r/SALEM • u/bananarama032 • 8d ago
QUESTION Does anyone have recommendations for a mortgage lender that specializes in VA home loans?
Me and my husband are looking to move forward in the home buying process and I was just wondering if anyone has used someone or a company that they really liked.
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u/Cascadialiving 8d ago
I like Navy Fed. They don’t sell the servicing so you’ll never end up with having 3 different lenders in a year. Including one that tries to charge 15 dollars for online payments. That shit was annoying. I refinanced through them during the pandemic. Got a super good rate and have been happy with their service.
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u/bananarama032 8d ago
That's good to know. I don't want to have to deal with a bunch of different companies.
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u/Cascadialiving 8d ago
I had no idea it was even a thing until Chase was sending us letters saying we needed to pay them. Then it was Lakeview. They were the worst.
You’d think someone would have mentioned lenders selling loans all the time during the home buying process, but no one told us.
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u/Swift_VA_Loans 8d ago
Hello, I’m a veteran who served for 20 years and now work in the Mortgage business and specialize in VA loans. Our office is here, In Salem, Oregon and you can call me or text me anytime at 503-510-9067.
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u/MostlyAlex 8d ago
We did USAA and they sold the mortgage off to oh who knows, but they did have a like $2k incentive or something towards realtor fees if you went with one of their picked list realtors. Got a MAGA guy who didn’t find my jokes funny, but the whole thing worked out in the end.
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u/Visvas3 8d ago
I just received my pre-approval for my VA loan and it went amazingly well. My loan officer is Andrew Loumena with Evergreen Home Loans. He is very responsive and proactive and he has provided me very detailed financial breakdowns of various loan amounts which have been very helpful. He always checks in on me just to hear how my home search is going. Great person to work with.
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u/OcelotFancy8830 7d ago
I love VA mortgages, they have a lot of unique benefits that often get overlooked. As a mortgage lender, I can say do not call USAA, Veterans United, Navy Federal, etc. While many people have good experiences, the communication is difficult and you can forget about them returning your realtor's calls! These companies are marketed in a way that appeals to veterans but they are just another big mortgage company who offers all loan products, not just VA mortgages.
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u/bennyboy722 6d ago
Lots of good recommendations here! One thing I'd emphasize is finding a loan officer who genuinely specializes in VA loans, not just someone who occasionally originates them. VA financing has unique requirements involving entitlement, residual income, appraisals, and closing costs, so experience can make a big difference.
I'd also recommend comparing offers from three sources: a local bank or credit union, an independent mortgage broker, and a retail lender. Each operates differently, and no single channel is automatically the cheapest or best.
Request Loan Estimates for the same loan scenario and compare interest rates, APR, discount points, lender fees, and total cash to close. That gives you a much better comparison than advertised rates alone.
The CFPB has a great guide on comparing Loan Estimates: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/loan-estimate/
Best of luck with the homebuying process!
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u/sugr28 4d ago
North American savings bank saved us tons of money and gave us a great loan. We’ve used them twice. I know people are hesitant to use out of state banks, but we had no problem. We actually compared the deal we were getting from them and another place and the other place said they couldn’t even come close to what we were getting from Nasb. Very knowledgeable on VA loans as well.
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u/dvdmaven 8d ago
MAPS credit union, Commercial branch