Meet Joshua Speer, the Founder and Owner of Live Oak Mortgage.

Family

Josh has been married to the love of his life, Shree’, for almost 17 years.  They have three kids, ages 15, 13 and 9. He was introduced to Shree’ in his sophomore year in college when she was a new, incoming Freshman. The rest was history as they got married and started a life together four years later.

Education and Professional Experience

Josh started his College Career at North Central University before transferring and later completing his Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with Liberty University. He then received his Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Liberty University.  Josh loves helping people, and he quickly found his professional path when he took a job as a loan officer in 2006 with a new mortgage company. Josh quickly became one of the top loan officers in the company, and in less than two years (2008), he led the entire company in closed loans for the year. After performing at a high level for ten years as a Loan Officer, he transitioned into a management role with the company. He has served in this Management role for the last six years before starting Live Oak Mortgage Inc. Josh does everything 100% and focuses on providing the Highest Level of Service to his Clients.  Josh will personally answer and/or return every one of his clients' calls, and he always provides his personal cell phone number to his clients. Although he would prefer to talk with you on the phone, you can always text or email him for a quick and convenient response.

Our Process 

Communication, Communication, Communication! As a top performing Loan Officer and Manager, Josh quickly realized the difference between a HAPPY Borrower and an unhappy Borrower.  Almost ALL praise and complaints come from how little or how much professional communication was received throughout the loan process. For that reason, we have designed a process, from taking your loan application to closing your loan, that is transparent, and we are in constant communication with you throughout the entire loan process. Check out our eight simple steps from Application to Close.  We have found many borrowers miss out on the benefits of refinancing their home or purchasing a new home because of a Bad Loan Experience they have had or because they feel they just don’t have time to do it. If you identify with that group, we can’t wait to show you what a Great Loan Experience Looks Like.

Day 1 (Steps 1-4 can be accomplished in the first 24 hours for our Borrowers that are Built for Speed)

1. Loan Application: Click HERE to Start your Secure Online Application

This begins with a quick phone call or by using our pre-approval link. Although our application is super simple, if you have any questions, we can assist you with the app in real-time as you complete it online.

2. Congratulations on your Pre-Approval/Discuss Loan Options:

This is where we love to tell our clients, “Congratulations, we have your Pre-Approval Ready to go Over with You”! We will do everything we can to provide you with your Pre-Approval on the same day. We value our borrower's time, so we prioritize getting you the Best Approval Possible as Quickly as Possible (unless we are playing phone tag or you ask that we call you back at a specific time).

3. Lock and Start the Loan:

In a Rising Rate Environment, we never want to gamble on your Pre-Approval terms. Therefore, we will immediately lock in your rate approval once you tell us you want to get started. We don’t stop working for you once the rate is locked.  From the day we lock your rate to the day we close your loan, you can request a rate improvement should there be a significant improvement in rates from the time we locked your original terms. We like to call this Lock-N-Watch. Depending on the status of your loan, a rate improvement could delay your closing, loan approval status, and or cost associated with your selected rate.    

4. E-Sign Documents and Borrower Doc Request:

You will receive an email to log in to your secure link/mobile app to Review and Sign your Initial Loan Disclosures.  This is super simple, and we are just a phone call away should you have any questions. The Link/Mobile App will list the items we will need from you. You can upload your documents or take pictures of the needed documents on your phone and upload them immediately. Our clients love how easy this is. You will be able to track the status of your loan and the items you upload on your secure link/Mobile App.  This eliminates the frustration during most loan processes where you are unsure of what is needed from you and your loan status.

5. Ordering the Appraisal (For Approvals not requiring an Appraisal, go to step 7)

Whether it is a Refinance or a Purchase, this is when we will order your appraisal for you. Notice we wait and order the appraisal until you upload your borrower documents. We will always wait to order the appraisal until after we have verified your income.  This is when we will process your payment information with the Appraisal Management Company. A Local appraiser will be assigned to your order and give you a call within 24-72 hours to schedule your inspection.  Do your best to schedule the appraisal as soon as possible. The sooner we get the report back, the sooner we can get your loan ready for closing.

6. Appraisal is Received, and the loan is sent up for Final Review:

Within 24 hours of receiving your Appraisal, we will do an extensive review of your appraisal and send you a PDF copy to retain for your records. Early on, during a Refinance Pre-Approval, we mentioned that this is the time we will PAUSE and go over everything with you again with your loan regarding any changes. This is the time we will discuss Getting More or Less Cash-out, paying off fewer or more debts, and any other changes that you might want to consider.  We believe in always educating our borrowers on their maximum benefit options with their refinance.  So, depending on the Appraised Value, we may introduce some additional benefits and or changes to the loan at this time.  Once we have reviewed everything together and you are ready to Proceed, we will send everything back to our underwriters to receive our Final CLEAR TO CLOSE on your LOAN.

7. Additional Conditions (This may or may not apply)

If we are missing anything from you after the final review, this is when we will request any additional items.  For example, these items could be:

• Updated Drivers license, because it is set to expire before closing.

                                                OR

•  Provide a short letter of explanation for a recent credit inquiry (Remember, don’t apply for any new credit once we start the loan process before discussing it with your Loan Officer).  

We can often get these items back from our clients the same day we request them.

8. Congratulations! Your Loan is CLEAR TO CLOSE

We begin and end every loan with Congratulations! When your loan is Clear to Close, your Loan Officer will give you a call to confirm your first available closing date and time to get it scheduled for you with the Title Company. With a refinance, the closing is very Convenient and Private. Almost all of our Refinance closings are done in the privacy of your own Home. For a Purchase, your closing will be done at the local title company selected by the seller.

At Live Oak Mortgage, our mission is to provide our borrowers with the necessary information, tools, and opportunities to act on a mortgage solution that maximizes their benefits. We strive to become your trusted mortgage partner for all your mortgage-related approvals and inquiries. We are eager to get to know you, understand what's important to you, and see how we can help you dream, live, and grow with all your mortgage solutions.

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