From time to time, I am asked to do a sponsored review of a website, product or service. Although I turn most of these down, every once in awhile one request catches my attention and is worth writing about. The caveat to my agreement in doing a sponsored post is that I limit the post to information that I am given to review AND that I get to write my true opinion– positive, negative or neutral. (Either I get to be ethical and tell readers my true opinion or I don’t do the review!)

Last week I was asked to do a review for www.mlsloanbroker.com, run by Loan Officer Larry Martinez. He’s is a mortgage/refinance loan specialist that helps clients who are looking, for example, for a real estate loan in California (eg. San Francisco mortgage , Marin County mortgage, etc.)

Although I generally don’t use mortgage specialists or brokers because they often charge high fees and have hidden costs of which most consumers are unaware, the first thing that impressed me about www.mlsloanbroker.com was that they addressed this concern upfront. In fact, they not only discuss what their fees are (which seem very reasonable to me), but they also appear to be very conscious of keeping the fees low and also make them due at the close of escrow– not upfront (which is the way that many loan brokers operate). How much are their fees? Although you would want to confirm this directly with the company, from what I could see at their site, there was a processing fee of $500 or less and a credit check fee of $15. In most instances– that seems to be it.

Another thing that impressed me with the site is the amount of information available regarding the loan process. For example, there is a section on appraisals, ways to save on homeowners insurance, a primer on title insurance and pmi, credit, bankruptcy, kinds of loans and important considerations when refinancing. The site also discusses down payments, the foreclosure process, the loan process and has a glossary of real estate terms. It even has a few pretty good handy loan calculators. Larry Martinez looks like he has put some thought into his site and provides a wealth of information about mortgages and the loan process at consumers’ fingertips.

Although I have never used www.mlsloanbroker.com (and don’t own real estate in California), I might well consider giving them a shot if the situation ever arose. The site strikes me as upfront, honest and genuinely helpful. So, if you are searching for a Bay area mortgage loan specialist or San Francisco refinance professional, you may want to visit www.mlsloanbroker.com and see what they have to offer.

As with anything you do in your real estate business, educating yourself on the process and understanding your options is paramount. I generally always recommend that you periodically “shop” quotes between different vendors and always try to get quotes in writing.

Best regards,
Steven Boorstein