Today we’ll review “Direct Home Lending,” a company that says it specializes in FHA and VA loan lending, along with home purchase loans.
They also happen to offer mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, along with refinances, and appear to advertise some pretty competitive interest rates.
Like other online mortgage lenders, they aim to cut costs through technology and pass on the savings to their customers via reduced rates and lower fees.
Let’s take a closer look at this Southern California-based lender to determine if they could be a good home for your loan.
Direct Home Lending Fast Facts
- Full service mortgage company that offers home purchase and refinance loans
- Founded in 2006, headquartered in Corona, California
- A dba of parent company PIC Capital, Inc.
- Currently licensed to do business in four states
- Run by a staff of about a dozen loan originators and processing staff
- Say they specialize in FHA and VA loan lending
Direct Home Lending is a full-service mortgage lender that offers both home purchase financing and mortgage refinances to existing homeowners.
Their specialty appears to be government lending, though they offer the full menu of lending options, including conventional and jumbo loans.
The company is located in Corona, California and has been around for about 20 years. Ironically, they got their start right around when the housing bubble burst more than a decade ago.
Despite that, they’re soldiered on and continue to dole out home loans to borrowers in multiple states, expanding from just four states in the early 2020s to 10 today.
They are currently licensed to do business in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington. So they appear focused solely on the West Coast.
How to Apply with Direct Home Lending
- You can call them directly or get started on your own from their website in minutes
- Either fill out a short lead form or click “Apply Online” to begin the application
- They offer a digital mortgage experience powered by BeSmartee
- Allows you to import bank statements, eSign disclosures, and track your loan 24/7
To get started, you can either call them or visit their website. If you opt for the online route, you can fill out a short lead form and wait for someone to call you back.
Or you can simply dive into the digital loan application by clicking “Apply Now,” which they say only takes about 15 minutes to complete.
Direct Home Lending says it offers a hassle-free digital mortgage, which is powered by fintech company BeSmartee.
They also claim to offer 24-hour loan approvals, so you should be able to get a quick turnaround time on your loan submission as well.
The BeSmartee platform allows you to complete most tasks electronically, whether it’s filling out the application, eSigning disclosures, linking your bank account(s), or ordering the home appraisal.
All in all, they appear to make things easy and aim to close loans in 30 days or less.
The company also mentions the possibility of 14-day purchase closings, which is super-fast if on a tight deadline, especially in a competitive housing market.
Loans Programs Offered by Direct Home Lending
- Home purchase loans
- Refinance loans: rate and term, cash out, and streamline
- FHA loans
- VA loans
- USDA loans
- Conforming loans
- Jumbo loans
- Rehab loans
- Fixed-rate and adjustable-rate options available
Direct Home Lending offers both home purchase loans and refinance loans, including rate and term, cash out, and streamline options.
It’s unclear if they offer home renovation financing, including FHA 203k loans and Fannie Mae HomeStyle, but there’s a good chance they do.
They lend on all property types, such as condos/townhomes, vacation homes, and multi-unit investment properties.
You can get a conforming loan backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, or a jumbo home loan that exceeds the conforming limit.
In fact, say they offer super jumbo loans as high as $10 million, so you shouldn’t be limited in terms of how much you need to borrow.
They also offer government-backed home loans, including FHA loans and VA loans.
And recently began offering USDA loans, which are geared toward homeowners in rural areas.
Those in need of home renovations can take advantage of an FHA 203k loan or similar option via the VA if you’re active duty or a veteran.
In terms of loan type, you can get both fixed-rate and adjustable-rate mortgages in a variety of common loan terms.
Ultimately, you shouldn’t be limited when it comes to loan choice as long your particular scenario is fairly straightforward.
Direct Home Lending Mortgage Rates
Another plus to Direct Home Lending is that they display their mortgage rates right on their own website.
You can see today’s rates for a variety of loan programs, including a 30-year fixed, 20-year fixed, 15-year fixed, 10/6 ARM, 7/6 ARM, and 5/6 ARM.
You might have also come across them if actively shopping your home loan. They often pop up in mortgage rate comparison tables, and I’ve personally seen them beat out all the other lenders listed.
Of course, rates can vary from day to day, and by your specific loan scenario, but they do appear to offer low mortgage rates (or at least advertise them).
In terms of lender fees, they charge a $1,195 underwriting fee and a $119 loan processing fee, per the details on their website.
Your desired rate may also require mortgage discount points depending on what you choose.
But they do seem to offer no cost loan options as well, meaning you won’t necessarily have to pay lender fees out of your own pocket.
I don’t believe they charge a loan origination fee, which is good news, but always check the Loan Estimate (LE) to be sure as it could vary by loan.
As always, take the time to grab a quote from a few other lenders (and take note of the fees), then compare the mortgage APR among them if you’re looking for the cheapest mortgage.
Direct Home Lending Reviews
On Google, Direct Home Lending has a solid 4.7-star rating out of 5 from about 200 customer reviews.
And on Yelp, a 4.5-star rating from 60 reviews, a 4.89-star rating on Zillow from about 20 reviews, and a 5 out of 5 on Facebook from another dozen.
While not a ton of customer reviews, they’re at least consistent and positive across all the different ratings sites.
Personally, I’d like to see more customer reviews, but at least what they’ve got so far shows they’re a very well-liked mortgage lender.
Lastly, they currently hold an ‘A+’ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), but are not an accredited business.
In summary, Direct Home Lending might be a good option if you’re looking to lower your existing rate via a refinance as they seem to offer low-cost mortgages.
They could also work for a home purchase, especially if they can really close in 14 days, though if you prefer face-to-face interaction and additional guidance, a brick-and-mortar lender might better suit you.
Direct Home Lending Pros and Cons
The Pros
- Offer a digital mortgage experience powered by BeSmartee
- Can apply for a home loan from any device in minutes
- Say they can issue 24-hour approvals and 14-day purchase closings
- Appear to offer low mortgage rates with limited fees
- Lots of loan programs to choose from including jumbo loans
- Excellent customer reviews from past customers
- A+ BBB rating
- Free mortgage calculator on their website
The Cons
- Only licensed in 10 states
- Not a ton of customer reviews to judge them on
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Now operating in CA, WA, OR, CO, FL, AZ, SC, PA, TX, GA, and CT.