As the holiday lights go up around my neighborhood, I think back to when my wife and I bought our first home.
We were up to our ears in paperwork, gathering years of financial details in a binder before playing the waiting game to see if our mortgage was approved. Thankfully, times have changed.
Today, I'm proud to serve as Apple Federal Credit Union's Senior Vice President of Lending. My job is to make our lending process easier, especially for first-time homebuyers. I know what it's like to sit around waiting for your loan decision.
You and your family deserve a better experience, one Apple is here to provide.
Mortgage Loans
Buying a home is a huge milestone, one that involves so much more than just securing a loan.
Our expert team is here to walk with you every step of the way, from pre-approval to closing and everything in between. With Apple FCU's local underwriting team, you'll receive a quick decision when looking to buy a home in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, North Carolina or the District of Columbia.
We offer a variety of mortgage products—including Fixed-Rate, Adjustable-Rate and Reverse Mortgages—but I want to highlight one that has really made a difference in our community over the years.
One of the best ways to build a strong community is by letting folks live where they work. That's not always easy in Northern Virginia. Apple's Educator, Military and First Responder Mortgage Loan offers low or no down payment (up to 100% Combined Loan-to-Value), reduced Private Mortgage Insurance and no prepayment penalties.
There's nothing quite like helping a teacher settle into a home near their school or hearing from a young nurse who's finally free from a long commute. That's an investment in our community, one that Apple is proud to make as we improve lives and fulfill dreams.
Our teachers, firefighters, police officers, school employees, nurses and doctors make a huge difference every day. If you belong to one of these professions and are buying a home, let us help you find what you're looking for.
Lock & Shop and HomeAdvisor
At Apple FCU, our job goes beyond just identifying the right loan—we're here to connect you with programs that make a real difference for you and your family.
Take our Lock & Shop program, for example. It lets you lock in a mortgage rate for an extended period, even if rates go up. This gives you peace of mind and the freedom to choose the best property without worrying about rising rates. And, if interest rates drop during that time, we'll adjust your agreement to honor the new, lower market rate.
Personally, one of my favorite programs is our HomeAdvisor. It connects homebuyers with local real estate agents and experts, giving access to local market information to make transactions easier throughout every step of the home buying process. HomeAdvisor not only connects you with real estate agents who Apple knows and trusts, but it also puts cash directly into your pocket, providing cash rewards at closing.*
Something that is unique to this program is the cash rewards to members. Over the years, we've given back more than $2.7 million to members through this program. How many people do you know who can buy a home and leave with money after closing?
If you're interested in a home loan or want to know more about these programs, please get in touch with one of our Licensed Mortgage Loan Originators. They can set up a no-cost, no-obligation appointment to discuss finding your perfect home!
Free Credit Score
I'm also incredibly excited to highlight our new free credit score feature, now available through Apple FCU Online and our Mobile App.
Just click Plan and Learn and then View Credit Score to see your up-to-the-minute credit score and any pre-approved Loan or Credit Card offers. Members have asked for years for this feature, and we're proud to enhance it with a score simulator, debt analysis tools and access to your credit report.
Check out this video to see how it works.
Making Car Buying Easy
We pride ourselves on helping members through all aspects of the lending process, as evidenced by our auto lending resources.
There you will find free access to the NADA portal, which lets you research prices and trade-in value based on make and model. You'll also find our "Car Buying Made Easy" video, which shows you how to eliminate time-wasting dealer negotiations when securing a rate.
Apple FCU has partnered with the car-buying service TrueCar® to help you lock in your price before heading to the dealership. And with AutoSmart, you can view real-time dealer inventory at dealerships that offer on-site Apple FCU financing. There's no need to apply with us ahead of time!
Shopping for a new or used car or motorcycle through our Auto Loan portal should be an easy, hassle-free experience. If you're curious about any of these products or programs, our Lending Team is ready to provide friendly service and quick answers to your questions.
Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey, and thank you for being a member of our credit union.
*Cash rewards only available in 42 states. The following states do not allow cash rebates to real estate customers: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, or Tennessee.
