[JC and John]

We used Brenda at Citizens and had no problems. She was easy to deal with. We liked using Citizens because it was easy, fast one stop shopping. Yes, there is a 30 day close on new builds. At the time we bought, they were only .25% higher difference in interest rate which was not a deal for us. IMHO, you will find all sorts of horror stories about loans gone bad for other banks as well as Citizens. Please don't fret over the loan process, in the end, just go with your best judgment and you will be fine.

[Roaddog53]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Shop your loan before you commit. You will likely save thousands!

I agree. We used BB&T, Justin Halloway, and saved $1000s on closing costs and rates.No hassle, no worries, very friendly, and easily made it for closing two weeks ahead. He has not missed a closing. I believe he is now #2 behind Citizens in loans. (Buyers use Citizens by default without shopping, or scare tactic sales/contract states on missing a closing) He just past Wells Fargo recently.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Cathy H

I believe the Citizens bank is owned by one of the developers many corporations, sooooooo.......as others here advise, explore other financing options, you may save $.

It is always wise to shop for the best price, but there is nothing wrong with Citizens Bank. IT IS owned by the developer. A nice traditional man with conservative values.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by Seventy7

Why Citizens? We heard if you buy a new house they have a 30 day closing process and some costs are waved.
Are there any down-sides of Citizens besides a higher interest rate?
... Thanks :-)

Any reputable lender can close within 30 days. Nothing unusual about that so don't let that be a deciding factor.

Some of the costs are waived??? I would want to know what these costs are and how much they add up to. Sounds like just another ploy to get you to go with them.

Shop your loan and get a good faith estimate in writing, then compare. There are many "hidden" costs that will surprise you and are just another way for a bank to pad their profits, regardless of what kind of fancy name they give to the fee.

If Citizens actually is higher than anyone else, (a 1% difference really IS significant), that should be a deal breaker for anyone!

[Carpe Diem]

Anthony Sciacchitano.

Went with a large national bank with our first house because of the rate. Our credit was outstanding. Local office up north assured us 45 days was a slam dunk. We had to keep calling about the status and it turned out final documents had to be faxed as we walked into the closing meeting. A nightmare. National banks don't understand the value of a home in the Villages and don't care. You are a statistic. Your friendly, helpful, local banker sends your stuff to a big city where analysts do all they can to find a reason why they shouldn't give you a loan (eg: You are financially strong, but co-signed on your kid's car loan).

I'm guessing we pay 1/4% more at Citizen's, and have just bought a house. I think that translates to $30 a month on $200k, but we'll pay the 30 yr loan off in 5-6 yrs. We're actually better off than with a lower interest 15 year loan (1% diff) -> IF we put the difference in mortgage payment into a 401k. (Assumption: We are currently in a pretty high tax bracket.)

Citizens has been no pressure and they've been helpful walking us through everything. Thanks Anthony!

[NIPAS K-9]

Originally Posted by Seventy7

Hi. We are hoping to contact a mortgage loan originator to discuss the mortgage process.

We want to purchase in the fall .. but are looking at getting all of our ducks in order

Does anyone have any recommendations from this list (from the Citizens website listing their mortgage loan originators)?
Glenda Adams
James Balthazer
Casey Cree
Robert Cree
Richard Grossman
Dawn Duval
Sharon Jensen
Brenda Faye Nelson
Oliver Chad Eston
Isabel Maria Quisenberry
Anthony Sciacchitano
Dean Smith
Debra Smith
Steve Koller


Thank you.

DEBRA SMITH, was great and has my vote.

[rp001]

Chad Oliver

[KathyN]

James Balthazar was most helpful.

[NYGUY]

For big ticket items, like a mortgage, it is best to shop around to get what is best for you. That may be Citizens or it might be someone else. In our case, it turned out to be Bank of America (Susan Davis - Parr Drive Office). We got a great rate and great service. No problem meeting 30 day deadline....we were ready in 3 weeks....The Villages attorneys needed 4 weeks!!