I am a realtor with Coldwell Banker in Orlando, Florida. I am sending this complaint in on behalf of my client Juan Carlos **, who is a buyer who recently moved to Venezuela and bought a new home from Pulte Homes. As a foreign national, it is nearly impossible for him to obtain a loan. Jonathan ** who works out of my office but with Coldwell Banker Mortgage recommended his father to me as a mortgage broker who specializes in Foreign National loans. I contacted Mr. Stephen ** to start the process for a loan application for my client.
When we first contacted Mr. Stephen, he was extremely friendly and always willing to take our calls or call us back when leaving a message. He insisted on working with my client and promised him he could get his loan approved within days and close within weeks. After my client met with Mr. Stephen in Orlando, he finally agreed to pay the $495 application fee, which included the loan appraisal fee. That is when things changed. As soon as he received the money and deposited it in his account, we never heard back from him.
We (Mr. Juan Carlos, I, and Pulte Homes) kept on calling, emailing, and texting, in hopes to get updates or news. He completely evaded us, never communicated with any of us, and basically, did not work on the loan. He was only interested in getting the money. When after about 3 weeks we did not get updates and proof of any kind that he was working on Mr. Juan Carlos's file, my client asked me to let Mr. Stephen know that he would like to get his $495 back for non-performance, and of course, the appraisal was never ordered.
Mr. Stephen made fun of the situation and made sure we knew he would never pay him back, because he never wanted to show any proof of work or communication with anyone. Even his son Jonathan talked to him but could not be of any help. We basically want to make sure he does not continue doing the same thing to other buyers. He should not have a mortgage broker's license if he has one. He cannot just collect the money and vanish. It is unprofessional and gives our business a bad reputation.
My client and his family endured a horrible amount of stress and lost $495 and nearly $20,000 deposit the builder was holding. We were able to salvage that money when we explained what had happened. They were very understanding and finally closed on the house with another lender who worked professionally and closed the loan within 30 days.
