Green House Mortgage Will Help You Find The Right Loan For Your Home

By Matt Wiley

Since 2009, the word mortgage has carried with it an almost negative connotation, especially considering the fact that defaults on home loans were among the leading causes of the recent recession — from which the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area, as well as the rest of the country, continues to try to bounce back.

However, with local companies such as Green House Mortgage, getting a home loan doesn’t have to be a long, tortuous process.

New Tampa resident Scott Tellinghuisen, 38, says he started Green House in 2005, following his departure from another mortgage company in Clearwater that ended up closing in 2008. Tellinghuisen left to begin his own streamlined mortgage company, which he named Green House Mortgage.

“I used to joke around and tell people (that Green House’s mission was) to help them realize their dreams, and then say, ‘Just kidding, we help people with mortgages,’” Tellinghuisen explains. “We try to help people get into a new home, whether it’s their dream home, or just their next step in life. It’s a big purchase and we understand that.”

Tellinghuisen explains that he wanted to create a mortgage company not just to make a living, but also to provide a top-notch service to the local community.

“You can get a mortgage pretty much anywhere,” he says. “In this industry, (mortgage brokers) really are a dime-a-dozen. But, we’re a local company. We’re not a call center located ‘somewhere.’ Everything is processed here. Plus, we’re almost always available, even on weekends.”

So, whether you’re looking for a conventional home loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, a government loan (e.g., FHA, or Federal Housing Administration loan; a VA, or Veterans Administration loan; or a USDA, or U.S. Department of Agriculture loan) or a reverse mortgage (for seniors aged 62 and older to be able to access the equity in their homes), Green House can help you find a loan that will work best for you and your family. In addition, Green House also provides both adjustable-rate and fixed-rate mortgages.

Green House also provides services for refinancing your home with the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) 2.0, which allows homeowners with private mortgage insurance to seek out private lenders, other than those their bank can provide. However, Tellinghuisen says that refinancing rates have begun to trickle back up from their low rate in 2012, which made refinancing a popular idea.

“Anything that has to do with residential finance, we do,” Tellinghuisen says.

“Getting a mortgage is a hectic process,” Tellinghuisen explains. “Most people work all day and come home to their families at night. We know that you don’t want to deal with the mortgage process after work. We try to approach customers with the understanding of how busy life is. We want people to know that it doesn’t have to be such a painful process.”

What can often make the mortgage process more painful, Tellinghuisen says, are what he calls the “mortgage monkeys,” which are the miscommunication issues that sometimes accompany getting a mortgage. “(Getting a mortgage) is a stressful process,” Tellinghuisen says. “Especially when a customer has to resubmit pay stubs eight different times because a company can’t keep his or her file organized. Sometimes, it’s like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. Don’t let the ‘mortgage monkeys’ wreak havoc on your loan.”

Keeping customers updated on the progress of their loan is a key factor to making the process smoother, he says.

“(Getting the right mortgage) can be a very simple 1-2-3 process, although usually it’s not. But, the reasons are often very fixable,” Tellinghuisen says.

One of the most important reasons to consider Green House is that even if a deal can’t be reached right away, customers are not cast away.

“Loans are like snowflakes,” he says. “No one’s situation is exactly alike. However, even if we aren’t going to be able to work out a loan right away, we try to counsel customers about what they can do to be able to purchase a home. We still want them to feel like they have a plan of attack, and that’s what really sets us apart.”

Tellinghuisen says that interest rates on home loans are still very good.

“It is still a good time to buy,” he explains. “Refinancing depends greatly on what each scenario provides. From one person to the next, they may need or have different financial goals for refinancing a home that they already own.”

Tellinghuisen says that if by looking at a customer’s financial information it’s determined that now isn’t the best time to purchase a home, he will provide tips on how to strengthen that customer’s financial situation.

“At Green House, we will not put you in a loan, because we need a paycheck,” he explains. “We want to find you the right loan.”

Still on the fence about considering Green House for your next home loan or refinance? Don’t just take Tellinghuisen’s word for how good Green House Mortgage for its customers.

“Scott Tellinghuisen with Green House Mortgage made the process of refinancing my home effortless,” says Natalia M. from Oldsmar. “Scott got me an awesome rate, answered all of my questions and kept me in the loop the entire time. I couldn’t have asked for a better loan consultant!”

David A., of Tampa, sings similar praises. “Thank you so much for helping us with the refinance of our home. It was a very painless process compared to some of the stories I have heard about refinancing an ‘underwater’ home with HARP.”

Bill H. from Lakeland also had a good experience with refinancing.

“I am happy to say that Green House Mortgage was able to assist me with my HARP refinance,” Bill explains. “I had some pretty unique terms that my previous bank could not help me with. I was in need of a lower rate and different terms, based on my scenario. Now that I have what I need in a solid mortgage, I can concentrate with confidence on other areas of my day-to-day routine.”

Tellinghuisen says that he plans to begin giving seminars in the New Tampa area during 2014 to help educate people about homes. Stay tuned to the Green House website (see below) for details as they become available.

Considering a new home and/or looking to refinance your existing home and need a loan? Give Scott Tellinghuisen a call at 732-3155 or visit GreenHouseMortgage.com.