Hello, here is the first blog from another new member of Active Rain!

I have been in the mortgage industry since 2003 and I am a Loan Coordinator for our construction loan division at Community First Financial.  Whenever the opportunity arises, I like to originate my own loans as well.

So I thought that I would write my first blog about something I have been wrestling with in my mind quite a bit lately:

Is it worth it to handle your friends and family's loans?

On the one hand, I love being able to help my friends and family.  I know that they will be getting the best program/rate that I can possibly get them.  They will have excellent customer service (of course!), and they will never be taken advantage of.

But then there's the other side of it... and you've all been there:  A friend of a friend was quoted a much lower rate elsewhere, or "I saw a commercial on TV that advertised 1.5% interest rate with no closing costs".  Most recently was the friend who conveniently didn't remember that the loan he got when he bought his house with $0 down was a 3 year ARM...  Suddenly I am the bad guy, and am looked upon with suspicion. 

And no matter what we do or say to overcome these objections, those thoughts are still floating around in the borrowers head. 

Now of course, with property values decreasing, ARMS coming due and interest rates rising, I am faced with an even more difficult decision. 

So I ask, is it worth it?