Bradford Haberlin and Andrew Wexler of Legacy Mortgage Group have been up since 4 a.m., and insomnia has nothing to do with it. With the constant ebbs and flows that are the hallmark of the mortgage industry, these two pros know that their clients are relying on them to be at the top of their game to make sure they get the best rate, white-glove service, the smoothest transactions and no unwelcome surprises.

For over 10 years, Haberlin has been helping both commercial and residential clients navigate the ups and downs of the mortgage market. As a former law enforcement professional, as well as a private security operations surveillance specialist, he has cultivated a talent for understanding people and is highly selective when it comes to his team of loan officers.

Before joining Legacy Mortgage Group, Wexler spent over 30 years in the commercial real estate industry. Most recently Wexler was with Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation in NYC for 15 years, focusing on financing and banking relationships. He had known Haberlin for many years before joining his team and knew that he wanted to be aligned with Legacy Mortgage Group. As for Haberlin, “I knew Andrew was a good, honest person and dedicated from the beginning.

“I have a culture to which I want my team to adhere and which is guided by integrity, honesty and respect,” Haberlin explained. “At Legacy Mortgage Group, we treat clients the way we would treat our own family members when it comes to mortgage transactions.

“The name of the company is Legacy Mortgage Group because not only is it my legacy to my children, but whenever someone purchases a home, it is their legacy to their family as well.”

Purchasing a home is one of the biggest and most important transactions people make in their lifetime and Legacy Mortgage Group makes sure every transaction is treated accordingly.

“I wanted to build a platform where clients come here knowing that they are in good hands, that their transaction is safe, and if we give them a pre-approval letter their loan will go through and they will have no reason to worry.”

Indeed, rising interest rates have been scaring potential homebuyers away, but Haberlin advises them to not let that be a deterrent. “Interest rates go up and interest rates go down, but to completely take yourself out of the market may cause you to lose out on a really excellent opportunity,” he said.

According to Haberlin, it’s always a good idea to get pre-approved before beginning any home search. “Legacy Mortgage Group can underwrite a homebuyer’s file before they even put in an offer on a property so that they can submit an offer with a full underwritten loan approval.” He said that as long as someone is willing to sit and take a few minutes to fill out an application and upload some documents, that person can get an answer from Legacy Mortgage Group within a day. “It’s a quick process and even if you find a house first, you can know within 24 hours whether or not it is going to work for you.

“We are on it for them since we know there is a sense of urgency and because people will look at homes over the weekend and will need to submit a best and final offer by Tuesday.”

Sometimes buyers may qualify for a lot more than they realize, but that doesn’t mean they should purchase a house for the full amount if the monthly mortgage payment may be more than they can handle. Legacy Mortgage Group will work with clients to determine a monthly mortgage payment that is comfortable for them.

“If rates go up during a search, Legacy Mortgage Group can also help clients adjust those numbers and advise clients how to shave a little bit off their price point or calculate how much capital to put down in order to keep those monthly payments where they want them to be,” Haberlin said. “It’s simply about educating our clients and then adjusting the numbers accordingly.”

Sometimes, Legacy Mortgage Group will suggest a temporary buy-down, which is simply an upfront fee, usually paid by the seller, that allows a homebuyer to lower the mortgage interest rate for the first few years after the purchase. Permanent rate buy-downs are another great way for homebuyers to lower their interest rate by purchasing discount points at the time of their closing.

What many people don’t realize is that there are key advantages to using a mortgage broker over a bank. When you go through a bank, once a loan is locked, there is little, if anything, that can be done if rates go down. Float-down options allow homebuyers to lower their mortgage rate if prevailing interest rates drop during a lock period. “However, there has to be a significant market drop in order for a bank to even consider a float-down,” Haberlin said.

At Legacy Mortgage Group, Haberlin and his team advise all clients to lock in their rate right away, whether their closing is 30, 60 or 90 days out. “We are communicating with 30 to 40 different investors at any given moment so if there is a huge market drop before a client closes and we still have enough time to move the file, we have the ability to a look for different investor if the current investor won’t give us a float-down and lock in our clients at the better rate.”

Haberlin is proud to say that he has closed on properties in 10 days, even with ordering a full appraisal. “Speed is not an issue for us. But the flexibility for us to move the file is huge for clients.”

“That’s the message here, “ added Wexler. “Obviously you want everything to go smoothly, but as mortgage brokers we have flexibility and can make adjustments that benefit our clients, which may not be an option for a mortgage banker or your traditional depository bank.”

To learn more about how Legacy Mortgage Group can help you, visit https://legacymortgagegroupinc.com/or call Andrew Wexler at 201-674-4229.