About Us
After 20 years in the mortgage industry, Brent Starts founded Unitas Lending with one purpose: Provide the best experience to clients pursuing home ownership.
Brent Starts has been featured on over 20 radio stations reaching millions of people with his message,” acquiring a mortgage does not have to be complicated”. At Unitas Lending, our mission is to educate homeowners on the process and to simplify the steps to homeownership and provide the best mortgages Stuart FL has to offer.
We get right to the first question everyone asks, “What’s your rate?” Brent has always taught, “A loan is like a three-legged stool. Each leg helps support the overall structure of the stool, your loan. Your loan is an investment to another party and this investment must be supported by the 3 legs. They include 1) the asset and the amount of the down payment, also known as the collateral 2) the credit (willingness to repay) and 3) the income (ability to repay). These 3 components are the 3 legs to your stool. The best rate goes to the strongest stool.”
We are different than banks and credit unions originating mortgages. We go beyond the typical steps they take to provide the best mortgages Stuart FL has to offer. We look beyond the existing circumstances and look to what is possible. We never reject a loan, rather we find the pathway to a loan that makes sense to both the borrower and the end investor of the loan. Our loan consultants are trained to breakdown each of the 3 elements of your loan profile and strengthen the file, by taking the time to improve each component. Our loan consultants are trained to seek out the optimum way your income is calculated (who is on the loan and how to show income). The credit report can often be improved by our loan consultants by confirming each creditor’s reporting and by running “What If” scenarios. This is a computer model through which we have the capability to advise the best path to increase your credit score. This runs off the actual algorithm used by the 3 credit bureaus and provides the best path to an improved credit score with a high degree of certainty. Your loan consultant will find every asset you may have to improve the way an underwriter views your scenario. Our loan consultants are trained to maximize the net worth of our borrowers, to improve the results when an automated underwriting service (AUS) is performed. Whether you are looking for the best mortgages Stuart FL has to offer or anywhere else, these underwriting criteria apply.
We utilize the two main AUS systems used in the industry. The guidelines for these two systems are approximately 1,500 pages in length. These guidelines are updated often, so we must stay on top of the changes in these guidelines. Our loan consultants receive ongoing training on these updates through webinars, classes held by regulatory entities, trade associations and conventions. Every month our loan consultants find ways to approve loans that were turned down by other lenders, and often providing the best mortgages Stuart FL has to offer.
How we show income is important. On the first call we determine all sources of income. We ask about potential cosigners, we ask about other sources of income the borrower may have not considered as income. We show the income in the most strategic manner. For instance, a self-employed borrower may add back some of their expenses, increasing their qualifying income while maintaining the tax benefits of an expense. Under some circumstances we can show only 1 year of tax returns as opposed to averaging 2 years. In some cases, we can use a new job as sufficient income, oftentimes right after our client graduates from school. Some of our programs allow bank statements as proof of income. Our consultants have access to the best mortgages Stuart FL has and are trained to determine the best way to show your ability to pay the mortgage payment.
The credit component is a mystery to most of our clients. Credit models such as Credit Karma are getting better at estimating the FICO score. However, these are models and not the actual FICO model used to determine your specific score. We use the actual FICO model. This can only be done by utilizing and paying for the credit file to go through the FICO model. Any other algorithm cannot be utilized for an approval for a mortgage. To provide the best mortgages Stuart FL has, we utilize the mortgage algorithm for the FICO score as opposed to the consumer or auto algorithm. The mortgage algorithm tends to weight higher balance installment loans, which mimic the attributes of a mortgage.
When it comes to the credit component of the loan process, Unitas Lending has the tools to maximize your credit profile like no other company. After completing thousands of loans, Unitas Lending can not only determine what score you have currently, but how to maximize that score in the least amount of time. This often saves our clients 10’s of thousands of dollars. Again, this can be done on the first phone call.
We will determine the assets available for a down payment. You may have assets you do not consider such as 401k retirement, cash value life insurance, collectibles and even personal assets. By documenting these assets, we will increase the number of opportunities available to you. In the event little is available for a down payment, we will show you ways to ensure the ability to acquire a loan with excellent terms using mortgage insurance. This ensures the investor or lender against default. This is a wonderful tool to lower the down payment and still obtain a low interest rate and a manageable payment. As the loan matures and your equity builds, this mortgage insurance can be eliminated.
The reason Unitas Lending takes all these steps, is too accentuate the strong suit of the file and mitigate any weaknesses. If we are given a few weeks to work with the client, we can often improve credit scores and the overall terms of the loan saving 10s of thousands of dollars. We do this to build a loyal following in our business, the best form of advertising. By providing these services at no cost, we know we are providing the best service possible.
Unitas Lending offices are in Stuart, Florida. We can meet at a convenient location, or work through the technology available today. We can have your loan processed almost entirely through paperless means. Oftentimes, we will meet our clients with their Realtor, to explain how we work and make sure all questions are answered up front.
You can begin the process by simply clicking a link your loan consultant will send and complete a simple form. This will begin the process as we tailor the experience to you. You will let us know if you prefer to communicate by phone, text or email. We make it available to pull your own credit, provide access to documentation through your bank on a secure server if you wish. No reason for paper any longer! Our servers are encrypted with the highest security measures in the industry. We do this as a service for our clients preferring this method. “Push button get mortgage” is here to stay!
We can have you pre- approved within 12 hours. We can do this by offering our secure link and having you enter the basic information, whether it be day or night. A live consultant is available between the hours of 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Emails are answered within 2 hours, and you will have a point of contact cell phone number in the event of an urgent request. We are available on weekends from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturdays and Sunday by appointment, as we understand many open houses are available and questions arise during this time. You also have access to a dedicated loan processor. We find this eliminates any confusion regarding requests while simplifying the process. As stated above, our vision is to “provide the best experience to clients pursuing home ownership”.