VanDyk Mortgage April 2019

April 2019

Letters From the Hart Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com Corporate NMLS #3035 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

THEDREAMTEAM

Ashleigh Newcomb and Karen Ferranti in the Spotlight

A few weeks back, I was honored and humbled once again to be named one of the country’s Top 10 Loan Officers for VanDyk Mortgage for the fourth year running. It always feels good to be recognized for the work I do in the Fort Myers community, but honestly, I couldn’t possibly take all the credit. That’s why this month, I’d like to tell you all about the folks behind the scenes: Karen Ferranti and Ashleigh Newcomb, my two irreplaceable partners in crime. If you’ve worked with me recently, chances are you’ve already become acquainted with these two amazing members of my team. Karen’s been with us since back in September and has quickly become indispensable, and Ashleigh’s been around for close to three years now. Both of them bring a set of unique skills to the table, empowering our branch to help would-be homebuyers throughout the area, spreading the word, and keeping me sane in the process. Karen Ferranti is a licensed loan officer assistant with more than 25 years in administrative management and eight in mortgage sales and operations. So, you could say she definitely knows what she’s doing. With her breadth of knowledge, she’s an expert at putting clients’ minds at ease, gathering and reviewing loan documents, helping with disclosures, and

out on the front desk — and still handles incoming calls and other similar duties — she’s turned into my go-to person for pretty much everything in the office. How it typically goes is that I have an idea, I tell Ashleigh about it, and she makes it a reality. From the newsletter to “The HartBeat Show” podcast to our revamped website to the video interviews you see

Ashleigh

on Facebook, pretty much anything you’ve seen from me or my branch would have been impossible without Ashleigh. If there’s something she doesn’t know, she goes out, learns how to do it, then implements it flawlessly. If the idea I’m coming to her with is just plain bad, she’ll let me know in no uncertain terms. She takes all the things that I don’t have the expertise, time, or patience to accomplish and knocks them out of the park. The fact is no matter how much I’d like the recent award from VanDyk Mortgage to stroke my ego, you can’t be in this business alone. No one does it solo, and with a team like mine, why would anyone ever want to? It’s my goal to make the Fort Myers branch of VanDyk Mortgage the No. 1 branch in the country, to reach out to more homebuyers than ever and help them land the home of their dreams. It’s a big ask, but with folks like Karen and Ashleigh in my corner, I’m confident we can turn that moonshot goal into a reality. I am happy to announce that since originally writing this article we have added a new member to our team. Donna Plumley has joined us as a fantastic loan officer assistant. We look forward to growing even further with her on the team and crushing our goals!

Karen

guiding people through the entire mortgage process smoothly. She came to Fort Myers to flee the brutal cold of Connecticut last year, and we’re certainly glad she did. She truly cares about our clients and consistently goes the extra mile to help them out. Then there’s Ashleigh Newcomb, my marketing specialist and resident jack-of-all-trades at VanDyk Mortgage. Though she started

NMLS #354676

VanDyk Mortgage | www.TimHartJr.com | 239-437-4278

Page 1

No Place Like Home

Be a Tourist in Your Hometown

to play most competitive sports. Trying to get them to understand this fact at that age might only make them frustrated with the sport and make them dislike it before they can even give it a try. Even when children are between the ages of 6 and 9, they might not be ready for sports that require higher forms of coordination, like football or hockey. Instead, try sports like T-ball, soccer, or karate. They won’t be ready for more intensive sports until they are 10–12 years old. If your child does not seem to enjoy team sports, you might see if they may like more individual sports, like running or swimming. Their personality can be just as significant as their age when it comes to choosing the right sport. Some children might not show interest in organized sports at all. If your child does not seem interested in any sports, even though they are old enough to understand the rules and are coordinated enough to play, you might want to Find Local Events Now’s the time to check out the farmers market you’ve been meaning to go to for ages! Then you can swing by that free concert in the park before going to a play at your community theater. Attending local events is a great way to visit places in town you’ve never been before. You might even find a historical tour that can teach you all about the wonders of your town. Download an app like Eventbrite, or go old-school and check for fun local events in the paper. Appreciate the Arts There are countless tiny museums and cultural attractions all over the place that most people overlook — especially those who have lived in an area for a while. Does your hometown have interesting art installations on Main Street? What about museums dedicated to strange and supernatural phenomena, parks, historical landmarks,

Whether you were the star player or the kid who picked flowers in the middle of the field all game, almost everyone has memories of being on a sports team when they were young. Some lose interest over time and pursue other activities, while others find they really enjoy their sport, maybe have a real talent for it, and continue playing until they are young adults. Whatever the case, parents should take a couple of factors into consideration when determining if their child is ready for sports. If they begin playing too early, it might turn them off to the sport before they really understand it. It could also result in premature wear on muscles and bones that prevents them from playing their sport later on. Most experts believe that the proper age for introducing your child to sports is somewhere between 6 and 9 years old. When they are younger than 6, it is important for them to be active, but their motor skills are not yet developed enough Do you dream of adventure? Do you want to see something new, discover someplace interesting, and make memories you’ll cherish forever? Do you still have to be at work on Monday? Finding adventure doesn’t have to mean packing up and trekking across the globe for six months. Being adventurous is all about changing your mindset and looking for the unexpected in the familiar. As you start planning summer vacations, instead of spending a lot of money to be a tourist somewhere else, why not try finding a little adventure at home? Get a Room If you really want to experience your hometown through the eyes of a tourist, try waking up somewhere new. One night in a hotel room or bed- and-breakfast can really put you in the adventuring mindset.

or giant robotic farm animals? Check Yelp. com for lists of popular attractions near you, or ask your friends for suggestions. You might be surprised by what your hometown has to offer. You might be thinking, “This is would be great if I lived somewhere fun!” If you’ve ever thought your town was boring, that’s all the more reason to try being a tourist! Adventures can happen anywhere if you just take that first step out the door.

ACTIVE SEARCHING FOR ACTIVE PASTIMES

Finding the Right Time to Get Your Children Into Sports

consider other activities, like art or music classes. Still, it is essential that they are active for at least an hour every day, no matter their interests. Sometimes kids will get frustrated with the sports they play (even if they like playing them), and they might want to quit. If your child doesn’t seem to like the sport you signed them up for, encourage them to at least finish out the season. They might just need a little more time to warm up to it. However, if they still aren’t enjoying it at the end of the season, help them find other activities that they might like better. Ultimately, when a child is ready to play sports, it is important to stay in tune with what brings them joy and what keeps them mentally and physically healthy.

VanDyk Mortgage | www.TimHartJr.com | 239-437-4278

Page 2

... Continued from Page 4

“When we get into more of the government programs, where we have those certifications, those kinds of errors can impact those certifications,” Lindsey says. “That is, at times, why you may think us underwriters are a little crazy in what we’re asking for from the get-go. It really is to avoid those closing problems and to protect our credibility and key certifications.” Post-closing issues can get extremely costly for a company, and fast. “The hardest part, I think, is having to say no. We are emotional beings, and in some situations where we have to say no, there’s that single mom with four kids on the other end — that’s devastating!” Lindsey says. “I will say that I’m thankful to work with a group of people who are open-minded. We try not to say no often, and sometimes it’s just a matter of ‘No, now’s not the right time.’ Give this borrower another six months, give this borrower another year, have them come back, let’s look at it again.” But what’s the hardest part of Lindsey’s job?

“We want to be the company that does things for our borrowers, and not to our borrowers … We want to be a part of their success story,” she says. “Unfortunately, as an underwriter, we at times have to say no, but the basis of our job is protecting not just our company, but also those borrowers as well.” I can say from working with the VanDyk underwriters that they definitely go above and beyond to help us and our clients. Many people struggle to understand just how many moving parts there are to a loan, and how difficult it is to get them to align perfectly before closing. For underwriters, that’s their bread and butter.

But of course, I couldn’t let Lindsey go without asking for a piece of advice she’d give to a realtor in order to facilitate a smooth transaction. “I think the biggest thing is setting the right expectations and communicating,” Lindsey says. “Through this role especially, I’ve really realized how important communication is in this whole process from start to finish. Making those connections between the borrowers, your loan officers, and every other piece of the puzzle is essential in order to meet the client’s expectations. And if for some reason you can’t meet those expectations, you need to explain why and lay out the steps to getting there.” Wise words from a wise woman. Clearly, with a little knowledge, underwriters don’t have to be a big scary boogeyman for borrowers. I learned a lot from my interview with Lindsey Kuhnle, and I’m sure any prospective buyers will too. Check out the whole thing on “The HartBeat Show” podcast, or on my page “Tim Hart – Loan Officer” on Facebook!

“We want to be the company that does things for our borrowers, and not to our borrowers … We want to be a part of their success story ...”

SUDOKU

Tyler McGowan & Savannah Loos with their Realtor Jay LaGace VanDyk Testimonials

“Tim and his team made buying a house as easy and painless as possible! The whole process was made very easy by their online portal to upload documents, and weekly update calls kept us in the loop!” –Ryan Schneck “Tim Hart and his team were phenomenal every step of the way. I had been house-hunting for my first home for 11 months before I finally closed, and I never once had a lapse in service. I have often considered and still plan to reach out to Tim for advice on customer service techniques that I can share with my colleagues as I was that impressed with the service.” –Jordan Perri Here is what our client had to say about their experience with VanDyk Mortgage.

TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the name of the newest member of Tim’s team?

VanDyk Mortgage | www.TimHartJr.com | 239-437-4278

Page 3

Be the first to answer the question on page 3 by emailing

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

[email protected] and win a $20 Visa gift card!

Inside This Issue Tim Hart, NMLS #354676 8280 College Parkway Suite #101 Fort Myers, FL 33919 Tim Hart’s VanDyk Mortgage Dream Team PAGE 1 Adventure Awaits (at Home) PAGE 2 Letting Your Kids Have Fun With Some Healthy Competition Testimonials Sudoku PAGE 3 Interview with Underwriter Lindsey Kuhnle PAGE 4

Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com

Tim’s Interview With Lindsey Kuhnle DEMYSTIFYING THE UNDERWRITER

When it comes to underwriters, we at VanDyk Mortgage have heard it all. For many folks, the underwriter seems like a shadowy figure, sitting in a dark room and asking for whatever annoying thing pops into their head from the borrower. Luckily, as we showed when we sat down for a Facebook interview with the VanDyk Mortgage head underwriting manager, Lindsey Kuhnle, that’s not how it really is. First off, of course, there was the question on everybody’s mind: What does an underwriter do? “We take your loans from the loan officers, and we evaluate the risk thresholds behind them,” Lindsey says, “We do have automated services that run findings on all of our loans to give us a basis on where to start. From there, we’re looking at the borrower’s income, credit, assets, all of that to really make sure we are doing good, quality loans.”

Lindsey’s job is to take those key metrics — credit report, assets, etc. — and match them up with the loan program guidelines that particular loan falls under. But “A guideline is a guideline,” Lindsey says. “Our automated findings are recommendations. So, on top of those, we’re really looking at the documentation that has been provided to us, to make sure that we’re asking the

close. Later on down the road, if the loan forecloses or gets randomly audited (which does happen!), it can spell disaster for the not only the borrower, but the underwriter and the mortgage lender as well. After all, they’re held accountable for their errors by the powers that be.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 ...

right questions, that we’re getting the right information. Stuff like ‘Where did that large deposit come from on the bank statement?’” What most people don’t realize that if an underwriter isn’t thorough or makes a bunch of errors, a bad loan can

VanDyk Mortgage | www.TimHartJr.com | 239-437-4278

Page 4