* by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
A new mortgage lender has put roots down in Jacksonville.
HomeBanc Mortgage opened its office on Belfort Road in Southpoint last month.
“Initially the office will employ 27 people at first and about 50 people within three years,” said Ben Stephens, branch manager of HomeBanc Mortgage. “The office will consist of half sales people and half management and staff.”
The company’s grand opening for REALTORS®, builders and business community of Jacksonville is scheduled for Nov. 7.
The company, which is based in Atlanta, also has offices in Tampa, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Miami.
“Until now, HomeBanc has concentrated its Florida efforts on South and Central Florida,” said Patrick Flood, HomeBanc chairman and CEO. “This office in Jacksonville represents our first branch in North Florida and we’re excited about serving Jacksonville area home buyers and the growth opportunities this part of the state offers our company.”
After Jacksonville, they plan to open two more offices, one in Columbus, Ga. and the other in Charlotte.
“We are looking to aggressively expand in this area,” said Stephens. “HomeBanc has a history of becoming a dominant mortgage lender shortly after entering a market. I’m going to make sure that history repeats itself in Jacksonville.”
The company will stay competitive by offering a large variety of products for its customers.
“We have over 150 products to serve the needs of each customer and our mortgage sales professionals are trained to find the right product for each customer through consultative sales approach,” said Stephens.
The products include adjustable rate mortgages and interest only mortgages, low and no down payment mortgages and a variety of special mortgage products in partnership with Fannie Mae aimed at serving the needs of the growing multicultural and minority home buyer market.
“We’ve been effective in other markets by competing with service by guaranteeing our service with our customer service guarantee, which is unique in the mortgage industry and by focusing on the purchase business,” said Stephens.
The office was fully operational on Oct. 1.