Since 2016 Cynthia Hall and her team have proudly served Carrollton and surrounding communities through Caliber Home Loans, the third largest non-bank mortgage lender in America. Through their personal approach, she and her staff–now located in their new office at 106 A Adamson Square in Carrollton–offer a unique, boutique-style, lending service.
Wife and mother of four, Cynthia tells us, “Carrollton is my home and I am proud to be a homeowner here. I’m a little tongue in cheek about being ‘The Mortgage Madam,’ but in mortgage there really are no shades of grey. Due to federal regulations, we either do or we don’t. Everything is black and white, but while what we do is serious, we are just people, and we want our clients to know we have a sense of humor, too. Ultimately, we are here to support our west Georgia community! In fact, my name and phone number are on my client’s mortgage statement every month.”
Caliber Home Loans offers residential mortgage loans from $50,000 to $2,500,000. The company takes pride in servicing 95% of its loans rather than selling them off. There are a host of available loans, which include conventional, government such as US Federal Housing Administration (FHA), Veterans Administration (VA), United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA), and a suite of portfolio products which help people who do not fit into the standard categories. Caliber also offers construction to permanent loans and is an HGTV-style renovation lender.
In January 2019, Cynthia earned her Certified Veteran Loan Specialist (CVLS) designation from the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) and was among the first 200 loan officers in America to earn it. Taking care of veterans occupies a huge part of her heart, a fact which led her to offer the nation’s largest benefit program, Homes for Heroes. Click here to read more. She is also part of Caliber’s National Builder Division, and loves working with new construction clients.
Cynthia advises that first-time home buyers talk to her ahead of time. She explains, “About a year before you want to buy a house, start talking with me so that I can help prepare you for exactly what to expect, and if needed, help you work on your credit score. Once you are pre-qualified, then we can send a pre-qualification letter to your realtor.”
“I am often asked how much money someone should save. My response is that It depends on when, what, and where you want to purchase. For example, with a USDA rural development loan, there’s no money down, and closing costs will depend on your individual situation. Closing costs include the lender’s flat fee, and in Georgia, an attorney is required to close. There are also taxes and setting up your homeowner’s insurance.”
Cynthia notes the most often asked question is “Do I have to have 20% down?” and she responds, “That’s not the case. There are loans programs available with as little as zero (USDA/VA) to 3% or 3.5% down (Conventional/VA).”
“We can help a lot of people who didn’t think they would ever own a home if they will do what we advise to prepare. As harsh as it sounds, I am not here to just tell people what they want to hear. I want to get people on the right path for homeownership, so I will always share the truth, even if it stings a little at that moment,” Cynthia elaborates.
Cynthia is a member of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers, West Side Home Builders Association, Atlanta Home Builders Association, and West-metro Board of Realtors. She is also a member of Carrollton’s Downtown Merchants Association with Carrollton Main Street, and other local organizations. She was also just awarded the Atlanta Business Journal Five Star Professional Award for mortgage in 2020.
The Carrollton office serves five states–Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee–and is currently looking to add two more loan officers to their team. For more information call Cynthia Hall at (678) 525-1443, email [email protected], or visit her website at www.MortgageMadam.com
