FIRST MARINER MORTGAGE

Description of Work: Mortgage pre-approval and final mortgage for the home we bought

Description of Work: I was referred to 1st Mariner Mortgage by my real estate agent. I was really impressed by their commitment and patience. I worked closely with Tom Horstkamp. We met and I submitted our initial documents so he could work up some scenarios to let us know how much house we could afford before we went shopping. Later, when we found the house we loved, Tom worked diligently right up to closing to see if he could get us a better interest rate or a better PMI rate. Tom was very responsive to all my questions and was willing to explain things more than once until I understood all of it. I also worked closely with Tracie Duerr to get all the documents she needed to submit to the underwriters. She was very calm and patient. At one point, I mentioned I was stressed and she calmly explained that it's her job to get stressed and worry about all the "what ifs". I can just sit back and relax. That's not really in my nature, but it did take a weight off my shoulders. Naturally, just days before settlement we learned that house were buying didn't appraise for the sales price we'd agreed to. The seller was boxed in by their current mortgage. Danny Gough is their specialist in this area. As he admitted, he gets called in for the "bad news". But Danny was also very calming and outlined the available options, and that helped me absorb the news and create a plan of next steps. We were able to work something out with the sellers, so it all worked out and we bought the house (and love it)!!