{"id":4391,"date":"2024-11-27T19:44:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-28T00:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/?p=4391"},"modified":"2025-02-10T11:36:59","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T16:36:59","slug":"what-is-the-best-place-to-get-a-home-loan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/what-is-the-best-place-to-get-a-home-loan\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the best place to get a home loan?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Choosing the right lender can make all the difference in your home-buying experience. With numerous options available, understanding what each lender offers is crucial. Here, we\u2019ll break down the pros and cons of some leading lenders: <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/loandepot-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"LoanDepot\">LoanDepot<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/guaranteed-rate-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"Rate\">Rate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/new-american-funding-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"New American Funding\">New American Funding<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/veterans-united-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"Rocket Mortgage\">Rocket Mortgage<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/bank-of-america-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"Bank of America\">Bank of America<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/chase-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"Chase\">Chase<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wells-fargo-vs-rocket-mortgage\/\" title=\"Wells Fargo,\">Wells Fargo,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/mortgage?utm_source=tomo_blog\" title=\"Tomo Mortgage\">Tomo Mortgage<\/a>, and others to help you make an informed decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which lender is the best?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Choosing the right lender depends on your individual needs. If you&#8217;re looking for a hassle-free process with no <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/what-is-a-origination-fee\/\" title=\"lender fees\">lender fees<\/a>, checking us out at Tomo Mortgage might be a compelling choice. For those who want to explore multiple options, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/?trk=nw_gn_6.0\" title=\"Nerdwallet can\">Nerdwallet<\/a><strong> <\/strong>can be a solid option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/mortgage\/rates?utm_source=tomo_blog\">See today&#8217;s interest rates<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Comparative Breakdown<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Lender<\/td><td>Founded<\/td><td>Avg. Loan Size<\/td><td>Lender Fees<\/td><td>Customer Reviews<\/td><td>Employee Reviews<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bank of America<\/td><td>1955<\/td><td>$310,000<\/td><td>$2,494<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/ba.htm\" title=\"1.4 stars on Consumer Affairs\">1.4 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/Bank-of-America-Mortgage-Reviews-EI_IE8874.0,15_KO16,24.htm\" title=\"3.3 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.3 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Chase<\/td><td>1955<\/td><td>$599,000<\/td><td>$2,867<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/chase_mortgage.html\" title=\"1.2 stars on Consumer Affairs\">1.2 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/Chase-Mortgage-Reviews-EI_IE690765.0,5_KO6,14.htm\" title=\"3.6 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.6 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a> <\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Wells Fargo<\/td><td>1929<\/td><td>$626,000<\/td><td>$2,376<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/wells_fargo_mortgage.html\" title=\"1.3 stars on Consumer Affairs\">1.3 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/Wells-Fargo-Mortgage-Reviews-EI_IE8876.0,11_KO12,20.htm\" title=\"3.5 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.5 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rate<\/td><td>2000<\/td><td>$363,000<\/td><td>$2,969<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/guaranteed_rate_mortgage.html\" title=\"3.9 stars on Consumer Affairs\">3.9 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Overview\/Working-at-Guaranteed-Rate-EI_IE318640.11,26.htm\" title=\"3.1 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.1 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>New American Funding<\/td><td>2003<\/td><td>$493,000<\/td><td>$4,400<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/new-american-funding.html\" title=\"3.7 stars on Consumer Affairs\">3.7 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/New-American-Funding-Reviews-E402609.htm\" title=\"3.5 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.5 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>LoanDepot<\/td><td>2010<\/td><td>$328,000<\/td><td>$4,200<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/loandepot.html\" title=\"3.1 stars on Consumer Affairs \">3.1 stars on Consumer Affairs <\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Overview\/Working-at-loanDepot-EI_IE375743.11,20.htm\" title=\"3.2 Stars on Glassdoor\">3.2 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Tomo Mortgage<\/td><td>2020<\/td><td>$376,000<\/td><td>$0<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/tomo.html?#scroll_to_reviews=true\" title=\"5 stars on Consumer Affairs \">5 stars on Consumer Affairs <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=tomo+mortgage\" title=\"4.5 stars on Google\">4.5 stars on Google<\/a> (we want to give you the full picture as we&#8217;re still growing our reviews on both platforms).<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/Tomo-Reviews-E5526789.htm\" title=\"4.1 Stars on Glassdoor\">4.1 Stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Rocket Mortgage<\/td><td>1985<\/td><td>$264,000<\/td><td>$4,700<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumeraffairs.com\/finance\/rocket-mortgage.html\" title=\"4.1 stars on Consumer Affairs\">4.1 stars on Consumer Affairs<\/a><\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/www.glassdoor.com\/Reviews\/Rocket-Companies-Reviews-E7856.htm\" title=\"3.5 stars on Glassdoor\">3.5 stars on Glassdoor<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to judge mortgage lenders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Interest rates:<\/strong> Don\u2019t get fooled by flashy numbers. Always check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/what-are-apr-and-interest-rates-which-is-more-important\/\">APR (Annual Percentage Rate)<\/a> and factor whether there\u2019s any \u201cpoints\u201d associated with the advertised rates (often, lenders won\u2019t make this easy to find). This is your real cost of borrowing, so get the full picture before signing up.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lender fees:<\/strong> Also called \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/what-is-a-origination-fee\/\">origination fees<\/a>\u201d or \u201capplication and processing fees, which most lenders charge aka \u201cwe\u2019re charging you extra for doing our job fee\u201d. At Tomo Mortgage, we\u2019re lender fee-free, saving you thousands of dollars at closing.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>On-time close rate:<\/strong> This is how often lenders actually close on the promised date. Industry standard? About 40%. But Tomo Mortgage \u2013flexing a 98% on-time close rate, and we\u2019re proud of it. Other lenders don\u2019t even bother to share this info, but it\u2019s a huge deal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pre approvals:<\/strong> While some lenders don\u2019t take the time necessary to prepare a strong pre approval and offer letter, this is critical to making a successful offer on a new home. Tomo Mortgage\u2019s online <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/how-to-get-pre-approved-for-a-mortgage\/\">pre approval<\/a> only takes 15 minutes, and it includes a soft credit check.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Customer satisfaction:<\/strong> If you\u2019re finding it tough to trust what lenders are telling you, one of the best ways to gauge their reliability is by looking at reviews from people who were once in your shoes. Did those customers have a smooth experience with the lender? What went right\u2014or wrong?&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Employee reviews: <\/strong>Insights into employee satisfaction can reveal a company\u2019s values and transparency. Unhappy employees often lead to bad overall experiences. (See what their engineers have to say, for example.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do most people decide on a lender?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For most people the most important factor is the rate. We were curious to see how Tomo Mortgage\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/what-are-apr-and-interest-rates-which-is-more-important\/\">APR<\/a> (annual percentage rate) stacked up against Rocket Mortgage, so we looked at three Zip codes for two weeks on<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/m\/mortgages\/compare-top-mortgage-lenders-3?bucket_id=Best+Money+3&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw8MG1BhCoARIsAHxSiQmyTFx_KrcntnblXiG1k96sYJV4xeMNCa5yaWfQiC6uP1epo6WxPx8aAsF8EALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;mktg_body=656717844847&amp;mktg_hline=148151861963&amp;mktg_link=&amp;mktg_place=kwd-313067967099&amp;model_execution_id=9A3BAE6C-54E7-42DA-AEDC-93F64782D4E0&amp;nw_campaign_id=1190295&amp;utm_campaign=mr_mktg_paid_032823_brand%3Ae%3Ahi&amp;utm_content=c&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_source=goog&amp;utm_term=nerdwallet+mortgage+rates\"> Nerdwallet <\/a>(where we could compare apples-to-apples on loan scenarios). Using the median home sale price for each location, a credit score range of fair at 680, and with putting 5% down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this scenario, from August 7 to August 20, 2024, Rocket\u2019s average APR was 7.64%, while Tomo Mortgage\u2019s average APR was 6.26%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, we\u2019re obviously biased, but we\u2019d say don\u2019t choose either. Tomo Mortgage has <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/mortgage\/rates?utm_source=tomo_blog\" title=\"\">lower rates<\/a>, lower fees, and better reviews. It\u2019s a pretty obvious choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/mortgage\/affordability?utm_source=tomo_blog\">Calculate my estimated monthly payment <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-left:0;margin-right:0;\" class=\"has-link-color wp-elements-c54b177fd5d2f341f8967a20726f2ac0 wp-block-post-author has-text-color has-contrast-color has-background has-tertiary-background-color has-large-font-size\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\"><a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/author\/clairegtomonetworks-com\/\" target=\"_self\">Claire Gallaudet<\/a><\/p><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__bio\">Claire is a Mortgage Analyst at Tomo, where she explores the data and trends shaping the housing market. She is especially interested in how economic forces impact homebuyers. A Seattle native, she now lives in Austin, where she balances analysis and communications with teaching yoga and walks around the lake with her dog.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re ready to start your journey to homeownership, <a href=\"https:\/\/tomo.com\/mortgage\/app\/preapproval?utm_source=tomo_blog\" title=\"\">get pre approved with Tomo Mortgage today.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choosing the right lender can make all the difference in your home-buying experience. With numerous options available, understanding what each lender offers is crucial. Here, we\u2019ll break down the pros and cons of some leading lenders: LoanDepot, Rate, New American Funding, Rocket Mortgage, Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Tomo Mortgage, and others to help [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":3769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,285,286],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-buying-guide","category-home-buying-tips","category-lender-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/is-it-better-to-rent-or-buy-a-home-tomo-jpg.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4391"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4393,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4391\/revisions\/4393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tomo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}