Lower Fees and Faster Service on Home Loans

Lower Fees and Faster Service on Home Loans

By Courtney Tait Photos Carolyn Wright Main Photo Laurie Allegretti

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streams. Armer’s personal relationships with underwriters, closing agents and other industry professionals enable him to guide his client’s application through the process in the most efficient way possible.

Santa Fe Mortgage deals with a wide range of clients, from first-time home buyers to retirees with complex income

Along with access to a trusted network of professionals, Santa Fe Mortgage is equipped with the breadth of knowledge gained over two decades of financing New Mexico homes. “Part of what makes a mortgage broker really good is the ability to understand a complex financial situation and

ince 1993, Santa Fe Mortgage has been known as the most knowledgeable, personable and efficient mortgage broker in Santa Fe. Led by Lance Armer, the company prides itself on providing people with the kind of knowledgeable one-on-one service that produces results, essentially streamlining the process of buying or refinancing a home loan.

determine what the underwriter needs to approve the loan,” says Armer. “We’d like to think that our expertise makes us able to make an $800,000 transaction as smooth as a $250,000 transaction, even when the former has no traditional income stream.”

While many people go to national or regional banks for financing, Armer points out that increasingly, the role of big banks’ loan officers is to gather data without necessarily interpreting it.

Applications are often sent to a regional

Lance Armer, Owner

Photo by Laurie Allegretti

processing center. “At a big bank, you can get bogged down in a labyrinth of information within a large bureaucracy,” says Armer. “By working with one person directly, you have a much better chance at a good result.”

Because Santa Fe Mortgage’s hands-on approach is able to efficiently navigate the financing process, the company’s overhead is lower. This enables it to offer clients a lower fee structure than typically found elsewhere.

He points to the experience of recent clients who had moved to Santa Fe from Michigan. They tried for months to get financing through a national bank. When the deal fell apart, they came to Santa Fe Mortgage. Armer was able to close the loan in just two weeks. “They told me that if they hadn’t come to us, they would have moved back to Michigan,” he says.

Santa Fe Mortgage works with an average of 30 to 50 clients each year, though they consult with many more. Many have been referred to the company by others who have benefited from its personal service, expertise and efficiency. “People get referred to us, and we have a lot of repeat clients as well.” says Armer. After two decades in business, Armer says he is now starting to do business with the children of former clients.

Armer says the most fulfilling part of his work is seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they buy a new home. “I have good relations with the people I serve,” he says. “I deal with everyone directly and personally to help them fulfill their dreams and try to leave them in better shape than when we first met.”

Santa Fe Mortgage Lance Armer, Owner 459 Cerrillos Rd. 505.988.2501 armer.lance@gmail.com