forth. We finally found our dream home and Sammy made the experience so easy! He was very organized and had it all sorted out. When we finally met him, he was so easy to talk to and so likable. We not only found our house but we found a friend too! We will recommend Sammy to all our friends and family! Thank you!! read more

Sammy is fantastic! We used Sammy and his team to upgrade from a condo to a single family home, which was a little nerve wracking because it obviously meant our mortgage was going to get bigger. Sammy helped us figure out exactly how much home we could afford and gave me all the information about what the terms and payments would be so that I could do all my budgeting early on and focus our search in the right price range. My first mortgage company made it seem like they were doing me a favor giving me the loan, and even though this was a bigger loan, Sammy was nothing but happy to help us get into the perfect home. The application process was a breeze and we closed the loan in a very short period of time. We went from offer to close in a little over a month and everyone at Guaranteed Rate was a pleasure to work with, starting with Sammy. read more

Sammy was a pleasure to work with and he exemplifies what it means to provide high class service. Few people match his knowledge, and level of care. I was unfortunately in a situation where through no fault of his, my cash-out refinance got delayed on two separate occasions. He was incredibly gracious, patient, and encouraging despite the unforeseen circumstances. Thankfully, the third time's the charm, and Sammy was very attentive to answer all my questions, walk me through the application process, and provide as much hand-holding as needed all the way through closing. Sammy is one of the few professionals that I trust wholeheartedly, and I would happily recommend him to anyone who is looking for a mortgage broker. He has great industry knowledge, and gave me peace of mind throughout the entire process. You'll be glad you called him! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Sammy twice in the past year. The first time he helped walked me through the home buying process. As a first-time homebuyer I had little understanding of the process and he helped me through any questions or concerns that I had during the process. The second time he called me up after 6 months to notify me about the drop in mortgage interest rate, which dropped a significant amount. He did the initial calculations and determined that I would be saving a good amount on my monthly payments and entire mortgage. He and his team had again gave me great customer service and I chose to stick with them even after receiving a slightly lower interest rate from someone else. 5/5 would recommend. read more

I've worked with Sammy on two property deals in the last few years and can't say enough great things about him. Sammy goes above and beyond from thinking creatively to overcome hurdles, getting scrappy whenever needed, and being available 24/7. From the initial pre-approval all the way though closing Sammy provided transparency into each step and talked me through the entire process. My first house purchase coincided with a job change creating what would have been a stressful situation but Sammy was on top of every step making the entire transaction extremely easy. Sammy always has his clients' best interests in mind when approaching a negotiation and I highly recommend him. Can't say enough great things about him! read more

Sammy is an incredibly knowledgeable mortgage broker who truly masters the art of communication. He strikes the perfect balance, keeping us fully informed without ever overwhelming us. He is easily one of the most responsive professionals we have ever worked with, making us feel welcome to ask questions whenever we needed clarity. We learned a great deal from his expertise and felt he was genuinely acting in our best interest throughout the entire process. We never felt pressured to make decisions before we were ready. Additionally, his team was outstanding! They worked quickly to process paperwork and proactively kept us on track with projected timelines. I highly recommend Sammy and his team! read more

Sammy was so amazing helping me and my husband purchase our first home. Not only was he extremely knowledgeable, but his attitude and willingness to help really made the experience enjoyable. Sammy was always reachable when we had questions, answering phone calls, texts, emails, etc quickly, clearly, and gladly! He was never bothered or annoyed by the sheer number of questions we had as first time buyers. Aside from his obvious experience and expertise in the area, he's just a really great guy. I always felt comfortable talking to him, and remain friends with him to this day, long after our financing was complete and home bought. I would recommend Sammy to anyone thinking of buying a house! read more

Sammy has always been fantastic. I took his help 3 times so far and every time it has been a breeze to go through and complete a process that is supposed to be a very stressful transaction in many peoples' lives given that it is buying of house that could last a life time; many memories are built around such a process before, during and after. It is Sammy's professional friendliness and knowledge of synchronizing my financials with that of the market to be able to provide me with terms of transaction that always helped me feel at ease in taking the process to completion. This is what made me go to him without a second thought. I wish you the very best, Sammy read more

Sammy was such a pleasure to work with and I can't say enough good things about him & his team! He helped my fiancé and I purchase our home in December 2013 and made the whole process of applying for a new mortgage easy and stress free. Sammy is extremely knowledgeable and helped us decide on a loan that would suit our needs. He and his team are very organized and quick to respond to emails and calls. We had SUCH a great experience working with Sammy and Guaranteed Rate and will be using them again in the future. Both my brother and my cousin have used Sammy when they purchased their homes as well, which speaks to how great we think he is to work with. read more

We first contacted Sammy on a Saturday at 4 o'clock in the afternoon seeking a pre approval for a mortgage. Sammy had our pre approval done by 5 o'clock that evening and we were able to put a bid in on a house the next day. We continued to work with Sammy throughout our mortgage process, and were consistently impressed with his availability 24 hours a day. Since we both work full time it is difficult for us to communicate during the day, however Sammy was available via phone and email all evening. He made the process simple, and stress free. We had a great experience with Sammy, and would recommend him to anyone we know! read more

We have bought four homes in Texas and Massachusetts and have always had complicated finances because we own our own business. Sammy was thorough, timely, and tireless in supporting us from making initial offers through closing on our home. Not only did we get an excellent rate but we also closed on time without any surprises. I especially appreciate how accessible Sammy was and how much time he took to explain our options. Sammy's team at Guaranteed Rate was also professional and fast. We would absolutely work with this crew on another mortgage. read more

Sammy and his team were wonderful to work with. I refinanced an investment property and the process was seamless. I love that everything is managed online. It enables a level of transparency that I haven't experienced with a mortgage broker before. The other aspect that sets Sammy and Guaranteed Rate apart is their willingness to work with me as a self-employed person. Other mortgage brokers I spoke with stopped the process once that was disclosed, but that wasn't an issue at all for Sammy. He is truly a "get it done" guy. So, call him already! read more

Sammy helped my wife and I with a house we purchased in the Chicagoland area. It was very important for our closing to happen on the date it was supposed to, as we were getting married two weeks after the closing date and then going on our honeymoon right after that. Sammy was helpful in answering questions, and was very responsive whenever I reached out. He was also helpful in pointing out any roadblocks on the loan side that could possibly get in our way of closing, which allowed us to be ahead of the curve throughout the process. read more

Can't say anything but good things about Sammy. I recently purchased my first condo and Sammy and his team delivered. He was knowledgable on the product offerings and guided me to the perfect loan for needs. He was prompt on following up on things and even helped see my loan through completion while he was overseas on vacation. I would highly recommend Sammy and often drop his name when talking to friends interested in real estate. Thanks again Sammy & team for all the hard work! read more