"Stratton really pulled though for me on…"

Stratton really pulled though for me on a few hard to do deals. That's for the help!

"Find another lender"

As a broker, I submitted numerous deals to Stratton Equities over several months. 3 of those deals progressed to underwriting. All 3 of them closed, which is the reason I'm giving 2 stars, but not without issue. It felt like a 1 star experience but I give them 2 because the loans did finally close.

Stratton's broker payment process is awful. Most lenders pay the referring broker at, or within a few days of closing. Stratton's process leaves the referring broker in the blind throughout the entire underwriting process and I've had to chase progress updates on the deal status each time. I've had to chase payment for 2 of the 3 files, one of which remains unpaid to date. This is September 2024 and I've been trying to collect commission payment since June. Additionally, the client on the last of these deals had a terrible experience with Stratton. Their feedback on Stratton's communication & transparency was very negative and they don't want to do another deal with Stratton at all.

After months of back & forth regarding unpaid commission, I'm still being told they need to audit all the information & documents between their Loan Officer and me, which will "take some time". Stratton has had MONTHS to resolve the issue and still somehow hasn't found the time to "audit" these files.

This is unacceptable and they are not holding up their end of the payment terms set forth in the broker agreement they require to be signed prior to submitting loan referrals. I brought business to this lender and have not been compensated per the broker agreement.

Stratton's LO that I worked with has apparently left the company and expressed similar payment frustrations from his other brokers before leaving.

Regardless of what the program descriptions look like, my recommendation is to avoid this company and do business elsewhere. Heed this warning and avoid learning a hard lesson for yourself.

"Extremely unprofessional firm, find another lender"

I have worked in real estate for 10 years with various hard money, dscr, and traditional lenders. Stratton was, by far, the most unprofessional outfit I have ever worked with. Their sticker rates are competitive but every single other thing about them is a train wreck;

1. I was told my refi dscr would close in several weeks, it took two months. This caused me an unbelievable amount of heartburn. I was closing on another property and had to take loans from family, credit cards in order to close without the $ from the refi which cost me an extra $2000.

2. I was quoted a 6.7% interest rate and never told anything different. Then, Straton underwriting slow-walked their process past my rate lock period which hiked the rate to 7.1% which will cost me an extra $120/month in interest until I refi. I was never told the rate would be anything but 6.7% until the papers arrived 24 hours before closing.

3. Speaking of refi, I was never informed that my dscr did not have an industry standard 12 to 24 months of "seasoning" but instead a five year lockup where I would pay 6 months of payments as a penalty for refing out of the loan early.

4. Stratton charges a 3% origination fee instead of the 1-2% industry standard. Again, no notice of this until closing papers.

5. The closing papers were drawn up badly and had three charges in the credits column that should have been in the debits column. If I had not of double checked the math, I would have paid an extra $5400 in closing costs because of this sloppy work. There were several redunant sections as well in the 160 pages that could have been eliminated.

6. Stratton insists you must use both their own appraisal company and their own title company. Both are overpriced and terrible. The appraisal company cost me triple what I paid for my last property and took three weeks instead of the 2 to 4 days a rush job, or the week a normal job takes. Adding insult to injury, they scheduled my appraisal during my Easter vacation and refused to move it up, which meant I had to cut my vacation in half, book a last minute exrta flight, and miss my mother's birthday in order to be there for the appraiser. Further, I paid for a multi family appraisal as my property was a duplex and received a single family appraisal with no multi family comps in the comparison set or income derived valuation. The title company charged about 35% more than my usual company and then mistyped my account information when wiring me the funds then charged me the $45 bounce fee because of their typing mistake.

7. The underwriting process itself was the slowest, messiest disaster I have ever seen. Stratton wanted far more documents/info then any other lendor I have ever worked with and only requested them 2 or 3 at a time. If they had sent me an organized list at the start, we could have cut the underwriting period in half. Instead, every few days to a week I got an email requesting another 2/3 things until I supplied all ~40 documents they wanted.

I closed on another loan with another company last week for a different property. It took 10 days to close, the fees were less, the terms were industry standard, and underwriting was a smooth, quick process. Sure, the sticker rate on it is .3 higher than whay Stratton offered me for my other property, but it was overall a MUCH better option. Don't let Stratton's sticker rate fool you, you will pay for the .3% rate advantage with higher fees, worse terms, and unbelievably poor service.

"Michael is very knowledgeable and…"

Michael is very knowledgeable and helpful!

He made the process quick and smooth! We’re so thankful to have someone we could trust through this process.

"As a first time investor I did…"

As a first time investor I did extensive research on different companies and stumbled upon Stratton. I could not be happier with the experience I had! Michael was excellent at anwsering all my questions and helping me through the whole process. Will definitely be using Stratton again for future investments.

"Great client services and closed on…"

Great client services and closed on time which was the biggest concern.

"“The Best” is an understatement"

I am so happy to have chosen Stratton. Their knowledge, guidance, and patience has allowed me to have peace of mind, and for that I am forever grateful.
I have worked with others in the past and they all pale in comparison. Thank you to Michael and the staff for all you have done.

"Great customer service."

Great customer service.

"Stratton for the win!"

Michael and the team at Stratton were extremely helpful navigating the financing options for real estate investors like myself. Very easy to get in touch with and helpful in every aspect.
Can't say enough good things, Stratton is top notch!

"Highly recommend!"

Great experience working with them! Knowledgeable and professional .. highly recommend!