The Cure For The Foreclosure Epidemic: Part 3–The Room
The real emotions of buying a home begin with The Room.
The room, as I call it, is the place where you, the borrower of a loan, and the loan officer, the person who is assisting you in getting the loan, meet. By place I should almost say space, but really, it is how you meet the loan officer. It could be via email, via phone, or in person. It is this place/space where the loan process begins, and this is the area that no one–none of the so-called experts–really can tell how things are going. Except for the loan officer and the borrower(s).
In continuing my series on our current foreclosure epidemic that started with my Introduction, I think this is probably the most important step in staying out of foreclosure.
Tony Gallegos has a recent post (quoted from another source) that explains how Abe Lincoln would know his opponent’s arguments and case so well that he himself would, in effect, take all the wind out of the opponent’s sails and win. Because he knew their case better than they knew their case. In an odd way, this is relevant to my point. As borrower’s ‘meeting’ with a loan officer, in many cases a stranger, you should think about the loan officer’s agenda. Yes, the loan officer has to make a living, yet the best loan officers never convey the sense that they are meeting you only to make a profit. Hopefully, though, when you walk into that strange space (internet, phone, or actual room), you will get a very strong sense that the loan officer wants to help you, make you feel comfortable, and assist you in making the best decisions. Though you are nervous and excited and probably feeling eight to ten other emotions, I think it is important to pay attention to the loan officer. What is he saying? How is she saying it? Are there options? Why? Why not?
So here is my main point–and it is going to sound really crazy: don’t just think of yourself. By this I mean pay attention.
The road to foreclosure starts right now. We, the people who are trying to understand and explain and help others not go down this path, forget that we really don’t know what happens in these rooms. Does the loan officer explain an ARM and how it works and how it could hurt you? Does the loan officer give options? Does the loan officer review the Good Faith Estimate, and, if the borrower signs it, does the loan officer sign as well? Does the loan officer review the credit report, the essential documents for underwriting, and/or the different types of documentation (verify income and assets and employment…or not)?
Most important, when you walk in the room, do you feel like you are being treated as a human being or manipulated like a robot? And this is what no expert can measure in explaining how the foreclosure mess started.
I am not Abe Lincoln (for sure), but I do like to understand my clients, and most good, reputable loan officers will do the same. Prepare yourself before you step into the room.
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