Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 Been doing a LOT of realtor outreach these last few weeks to talk about one of my favorite subjects, non-QM lending. On the whole, my conversations have been following a regular pattern: “Howdy! I’m Chris Shank with Mortgage Advocacy. Yes, I am one of those crazy loan officers, but believe it…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 I witnessed quite the real estate survival story earlier this month and, with the subject’s permission, I am now going to share it (with some details obscured for privacy concerns). Bob is not your traditional fix and flipper. After spending half a decade as a drone operator, Bob loaded up on…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 Well folks, refi season is upon us! Believe it or not, I’m a rather uncommon loan officer in the fact that I’m usually not the biggest advocate of refinancing, at least not unless said refinance can be proven to be in someone’s best interest. In today’s article, I’m going to break down how a…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 We’ve covered before how there are things you have control over that dictate the interest rates you get charged for your loans. Now, it’s time for us to delve into the things that you really don’t have control over because only by getting a full understanding of the big picture, can you truly…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 As identified before, your credit plays a huge role in your future. Unfortunately, an uncomfortably small percentage of folks out there take more than a passing interest in their credit. Earlier, a young woman reached out to me, looking for a preapproval. She was beyond excited, as she found the house for her. All she needed…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 I became a homeowner in October of 2022. At the closing table, I walked away with the keys to my new castle, and a check for some fifteen thousand dollars, which came in very handy for furnishing my house, as the only piece of furniture I had to my name by…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 One of the best things about being a financial professional is that I get paid to help people build wealth. When I say this as a loan officer, most people think of wealth-building in the traditional sense. For example, per Redfin, in January of 2020, the median home value in the 37042…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 One of the most sacred obligations of a loan officer is the charge to inform the community at large about the industry they represent. To that end, today, we’re going to delve together into the four major loan programs that are out there. I hope you’re excited- here we go! Programs,…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 “Hey Chris, thank you for talking with me about VA construction loans. In our conversation, you mentioned things like preferential pricing and how my credit factors into my interest rate. Can you go into a bit more detail about how that works?” Brother (you know who you are), I told you…

Christopher Shank NMLS 2562885 Well, it’s that time again! Yesterday, I had quite a few epic discussions with folks on Facebook after I shared a few details about the VA OTC product. As part of my commitment to put education first, I’ve dedicated this article to taking a lender-agnostic dive into the world of these…