10/25/2016
Guild Mortgage Moves Seattle Branch to Accommodate Growth, Meet Increasing Demand
Independent mortgage lender will operate from larger space in South Lake Union District
SEATTLE – Guild Mortgage Company, one of the largest independent mortgage lenders in the U.S., has relocated its local offices to the South Lake Union District to accommodate recent growth and better serve homebuyers in the increasingly competitive Seattle real estate market.
Led by branch manager Julie Lyon Johnson (NMLS ID 302214), the branch now operates from a 5,000 square-foot office at 1000 Dexter Ave. North, Suite 310, in Seattle, within view of the world famous Space Needle. The location is in the heart of a growing technology center, near offices for Amazon, Google and Facebook. The branch has grown from 15 to 22 employees in the past year and needed the new space, which is double its previous location.
“The Seattle housing market has grown rapidly over the past few years and the Guild Mortgage branch in the area has grown accordingly to meet that demand,” said Charles Nay, Guild’s Northwest regional manager. “Julie has developed a fantastic team that currently ranks in the top one percent of lenders nationwide and in the top tier for client service for Guild nationwide. We are incredibly proud of the Seattle team and this move is the next step in support of its continued growth.”
In addition to Johnson, the office is led by loan officers Ryan Bundy (NMLS ID 269937), Paul Johnson (NMLS ID 1012068), Stephanie Maulding (NMLS ID 183546) and Karen Salazar (NMLS ID 1368606). The branch had $110 million in loan volume in 2015, ranking fourth in the Seattle-Tacoma market for home purchasing loans. During the first half of 2016, the Seattle area (King County) is up 25 percent for all Guild offices.
The Western Washington housing market saw year-over-year gains in the volumes of new listings (up 14.5 percent), pending sales (up 9.3 percent), closed sales (up 9.5 percent), and prices (up nearly 9 percent) during the month of September, according to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
Guild offers a wide range of residential mortgage products, with in-house underwriting and funding, which provide consistency and speed throughout the loan process. Its loan professionals can serve the needs of any homebuyer, from helping first-time homebuyers achieve their dream of homeownership, often through government loan programs, to providing jumbo home loans. Guild also specializes in helping active duty and retired military personnel to secure VA loans, which provide 100 percent financing and flexible qualifying standards.