Today we’ll take a hard look at San Diego, CA-based mortgage broker “Grander Home Loans,” which has some of the best customer reviews I’ve come across.
On all the major ratings websites, they have perfect 5-star reviews, which is a huge testament to their goal of putting the customer first.
At the same time, they say they offer the best combination of mortgage rate, monthly payment, and overall savings.
So it appears you can get the best of both worlds, responsiveness and a competitively-priced mortgage, without sacrificing a thing.
What’s more, they can shop your home loan on your behalf with their many wholesale lender partners so you don’t have to. Read on to learn more.
Grander Home Loans Fast Facts
- Mortgage broker that offers home purchase loans and refinances
- Founded in 2014, headquartered in San Diego, CA
- Currently licensed in nine states nationwide
- One of only seven LendingTree Certified Lenders nationwide
Grander Home Loans, Inc. is a mortgage brokerage that offers home purchase loans and mortgage refinances.
This means they connect home buyers and existing homeowners with their wholesale lender partners.
The company has been around since 2014 and is headquartered in San Diego, California in the Mission Valley area.
Their claim to fame, other than having perfect customer reviews, is the fact that they’re one of just seven LendingTree Certified Lenders.
Such lenders have proven that they consistently provide customer satisfaction that is absolutely top notch.
At the moment, they’re licensed in nine states, including Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
It’s unclear if they plan to expand, or simply focus on the states they already do business in.
Aside from their San Diego headquarters, they have an office in Lanai City, Hawaii, which is located on the island of Lanai.
How to Apply with Grander Home Loans
Because they’re a mortgage broker, the loan application process may vary depending on which wholesale partner you wind up with.
But they’ll likely start by providing you with a mortgage rate quote and ask you to electronically complete a loan application and eSign disclosures.
They have a secure upload form on their website that allows you to submit supporting documentation, such as tax returns, bank statements, and so on.
Once submitted, you’ll be able to use this same portal to satisfy any prior-to-doc conditions that are required to close your loan.
They say they provide “regular loan updates and progress reports” throughout the loan process to keep you informed and in the know.
And because customer satisfaction is their number one goal, you should be partnered with a very responsive lending team.
To that end, Grander says it promptly responds to emails and returns phone calls, a common gripe in the mortgage space.
This is especially useful for first-time home buyers and those who have never refinanced, where a little hand-holding goes a long way.
Available Loan Programs at Grander Home Loans
- Home purchase loans
- Refinance loans: rate and term, cash out, streamline
- Conforming loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
- High balance loans (those that exceed conforming limit)
- Jumbo home loans up to $5 million loan amounts
- FHA loans
- VA loans
- Fixed-rate mortgages: loan terms between 8 and 30 years
- Adjustable-rate mortgages: 5/1, 7/1, and 10/1 ARM
When it comes to product choice, Grander Home Loans has lots of loan programs to choose from, including the ability to choose a loan term from 8 to 30 years.
This could allow you to avoid resetting the clock when refinancing, a great way to stay on track if paying your mortgage in full is a priority.
They also offer core first-time home buyer programs, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s 97% LTV offerings, along with the FHA’s 3.5% down product.
Those with not-so-great credit can take advantage of an FHA loan with credit score minimums of just 550.
If you’re active duty or a veteran, you can take advantage of a VA loan that requires no money down.
Those purchasing a home or refinancing a mortgage in a more expensive region of the country shouldn’t have any issues thanks to their high balance and jumbo loans, with loan amounts as high as $5 million.
For those sitting on a ton of home equity, they allow cash out up to $1 million.
They lend on all common property types, including single-family homes, vacation homes, condos/townhomes, and 2-4 unit investment properties.
The only major loan program they seem to be missing is USDA loans, which are reserved for home buyers and homeowners in rural areas.
Grander Home Loans Rates
The only area where I wish I knew more is their pricing and fees. They say right on their homepage that they “offer the best combination of rate, payment, term, and overall savings.”
But they don’t post daily mortgage rates on their website, or a list of lender fees that must be paid.
Despite this, my assumption is that they are very competitively priced because mortgage brokers often are, and they have stellar customer reviews.
I doubt they’d have incredible reviews if their pricing was high, or even just so-so.
They also have the advantage of shopping your loan with multiple wholesale lenders at once, instead of simply looking within.
Still, take the time to haggle and negotiate with them and gather mortgage rate quotes from other banks, lenders, and brokers.
Remember, you should compare mortgage brokers too, even if they can shop for you with their partners.
Also be sure to take into account any lender fees, such as a loan origination fee, or required mortgage points for a given rate.
The mortgage APR should give you the complete picture, which you can then compare with other companies during your home loan search.
Grander Home Loans Reviews
Over at LendingTree, where they are just one of seven Certified Lenders, they have a perfect 5-star rating out of a possible 5 from about 300 customer reviews.
Additionally, 100% of former customers recommend them to others, which is a great sign if you want a solid mortgage experience.
With regard to the Certified Lender status, one of the requisites is “providing exemplary service to LendingTree consumers,” while having at least half their staff certified with the company.
Grander Home Loans also achieved “President’s Club” status back in 2020, which is “presented to an elite group of loan officers” based on a commitment to customer excellence and LendingTree best practices.
They’ve also got a perfect 5.0-rating from about 250 Google reviews, which is quite impressive given the volume.
Beyond that, they also have a perfect 5-star ratings on Customer Lobby, Yelp, and Zillow.
On aggregate, they seem to have achieved perfection from a customer satisfaction standpoint.
To sum things up, Grander Home Loans is one of the highest-rated mortgage companies I’ve come across, so if you value customer service, they could be a great choice.
They also operate as a mortgage broker, which means they should offer a hands-on approach and a wide array of loan programs and mortgage rates to choose from.
This could serve both existing homeowners looking to refinance and prospective home buyers, the latter of which may need more guidance than a big bank can offer.
Grander Home Loans Pros and Cons
The Good Stuff
- Say they offer competitive pricing
- Can shop your loan with multiple lenders because they’re a broker
- Lots of loan programs to choose from
- Perfect 5-star customer reviews across all ratings websites
- BBB accredited business since 2015
- LendingTree certified lender (one of just nine nationwide)
- Licensed to do business in the state of Hawaii
The Maybe Not
- Only licensed in nine states at the moment
- Do not offer USDA loans