Client Wins

Every week we share stories about homebuyers and homeowners who are achieving their goals with RPM as their partner. Click below to read more.

Struggling to find a starter home in an ultra-competitive market, first time home buyers were referred to us to get pre-approved. With limited inventory available, we told them a sure way to make their offer stand out was for us to approve their loan up front before their next offer. Because they were looking in the mid-600k range and wanted a specific style starter home, it took a few months to find the right property. But by having their loan underwritten in advance, it put them in a position to buy once the home they wanted came on the market. We educated them every step of the way to make them comfortable navigating their first home purchase, and once the right home came up, they won the offer easily because their loan was done in advance, and they became new homeowners within 25 days!

Clients we’d worked with on numerous occasions came to us to buy a new primary residence. They knew the market would be tough, and since they had to sell their current home too, they wanted our advice on the fastest way to plan for their down payment and get an offer accepted. Our answer: withdraw funds from their current equity line (HELOC) for their down payment so they wouldn’t have to wait for their home to sell and get Advance Approved. This proved to be key as it set them up to close in three weeks without any delays, and showed the sellers they were proactive and had already been approved for their loan by our underwriter. After we closed and won over all parties, their former home sold a few days later, just in time for them to celebrate by going on a relaxing Hawaiian vacation.

Two sisters we'd helped buy a home years ago came back to us to help their elderly mother buy a home after she received a 60 day notice that her rent would spike from $1600 to $3200. When we met with their mom, she said other lenders declined her because she was on a fixed monthly social security income and had inherited thousands in debt from her late husband's previous spending habits. But she had thousands in assets, so we outlined a solution to pay off her debts with some proceeds from her investment accounts. The monthly interest on credit cards far exceeded investment returns, so this solution not only helped her save more, but also allowed her to qualify for her mortgage. After all credit card debts we're paid off, her monthly budget was reduced by thousands. Soon after, she found a nice condo, and 30 days later she was nestled in a home to call her own with a 30-year fixed loan with total monthly costs drastically below her rent increase—and a long-term loan to secure the property for her daughters in the future.

A couple looking to save money by combining their first and second mortgage contacted us about a potential refinance. At the time, their debts were too high so we provided a payment plan to pay off credit cards and installment loans over the next year. We reviewed the numbers 12 months later, but noticed they had let a timeshare go and stopped making payments. This affected their credit scores, but because they had closed other accounts and paid them down, we were still able to approve their loan and proceed with their refi. The plan was well worth it, as they now have less debt, one mortgage, and a drastically lower rate– saving them thousands on monthly payments and interest!

A client searching for his first home had two loan goals: lowest possible down payment and a great rate. We delivered by educating him on down payment assistance and low down programs, and showing cash-to-close details for each option. He chose a 3.5% down FHA loan that best met both of his goals, but was still uneasy about whether he’d need extra closing cash. We had his back and provided a revised closing disclosure to show him his loan was locked, one-time closing costs were set, and prorated loan interest collected at closing may actually go down. At closing time, the pre-paid prorations made the final figure $700 less than expected, so he closed with no surprises and used the extra cash for new furniture in his first home!

After losing his job, relocating, and getting divorced, a client had no choice but to file bankruptcy. Fast forward to today, having rebuilt his credit and finances, he was finally in a position to buy again. But every lender he approached didn’t give him the time of day. He found us online, we met to learn his financial story, then provided clear advice and direction. Since years had passed, we were confident we could approve him for an FHA loan. We obtained a copy of his former deed from his county to prove enough time had lapsed since his bankruptcy, provided proof he had a history of paying rent on time, and submitted a written explanation for his prior financial struggles. Once approved, he surprised his fiancé by taking her house shopping, and they soon found a home. We closed shortly after with no hiccups, proving second chances truly change lives.

First time home buyers got into contract on a condo that fit their needs and budget perfectly, then hit a snag. Both borrower and property must be approved on every loan, and there’s more to approve on condos than houses. In this case, the condo budget was questionable because the year-to-date statement of income and expenses didn’t match the budget’s projections. The condo association team responsible for the budget didn’t fully understand budgets, so with permission from buyers’ and sellers’ realtors, our underwriter worked directly with the condo association to educate them on lender requirements for condo budgets, which they eventually met with our guidance. Not only was entire condo association and all other homeowners better for it, but our clients’ homeownership dreams come true.

A recently divorced client was denied by several lenders because his child support and alimony obligations made his debt too high until those payments expired. After studying his profile, we said ‘Yes’ he could buy a home now because his divorce paperwork showed he only had six months left on those payments. Then he followed our advice on listing his investment property for sale and sold it to a cash buyer—this enabled him to avoid mortgage insurance on his new purchase by using 10% of the sale proceeds for his down payment. Once he found his new property, his advance work with us made his closing fast, surprise-free, and left extra money in his pocket as he started the next chapter of his life four months earlier than expected.

A former military serviceman and his wife were weren’t finding deep VA loan expertise in their lender search—until their realtor introduced them to us. Home inventory was tight in their market and they were up against multiple competing buyers with stronger down payments and more widely accepted loan terms. When they finally found their perfect home, the sellers’ realtor was hesitant because she heard sellers had to pay more fees and close slower on VA loans. We debunked these VA misconceptions by explaining the nuanced approval and closing procedures of VA loans in simple terms, and we put it in writing that we’d close in 30 days without delays. This won our clients their first home, and turned the sellers and their realtor into VA believers!

A couple was on day 45 of a 60 day escrow with another lender, and saw their $1.5 million dream home slowly slipping away. Four other lenders had failed to get the deal done and couldn’t overcome issues around their complicated self-employed income, business losses, and debt ratios 5% over the typically accepted max. With a contingent offer requiring the sale of the client’s departing home and two other transactions hinging on this one, sellers had a backup offer waiting and gave the buyers one last chance to perform. We only had 12 days to close, but after studying their profile, we knew we had a jumbo loan product to fit their situation, plus we could offer a fixed-rate 1% lower than the adjustable loans they were quoted. We kept their dream alive, closed in 12 days, and proved that not all lenders are created equal when it comes to complex clients.

A client came to us for help buying his first rental property in an extremely competitive market where bidding wars were the norm and sellers preferred cash offers. He owned the home he lived in, and wrote a 15-day-close cash offer with plans to fund it with his Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)—a HELOC is a loan that allows you to use a checkbook to draw on the balance as needed, but has an adjustable rate, and our client wanted a stable 30-year fixed. He asked if we could close a new 30-year fixed in 15 days. Our response: Of course! He revised his offer, we rushed the appraisal in just three days, and finished his approval with days to spare before the 15-day deadline, proving that home financing can be just as fast as cash for sellers while preserving cash for buyers.

A couple looking for a cash out refinance for a home improvement project had been working with other lenders unsuccessfully. Their credit scores were too low and they needed to clear up various collections to qualify. They tried for months and thought all hope was lost until they met us. After analyzing their credit, we told them we could use their cash out refi to repair their credit. The deal resulted in their credit scores increasing by 30 points each, and $50,000 cash out to do their project plus pay off collections, car loans, and credit cards. With their credit and hope restored and project money in hand, they were reenergized and inspired to achieve their home improvement vision.

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