Welcome to my blog and learning more about me! 

Going into my fourth year in the business, I have quickly established myself as one of the top producing Mortgage Advisors in Illinois.   I focus primarily on working with high income young professionals purchasing their first or second homes in the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs.  However, I do have the ability to close loans in all 50 states. 

I am very proud of the fact that nearly all of my business is derived from direct client referrals.  My approach is to work closely with my clients by developing a solid fiduciary relationship based on expertise and professionalism in guiding them through the financial aspects of the largest purchase of their lives.  I believe in being upfront, direct, and educating my clients (and business partners).  I unabashedly tell everyone that I am NOT Wal-Mart mortgage, so if you are looking for "the lowest rates in town", please see LendingTree or some other low rent boiler room mortgage company.  However, if you are interested in working with a professional, ensuring you are getting the right mortgage product for your situation, knowing that your loan will close on time without problems, and being properly educated on your largest financial transaction I would love to work with you!

I am a frequent speaker on home buying at the Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Business and University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.  I also host my blog and website at www.smartmortgageadvice.com.

Presently, I call a small renovated bungalow from the 1920's in Oak Park home.  I have been happily married to my beautiful wife, Becca for five years and we are the proud parents of a 3 year old, spoiled rotten Shi-Poo named Brownie.  In my spare time I enjoy weekend travel, fine dining, cycling, and video games.  I also serve on the board for the Andersonville Development Corporation as well as conduct admissions interviews for Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

I received my Bachelors in Business Administration from Morehouse College in Atlanta and my Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Northwestern University (Kellogg).  Prior to diving into residential mortgage lending, I worked as a management consultant at one of the premier global consulting firms focusing on strategy and operations issues for Fortune 500 corporations.  My engagements spanned a number of industries from transportion to high tech.

Founded 12 years ago, PERL Mortgage is one of the largest and most succesful mortgage companies in Illinois originating more than $1 billion in residential mortgage loans annually.  We pride ourselves on having some of the most successful and top producing loan officers in the nation.  We are a "quiet" company in that most of our loan officers are strictly referral driven.  Our average loan officer has been with the company more than five years which is a rarity in this business.

We are a correspondent lender which means not only are we able to broker loans to dozens of lenders, but we have the authority to underwrite, fund, and close the loans ourselves.  This infrastructure provides the most competive rates for our clients, but also ensures we control the process from start to finish allowing for faster underwriting and quicker closings.  We also only use live checks, so NO WAITING ON WIRES at the closing!

We have the ability to originate loans in all fifty states and fund any type of mortgage scenario from super jumbo loans to sub-prime loans.  PERL also has a commercial lending division.

The bottomline is if you are looking for the perfect mortgage company, give PERL mortgage a call.

Russell, thanks again for helping Laura, Camille and me achieve a huge portion of our dreams...

Mance Irvin
Atlanta, GA

Russell not only showed me where another lender was trying to gouge me with hidden fees, but also helped me negotiate a better deal on the house with the developer. He also got me the best rate and our closing went over without a hitch.

Michael Antwi
Atlanta, GA

Thanks so much for all of your help and understanding through this process... we also wanted to tell you how much we appreciate the gifts you gave us. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and patience.

Madelyn & Robert Hankins
Chicago, IL

I am sending this message to you to let you know how helpful one of your employees was in getting our loan through the complicated refinancing system... Mr. Martin kept me informed so that I knew our loan had not fallen in some deep dark hole and that he was keeping our loan on the broker's front burner, so to speak. He even provided alternative financing advice just in case the loan did not go through. This was definitely refreshing to have someone with such a pleasant attitude keep me apprised of what was going on with our loan.

I would recommend your bank service and Mr. Martin to anyone who was looking for a loan.

Richard & Barbara Morgan
Suffolk, VA

Thank you so much for everything you did to help us in our house hunt! We truly appreciate your guidance and over-the-top efforts to find and push through the right solution for us...

Leslie & Dave Oleyar
Seattle, WA

...there was no question or phone message unanswered, he provided us his cell phone number so we could reach him at anytime. He kept us informed on the status of our application constantly... This is what we call top notch customer service. Thanks to Russell, we are enjoying our new home and will definitely keep the referrals coming.

Francis & Patience Owusu
Glastonbury, CT