Gateway First Bank

They got some information from me and my wife, as far as to what we were looking at, where we wanted to keep our payments at, asking us about how we support our credit and downpayment. They asked a lot of questions and they asked for documents. Of course, normal process. I was sent in videos, in addition to them reaching out, just making sure that I was at a clear understanding of what was going on and what was gonna happen in the future. And then, they let us know that we were pre-approved for a set amount and that we could begin putting in offers.

That was when we started looking around, trying to find the home that we like. And throughout that process, they were updating us like, “Okay, we’re also going to need to do this, this, and this.” They were constantly working our application, and they were very consistent with their follow-up and making sure that we were aware of every step of the process. They were very clear with it. We had a team of people that worked with us so it felt nice that they weren’t worried about us. They were actually caring and had different people saying, “Hey, we’re here if you have any questions. These are the people that are working with you to get this done.” They were always available any time I had a question. They were very quick to respond to my questions and helped me feel at ease with any concerns that I had.

Before the process even started, I was hesitant and a little scared to start, but it was like, “Okay. No, let’s just see and…” Just working with that entire team was a great experience, it put me at ease. At the end, everything went through. The application was approved. We got the clear to close, and that’s about it. Everything was great. And now we’re in our home. We’re closer to work, which is amazing, and made our lives so much easier.

Gateway Mortgage was the first one that was offered to me. I was able to talk to the ladies and they made me feel real comfortable. They listened and they literally tried anything and everything to help me out. The two people that I talked to were Ms. Lauren and Ms. Mary. Ms. Lauren was very hands-on, making sure I had all my information and paperwork. Ms. Mary made sure everything got done according to plan, everything was on-time, people on their side had what they needed, and people on our side had what we needed. They were very helpful from start to finish. This is my first time buying a home so I didn't understand a lot of the process. It was good that we could go through the process together. They guided me in the right direction versus being like, "Okay, he's buying a home. Let's just give him a home and put him in it."

The application process was very long but it has taught me throughout this whole set of time to wait it out and go with the flow. Now, since everything is done and over, I see it's a lot worth it. Everything, from the time that they showed us the house to going through inspecting the house and making sure the house is good, was real smooth and not complicated. It was a lot smoother than what I thought buying a house was gonna be. I thought it was gonna be a little bit more hectic and crazy, but it's actually really calm and collected.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my experience. Between the time that I've gotten it and going through the process with Gateway Mortgage, I have recommended people to the program that I went to. I have recommend people to use Gateway Mortgage. They made my life a lot better 'cause they helped me get a house and start building something for myself.

The VA home loan is a little more particular as far as the underwriting, so they had a weekly update in the beginning and as we got closer and closer to closing, they worked with me almost on an everyday basis, which was cool. An itemized list of forms, paperwork and documentation should have been provided at the beginning though to make it easier for me because then I could've been more prepared on who I was gonna call and what I was gonna get. But it was still done in a really timely fashion. Gateway Mortgage was phenomenal. It was a stressful time and there were pages and pages of paperwork but the fact that they would take my phone calls and they would respond with me via text messages when I was at work was handy. If I'm not at my phone, I don't have to try to find the time to listen to a voicemail. I'm able to look at a text message quickly and then respond accordingly. That was above and beyond.

The company’s reps were personable, super professional and they have a nice building. The rep I worked with, Aaron, took the time to call me and discuss my loan process before it was even at the underwriting process when he was out-of-town on a personal matter. At first, I felt bad when he mentioned that but he told me that it was totally fine. He also would contact me on a Sunday which was amazing. I'd recommend Gateway Mortgage to friends and families. Working with this company got me in a house and I'm a homeowner now.

We did a conventional loan program. We just had to set up some initial info and do the credit check. One of the coolest parts for me was that it was all digital, so I didn’t have to fax in anything. I could just upload it to the portal that they have and it ended up linking bank accounts. One of the things that we’ve done in previous loans was I would print out a bank statement, then a couple of months later, the same people would come back and say that they need the bank statement. It got super repetitive and annoying, but I didn’t have to do any of that with Gateway. They were on top of it all and the portal really helped out. It was the smoothest mortgage process that I have ever been a part of

The loan officer rode that balance between being super helpful and being super annoying and pressing like, “Hey, just touching base, touching base.” I didn’t get a million and a half emails, but he was always available when I had a question. Anytime he needed to do some digging, he got back to me within a super short period of time. It was very evident that anytime he needed to dig for something, it wasn’t like, “Yeah, I’ll definitely dig for that,” and then I had to track him down a week and a half later. He was very obvious and he would say he was gonna get it done, and he did it in a very timely manner. He was super polite and was a really nice guy. He was very knowledgeable about what it was that he was doing. I couldn’t recommend him more.

I would tell others to consider going through Gateway for a loan. They handled everything very well and very professionally. This is the third loan that we’ve done. The first one we did was with a little branch in a small town that we lived in and the most recent one that we did in North Carolina was with Wells Fargo, and it was a freaking nightmare. Gateway blew my mind. I never realized that a mortgage loan process could be as easy as it was until we went with them. I would tell somebody, “110%, go with them.” I’ve already referred Mike to a couple of friends in the DFW area that are looking to buy a home as well.

We got to go to Gateway's office and do things in person, which I really liked. There, we sat down with Aaron and got things going. The application was alright and I appreciated how it was set up. However, I didn't like that Aaron asked for a lot of personal information that I felt wasn't necessary. I was a little upset with that, but I was prepared. I took in everything that I had experienced from other refinances that we had done in the past. I was also a little uncomfortable because I didn't know Aaron. But in the end, we conformed and gave him the information. Aaron told me exactly what he was gonna do and I appreciated, respected and was impressed with his honesty. My comfort level then went up a lot.

The closing process, however, took too long, We closed on the 28th and that forced me into making my payment for January. Because of that, instead of having two months for free, I only got one. On March 1st, I have to make my first payment, and it's really putting a bind on me. But we're gonna go ahead, make it, and go from there. I also got a note from Gateway about an insurance policy where they'll make the payments and so forth in case something happens to either my wife or myself, whether it be a disability or whatever. I need that kind of insurance, so I'm gonna give them a call.

Everything worked out right and we paid off all of our bills except for the small ones, which we're working on right now. Our mortgage is a little high but I'm not worried about it. We'll make some other moves and hopefully, we can pay this loan off in 15 years. I wanted the 30-year fixed rate for my comfort level as we have a tight budget. Thus far, I've referred Gateway Mortgage Group to a couple of people. Check them out, you'll be happy.