Caliber Funding open for business
The recent opening of Caliber Funding shows the real estate economy has picked up, and the company's loan officers say they are ready to provide comprehensive services to all buyers - from the first-timer to more experienced investment home buyers.
Located on Willow Creek Road off Route 1 in Lewes, the company features a staff of mortgage professionals with decades of experience, allowing them to weather the recent economic crisis. Loan consultant Barbara Brittingham said the company's focus is on helping clients find the right fit for a mortgage.
"Coming here, you are working with experienced and dedicated loan officers," Brittingham said. "We truly care about our customer."
Sticking with a smaller, local business for mortgages over a big bank offers more flexibility, communication and timely transactions, said Caliber Funding loan consultant Laura Mestro.
"Having the interaction with our local operating unit allows for more of a guarantee of on-time commitments and closings,” Mestro said. “With a smaller lender as opposed to the bigger bank there is more of a direct connection to underwriting.”
But sometimes other sources can provide better deals, sales manager Anne Daniels said. In those cases, loan consultants at Caliber Funding will disclose the information to potential clients, Daniels said, even if it means losing the sale.
“If people come to us, and we can’t offer the best deal, we turn them over to the other lender,” she said.
“We do what’s best for the client, even if it means us not getting the deal,” Mestro finished.
This is part of the reason a great percentage of their business comes to Caliber through word-of-mouth, Daniels said.
With a team of professionals that have been working in the Cape Region for years and work so well together that they can finish each others’ sentences, Brittingham said clients know what to expect when they come to the lenders.
“The customers that I have trust me,” she said. “They know that I am going to be honest.”
New home buyers can feel comfortable approaching the offices, consultant Kate Leary said, because at Caliber, lenders are sensitive to how complex the process can be.
A former real estate agent in Washington, D.C., Leary said she got into mortgages to facilitate the process of closing. But since she learned the ropes, she has enjoyed working with the mix of clients in the mortgage and financing process in the Cape Region, making herself available for consultation at most hours.
“With the beach, you have a good mix of the sophisticated buyers and first time buyers and for them, the process can be overwhelming,” Leary said. “When they feel confident at that settlement table - that is just a great victory.”
Loan officers at Caliber Funding encourage clients to contact them personally for more information about their financing packages.
Barbara Brittingham: Direct 302-360-8506 / Cell 302-542-5645
Kate Leary: Direct 302-360-8508 / Cell 215-983-8527
Laura Mestro: Direct 302-360-8507 / Cell 302-593-0994
