Nick Newton thought that buying a new home would be simple to navigate.
“I figured it would just be the home price, interest rate, monthly payment and that’s it. But there are definitely a lot more variables that go into that equation,” he says.
Even with a business degree, Nick realized he was out of his element with the mortgage process. So he turned to INB Mortgage Lender Todd Weir.
“There was so much with mortgage lending that I didn’t know about, and I’m so thankful for Todd’s guidance so I didn’t have to know everything,” says Nick, who is AVP, Portfolio Manager for INB’s Commercial department. “Todd helped us understand everything from Point A to Point B.”
Nick and his wife started to look for a house around March 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic. The couple had been living in an apartment, so when they saw interest rates decreasing, they began to seriously consider a move.
They toured a few houses before finding their ideal home in April. It was three bedrooms and two bathrooms with enough space to grow into.
“It was love at first sight; it was perfect for us,” Nick recalls. “We sent an offer, and they accepted on the same day. We closed on it in July.”
Since it happened pretty fast, a lot of questions were running through Nick’s head: “can we actually afford this? What’s our monthly payment going to look like? What are our monthly expenditures with utilities, taxes, and so on?”
Nick said their emotions ranged from excited to “downright nervous.” Spending so much money can be nerve-wracking.
That’s where Todd came in.
“I know we had a phone call or two at 8:00 at night asking about something that popped up. He calmed our nerves and made sure everything got done and that we were understanding the process,” Nick shares.
Having a mortgage lender who is local was all the more valuable. Todd was readily available and able to guide the Newtons through the entire experience, with deep knowledge of the community.
“To me, that’s a big deal to work with someone who is local and knows the area,” Nick says. “He understands the cost of living and what’s going on locally with the market.”
Nick advises prospective homebuyers to talk to a mortgage expert early on. Getting prequalified before they found their house allowed them to know exactly what they could afford before shopping and to move quickly on making an offer.
Today, Nick and his wife are glad to be settled into a wonderful home.
“Our house is a great starter home in a great neighborhood, and we just feel super lucky we got it,” Nick says. “And when we eventually outgrow this house, I’m sure I’ll be sending Todd a text message about our next home purchase!”