excellence Archives

Relationships

In the mortgage business, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of each individual loan. With Benchmark, it is never only about the transaction. We keep the focus on our local community and the relationship with our client. Building and maintaining relationships always comes first. All other things are secondary. The individuals that make up the Benchmark family were thoughtfully and strategically selected to make a difference in their communities.

Positive Attitude

Attitudes are contagious. We want ours to be the difference between a good experience and an excellent experience for our clients.
The Benchmark culture thrives because of the great attitude each team member holds. In a world with so many unknowns, we have each made the conscious decision to conduct ourselves with a positive attitude at all times, in all areas of our lives.

Dynamic

In an industry that is so rapidly changing, Benchmark thrives because of our adaptability, creativity, innovation, marketability, and courage. It’s not enough to keep up. Instead, our strategy is to always stay ahead by constantly asking ourselves ‘how can we take this a step further’? Our dynamic approach has driven our success from the beginning.

Excellence

Benchmark has a record of standing out since 1999, because of our dedication to going the extra mile. It has never been enough to simply ‘do things well.’ We strive to do all things exceptionally well. When there’s a need, Benchmark seeks the best way to fill it.

In 2012, Chief Visionary Officer and Cofounder of Benchmark Mortgage, Stewart Hunter saw a pressing need to care for our veterans. For 6 years, as of writing, Benchmark has sponsored Boot’n & Shoot’n, a fundraiser that benefits veterans and their families by providing scholarships to the Brain Treatment Foundation and Third Option. All Benchmark branches come together annually to raise money for the men and women who have served our country. Boot’n & Shoot’n is our way of giving back and making sure that we stay focused on what really matters: people taking care of people.

CNBC published an article on their Real Estate blog entitled, “‘Massive’ shortage of appraisers causing home sales delays”

Below are a few quotes that summarize the story quickly, in case you don’t have the time or patience to read the article yourself.

“The appraisal shortage is massive. You’re seeing significant delays, you’re seeing cost increases, you’re seeing rate [locks] expire,” said Brian Coester, CEO of Rockville, Maryland-based CoesterVMS, a national appraisal management company.

…when the U.S. housing market came crashing down, the number of appraisers has shrunk by 22 percent, according to the Appraisal Institute, an industry association. With so few new cadets, the current population of appraisers is aging. More than 60 percent are over the age of 50.

…the decline in new appraisers is largely due to new regulations…

…appraisers no longer see a need to pay apprentices, but at the same time, licensing requirements to become an appraiser include 2,500 hours of appraisal experience to be completed in two years as an apprentice.

In some of the nation’s hottest housing markets, where sales are up double digits compared to a year ago, the shortage means searching far and wide for an appraiser.

[Home] Prices could change in the course of two months, the delay time it is now taking in some markets to have an appraisal done. Mortgage rates are also starting to move in a wider range, and that makes rate-locks ever more important.

How Does Benchmark Respond?

Our 5 Core Values have served us well. We believe that they will continue to enable us to thrive, even in a complicated market.

We built our reputation and our business on these Core Values, one of which is Relationship. Another complimentary value that we hold dear is Positive Attitude. The combination of these can go a long way in ways you may never expect. So what is our approach?

To be as clear and transparent as possible in building relationships with partners in helping our mutual clients to get their new home as smoothly as possible. Just like we pride ourselves on being thorough and courteous for our clients, we strive to be open and thorough in our communications with partners.

We have an experienced staff who search daily to ensure coverage. We foster a positive relationship with our panel of appraisers.

Our appraisers prioritize us because we pay them generously and pay them quickly.

We have an advantage over appraisal management companies, as our appraisers receive the full fee, rather than just a percentage, and we have control over both the fee and the due date.

We have clear channels of communications with our appraisal department to quickly and efficiently resolve disputes and revisions.

Service is Our Trademark

For years, we have made the mortgage process look easy to those who have entrusted us with their home loans.

…efficiency and customer service is second to none.

Tom and his team make you feel like family and not just a number. He walks you thru all of your options and helps guide you thru the whole process. The attention he gives to his clients is untouchable. You will not get service like you get from him anywhere. 5 star all the way

…the Benchmark Mortgage Team are outstanding! From start to finish they kept us informed of the process, progress, and approvals. By far the most professional and expedient loan process I have ever been through.

We take service seriously. These are just a taste from a small collection of genuine testimonials giving by our Benchmark clients/fans. I encourage you to view more testimonials my testimonials. If you love being taken care of and like what you see, call mefind your branch or apply now

Tag: excellence

Setting the Benchmark