Chandley King

Curb appeal: We all love to see it; not all of us know how to do it. But we all can do it, with a little help from our old friends, plants. If you’re looking to sell your house — be it now or years from now — or if you just want people to pass your property and say, “Hey, cool, that person’s really got it all figured out, plant-wise,” then curb appeal is worth paying attention to.   A visitor’s (read: prospective buyer’s) first impression of your house is from the curb. This means curb appeal is your property’s first impression — it’s handshake, if you will. So whether you’re a novice looking to firm up that grip, or a seasoned vet checking in on the best handshake-enhancing wristwatches, here are some tips to give your property more curb appeal, through the magic of greenery.   Tip 1: Hide the ugly stuff.   Hiding things like trash bins, HVAC units, and storage lets a buyer imagine living in the house, not all the projects they’ll have to do. I know you’re proud of your fancy new central heating system; that doesn’t mean everyone should see it as soon […]

Meet the newest members of our GoPrime team!

We’re so excited to announce our newest team members!

Welcome to GoPrime!

Welcome to another Loan Officer Spotlight! This week, we are thrilled to introduce you to the one and only Jamie Rainey.

Welcome to yet another Loan Officer Spotlight! This time around we are so excited to be introducing Traci Dellinger!

Hello and welcome back to another Loan Officer Spotlight! It has been a couple of weeks since our last spotlight, so we are thrilled to finally be introducing to Brian McFarlane. While Brian is Branch Manager of our Virginia Beach branch! He has been with us since October of 2016! While he has been with GoPrime for 5 years, he is no stranger to the mortgage industry. Brian has actually been working in the business for the past 19 years. He came to join our team when he was referred by one of our existing branches. Before making his entrance into the mortgage industry, Brian served in the United States Marine Corps from 1995 to 2002. In 2002, he was discharged as a Sergeant. Upon his discharge, the state of the economy was not great. His brother-in-law happened to own a mortgage company, so he showed him the ropes of the industry. He began his career in Orange County, California. He then relocated to Virginia in 2005. When it comes to his job as a loan officer, Brian believes his greatest strengths to be “presenting and reviewing all of a customer’s options and strategizing. His favorite part about what he […]

Welcome back to yet another Loan Officer Spotlight! This week, we are so excited to introduce you to Brent Mullins of our Sanford, NC office! Brent has been with us at GoPrime for quite some time now. He started back in September of 2013, which means that this coming September will mark 8 years with the company for Brent. Not only is 8 years how long Brent has been with GoPrime, but it is also how long he has been working in the mortgage industry all together. Brent was offered an opportunity to be a Loan Officer in the Sanford office along with Jim Bussey. Upon acceptance of this opportunity, the two started on the same day as a team and still work together in that same office today.  While in college as well as some time after graduation, Brent worked in commercial sales in the Automotive industry. It was there that he was able to hone a lot of his interpersonal and sales skills. He wanted to find a career path where he could use those skills and really take his career to the next level. He began seeking out his next challenge and passion, and then he found […]

We are going through some exciting changes. Effective June 1, 2019, we officially became GoPrime Mortgage, Inc. This name change allows for our company to be one united front under one name. In this change, we are actively making improvements to ensure we continue to make our customers’ dreams of home-ownership a reality and serve our community. What’s Changing In addition to our name change, we are updating several aspects of our client-facing systems, including: Logo: though our iconic “P” remains, our new logo reflects our fresh look and a new name. Website: a fresh new look is great, but beyond that our site is more user-friendly, with great information you need to make informed decisions. We clearly explain different loan types, and you can quickly locate one of our highly qualified brokers in any of the 30 states we proudly serve. Social Media: another key part of our strategy to ensure greater communication to the public about how we are impacting our community and to encourage interaction between our team and our clients. Our rebranding efforts are all part of our goal of providing best-in-class service. We have grown quite a bit over several years, and we expect to […]

We wanted to take the opportunity to welcome you to our brand new WordPress website, created by the award-winning website design and digital marketing agency, TheeDigital. Our goal was to provide our website visitors and clients with an aesthetic and modern website that more accurately represents our company. Just as important, we wanted to make sure it was easy to navigate and use no matter what device you’re on, so you could have the best possible experience while you’re here. We are thrilled with the result and hope you are too! Our new website is built on WordPress utilizing the latest web design trends. Our new web content management system lets us be more proactive in updating and maintaining our website content as it’s so easy to use. Now, we will easily be able to post new photos, videos, and information to keep you up to date on the latest news as well what’s going on with us. An Enjoyable Customer Experience Our main goal for our new site is to provide you with an enjoyable experience on our website. We envisioned a clean, modern web design that makes it easy for you to find what you’re looking for, from company news to contact […]

Many people realize some of the perks of owning their own home. Putting money toward a mortgage instead of paying rent that goes in someone else’s pocket is one of the big ones. Smaller perks, like being able to customize your space, putting down roots in your community, and not having to get permission to remodel are other great benefits to owning your home. But something that may get overlooked is the tax benefits that come with home ownership. Deduction Benefits Tax benefits come in two forms: deductions and credits. When it comes to tax deductions, the most prominent benefit is in your ability to deduct the interest you are paying on your mortgage. Though changes to the tax code for 2018 tax returns have decreased the amount of interest that is tax deductible, this benefit is still a big one. Homeowners can still deduct interest on a total principal of up to $750,000 (down from $1,000,000), though on primary and secondary residences only. The credit is no longer available on investment properties. These changes only apply to mortgages originated after 2017, so if you have owned your home longer than that, the old rules still apply. Another key deduction […]

In a previous post, we talked about Millennials in the home-buying process, and how to best position yourself for success in today’s market. So now that you’re ready to dive in, what does today’s house-buying process look like? How is it changing? What’s the story on these new options to buy and sell directly from companies like Redfin and Opendoor? The Roots of Today’s Housing Market An interesting article on Curbed.com outlines the history of the US housing markets following World War II and details how much more expensive it is for the typical homeowner to buy a house today. While many Millennials express a desire to own a home, it is clearly not the same landscape their parents and grandparents faced when they were first entering the housing market. This creates challenges for today’s buyers. Nevertheless, for Millennials who are on the precipice of home ownership in 2019, the general consensus seems to be that there’s no time like the present. Why? Because interest rates are expected to climb this year, which means that nothing will be as affordable as it is at the moment. Prices have dipped some since the beginning of 2018, too. Individual markets vary of […]

The Baby Boomer generation—those born between 1946 and 1964—has always garnered a lot of attention in terms of its impact on American society, and for good reason. As the largest single generation in history, what the Boomers have done as a collective has had a significant impact on the rest of the nation. In a way, we can even thank this generation for planned communities and the rise of the suburbs as Boomers’ parents sought out new housing options for their growing families after World War II. This also meant more schools, shopping centers, and grocery stores—the earliest strip malls. As we fast forward to today, we see the country’s largest generation of all-time reaching retirement age. The oldest members of this generation turned 65 in 2011. By 2029, the youngest of this group will be 65, and the oldest will be approaching 90. This has housing industry experts worried. Scary Statistics Often, the American Dream of home ownership ends with the owners selling the home in which they raised their children, buying something smaller and less expensive, and putting the difference toward their retirement savings. Recently, a few problems, such as higher mortgage debt and lower retirement savings, have […]

Few things define true “adulthood” as clearly as buying your first house. While many industry experts have painted millennials as the next generation of long-term renters, recent numbers tell a different story. In fact, in 2017, the number of households headed by someone younger than 35 increased more than any other age group. That’s not to say the path to home ownership is always a smooth one, though. From problems at closing to unexpected expenses, there are several potential pitfalls new homeowners must overcome. If you are considering buying your first house, here are some tips to navigating uncharted waters more smoothly. Everything in Due Time Millennials are known for doing their homework before making major purchases. So it’s no surprise to find that most spend a lot of time looking at their options—from location, to price point, to financing. But the first tip is to not get too far ahead of yourself. The best thing any home buyer can do is to make sure everything looks good on paper. This means clearing up any credit card debt and preparing your finances so you can prove you have the necessary down payment funds in reserve. You can expect to need […]

Interest rates are going up. The Federal Reserve just hiked rates for the second time in 2018. And there could be two more rate hikes before the end of the year. What does this all mean for potential home buyers? Let’s start by understanding the Federal Funds rate The Federal Reserve controls the Federal Funds rate, the interest rate everybody is referring to when discussing rising rates. The Federal Funds rate is the interest rate in which banks lend to each other, not to you or me. There’s generally a minimum reserve requirement ratio a bank must keep with the Federal Reserve or in the vaults of their bank, e.g. 10% of all deposits must be held in reserves. Banks need a minimum amount in reserves to operate, much like how we need a minimum amount in our checking accounts to pay our bills. At the same time, banks are looking to profit by lending out as much money as possible at a spread. What does all this mean for homebuyers? There’s good news in that rates are still at historically low levels. Increases mean it will cost more to borrow, but higher mortgages could push buyers to go ahead […]