Hamilton Home Loans Review: A Refreshingly Simple Way to Get Your Mortgage?

Hamilton Home Loans says it wants to provide customers with a “refreshingly simple” mortgage experience, an angle many modern lenders are touting.

At the same time, they aren’t forgoing trusted guidance and the still very relevant human touch many borrowers want.

Together, their aim is to deliver world-class service to their clientele, a goal that seems to have been met based on their thousands of excellent customer reviews.

What makes them unique is their Customer for Life Program, which waives lender fees for repeat customers.

They also don’t charge fees for neighborhood heroes such as police, firefighters, nurses, and the military. Read on to learn more about them.

Hamilton Home Loans Fast Facts

Independent mortgage banker that offers purchase and refinance loans
Founded in 2003, headquartered in Sunrise, Florida
Currently licensed to do business in 28 states and D.C.
Has more than 500 employees and 44 branch locations nationwide
Customer for Life program waives lender fees for repeat customers
Funded roughly $2 billion in home loans last year

Hamilton Home Loans is an independent mortgage banker that offers home purchase loans and mortgage refinances to existing homeowners.

They got their start back in 2003, and have since grown into a multi-state mortgage originator with 44 branch locations and more than 500 employees.

Last year, the company funded about $2 billion in home loans, with a near-equal split of purchase loans and refinances.

They are most active in their home state of Florida, which accounted for 70% of overall loan volume.

Much of the remainder came from the state of Texas, with Nevada and North Carolina also major states for the company.

At the moment, they’re licensed to do business in 28 states along with the District of Columbia.

Those states include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin.

How to Apply with Hamilton Home Loans

You can apply for a mortgage over the phone, online, or in person. Most customers will likely begin at their website.

From there, you’ll be prompted to find a loan advisor using their online search engine.

It’s possible to search by name, state, or zip code to find a branch or individual loan advisor near you.

Aside from finding contact info, you’ll be able to click “Apply Online” from an advisor’s webpage to begin a formal application on your own from any device.

Their digital process allows you to securely scan and upload documents, eSign disclosures, message your loan officer instantly, and receive updates as you go.

They offer an app as well if you wish to complete tasks from your smartphone.

One nice thing about Hamilton Home Loans is their in-house operations team that includes processing, underwriting, closing, and funding under one roof.

This should make it easy to close your home loan on time without unnecessary delays.

Those who are looking to buy a home can take advantage of their “Almost Home” program, which offers a full commitment letter before you find a property.

This goes above and beyond the typical pre-qualification or pre-approval letter other lenders may offer, and requires no application fee.

You can get one for any major loan type, including conventional, FHA, and VA, and it’s even good for new construction financing.

Loan Programs Offered by Hamilton Home Loans

Home purchase loans
Home renovation loans
New construction loans
Refinance loans: rate/term, cash out, streamline
Conforming loans backed by Fannie and Freddie
Jumbo home loans
Super jumbo loans
FHA loans
VA loans
USDA loans
Reverse mortgages
Down Payment Assistance programs

Hamilton Home Loans offers an extensive menu of loan programs that should suit the needs of just about anyone.

This includes home purchase loans, renovation loans, refinance loans, and construction loans.

You can get a conforming loan, jumbo or even super jumbo loan, an FHA loan, VA loan, or USDA loan.

They also offer down payment assistance programs, and lend on all major property types, including condos, investment properties, and vacation homes.

One perk to using Hamilton Home Loans a second time is that they waive lender fees for repeat customers.

Known as their “Customer for Life” program, if you close a loan with them once you’ll never have to pay lender fees again on future loans.

Additionally, their “Hamilton for Heroes” program waives lender fees for military and their spouses, police officers, firefighters, nurses, EMTs, physician assistants, and teachers.

Lastly, they originate reverse mortgages, though they aren’t available in all states so be sure to inquire first.

They seem to mostly originate fixed-rate mortgages, but adjustable-rate mortgage options may also be available.

Hamilton Home Loans Rates

Like many other lenders, Hamilton Home Loans doesn’t publicize their mortgage rates online.

In order to obtain pricing, you’ll need to speak with a loan advisor first. The one clue we have about their rates comes from their many online reviews, which often indicate pricing was lower than expected.

And while they don’t list their lender fees online to my knowledge, they appear to charge $1,590 for underwriting and loan processing.

This is based on the fee waiver they provide to repeat customers and heroes, which removes those aforementioned fees.

As always, put in the time to obtain multiple mortgage rate quotes to ensure you don’t miss out on a better price elsewhere.

And be sure to factor in interest rate and lender fees to get the complete picture.

Hamilton Home Loans Reviews

On Experience.com, Hamilton Home Loans has a stellar 4.93-star rating out of 5 from over 20,000 customer reviews.

Their score is doubly-impressive given the very large sample size. Take the time to filter by loan officer to find someone who stands out from the crowd.

They’ve also got a perfect 5.0-star rating on Google from over 2,000 customer reviews.

Over at Zillow, they’ve got an equally solid 4.97-star rating from about 700 customer reviews.

Lastly, while they’re not an accredited business, they hold an ‘A+’ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) based on customer complaint history.

To summarize, Hamilton Home Loans offers useful perks for both first-time home buyers (like their Almost Home loan commitment) along with no lender fees for repeat customers.

They also offer a wide array of loan programs, meaning they could be a good choice for home buyers and existing owners.

Their customer reviews are also excellent across all ratings websites.

The only real question mark is pricing, which if competitive could make them a good option for those in need of any kind of mortgage.

Hamilton Home Loans Pros and Cons

The Good Stuff

Can apply for a home loan online in a matter of minutes
Offer a digital, mostly paperless mortgage application process
Physical branches are located in several states as well
Full commitment letters for prospective home buyers (better than a pre-approval)
No lender fees for repeat customers
Lots of loan programs to choose from
20,000+ excellent customer reviews
A+ BBB rating
Free smartphone app
Free mortgage calculators, how-to guides and glossary online

The Maybe Not

Do not publicize mortgage rates and lender fees
Only licensed in 28 states and D.C. currently
May transfer your loan servicing to another company after closing

(photo: Leigh/ J/M)