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BONITA ALUM TIM MANFRO: Mortgage Man on a Mission

Now, you could get your next mortgage (a “purchase” mortgage for buying a home or a “refinance” mortgage if you’re looking to lower the existing interest rate or pull cash from the current mortgage on your home) from one of the industry giants like a Wells Fargo or Bank of America or you could get your next mortgage from Tim Manfro, the brains behind Manfro Mortgage.

 

Here’s why the latter choice is awfully compelling.

 

Tim is hyper-local, he’s energetic and fun to be around, he gives back to his community — and, oh yeah, he knows his stuff.

 

Hyper-Local

 

Tim grew up a Bonita Bearcat. After graduating from Bonita High School in 1998, he went into construction.

 

“I thought I was going to be a brick mason,” he said, inside the conference room of his office located at 279 E Arrow Hwy #101, in San Dimas. “I loved building stuff, cutting the bricks, precisely aligning them in just the right pattern and ensuring they drained perfectly.”

 

What he didn’t like so much was what his clients didn’t see — the three-by-two foot trenches he had to dig to support the brick or stone walls he was building.

 

“Now that was a tough job,” he said, wiping his brow as if were still out in the field laboring under the hot sun.

 

As an alternative to manual labor, he started thinking about the home loan business. He had always been good with numbers and he always enjoyed providing solutions to problems and challenges, the tougher the better.

 

But breaking into the highly competitive mortgage lending business is about as easy as trying to crack open a boulder on your first try. It’s not going to happen unless you get help — and if that person helping you has vision, all the better.

 

Tim got that help from his grandmother who had been putting some money away for him for his college fund. She told him flat out that if he thought he could be successful in the loan business, he should go all in — no part time stuff, otherwise you’re never going to make it.

 

“She offered to pay my bills for one year,” Tim said.

 

He drew up a budget of all of his living expenses, which came to $1,200 a month.

 

“Every few weeks, we would meet at Chili’s and review my progress,” Tim said. “After six months, I closed a couple of deals and started putting money in the bank.”

 

His lifeline no longer needed, he paid his grandmother back. “That was really cool.”

 

High Energy

 

That was 10 years ago, and Tim is going stronger than ever. He’s assembled an outstanding team of mortgage professionals to assist him, including a loan coordinator, processor, transaction coordinator and marketing expert, and he’s licensed to do loans in all 50 states through his affiliation with Cross Country Mortgage, which has more than 100 offices nationwide.

 

“My favorite thing is when someone comes to me with a need that another lender couldn’t help them with,” Tim said. “I’ve always been a [loan] guidelines person, and within those guidelines, my team and I are going to figure out a solution. I love putting it altogether and seeing that light come on.

 

“I love that sense of accomplishment and knowing this is my work.”

 

Giving Back

 

Knowing how he flourished once someone had his back, he’s trying to return the favor. A little help can go a long way, as Tim has proved.

 

Through one organization called Real Estate Professionals, he and his fellow members help raise about $40,000 annually for charity, mainly through a golf tournament and casino night. Tim designates his portion to Santa Claus of Chaffey District, which provides an “anonymous” Santa Claus experience for 4,000 to 5,000 children who might not otherwise have a Christmas.

 

Every month, Tim also draws one name from all the client suggestions he receives — last month it was 130 — and donates $450 to that person’s particular charity.

 

Knowing you can give back to your community should be fun enough, but Tim and Mortgage Manfro also like to hide pictures on a stick with his image around town. When one is discovered, the lucky person receives a $50 gas card.

 

Also, for all of his U.S. veteran clients, he donates a flag on their behalf that is displayed at Covina’s annual Field of Valor. After the event, he mails the flag to each veteran.

 

Knowledgeable

 

Tim’s clients over the years have come to rely on him for good rates and fast service, delivered with insight and without attitude. One day, he could be in a suit and tie, and another wearing shorts and flip-flops.

 

“We care about having a really good company that closes your loan fast,” he said.

 

Most of the business Tim writes are for traditional 30-year mortgages, as well as FHA and VA loans, but if the solution calls for a more complex mortgage product, he’ll walk you through that, too. Again, he’s a problem-solver, who brick-by-brick, is going to build the best possible loan package for his customers. He’s a mortgage mason.

 

As Tim enters his second decade of doing business, LaVerneOnline looks forward to sharing more of Tim’s mortgage insights that can benefit homebuyers and home-improvement remodelers looking to finance their next big project.

 

Until that next time, visit mortgage manfro at  https://mortgagemanfro.com/ [1] or visit Tim’s robust Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TimManfro [2].