Your Lender's Personality Matters More Than Rate | Lofty Lender

When most buyers start searching for a mortgage lender, the first thing they do is Google "lowest mortgage rates." And honestly? That makes total sense. Rates matter. But there's a whole lot that never shows up on a rate sheet — and that's exactly what Kyle Guldenpfennig and his colleague Charlie Chedester dug into on this week's episode of The Lofty Lender.

They Actually Show Up to Closing — And That's Rarer Than You Think

Not long ago, Kyle ran into a realtor he'd worked with in the past. She said, "Hey Kyle, good on you for showing up to closing."

He stopped in his tracks. Wait — what?

She explained that most lenders don't show up. At all. And for Kyle, that was hard to wrap his head around. Closing is one of the only times he actually gets to meet clients face to face. It's the finish line — after 30, 45, sometimes 60 days of working together. Why would anyone miss it?

Charlie feels the same way. As he put it, closing isn't just a formality. It's a chance to celebrate, to calm nerves, to be a human being with someone on one of the biggest days of their financial life. A lot of emotions come up at a closing table. People are excited, relieved, sometimes overwhelmed — and sometimes still carrying stress from the process they just pushed through.

Having the loan officer there makes a difference. It puts a face to the voice. It smooths things over. Charlie shared a story about a client who was frustrated and tense for the last week of the process — and then at closing, everything changed. That in-person moment has a way of resetting the whole experience.

The goal isn't just to get buyers to the finish line. It's to be there with them when they cross it.

The Phone Call That Changes Everything

Here's something Kyle has learned over years in this business: a lot of tension in the mortgage process isn't really about the mortgage.

He had a client recently who was short and snappy over text — frustrated at every document request, bristling at routine updates. Standard stuff. Then Kyle picked up the phone and called him.

Turns out the guy had just hit a deer with his truck. The whole thing was probably totaled. He was dealing with that, plus something stressful going on in his personal life — and here's a loan officer asking for bank statements.

Once they actually talked — human to human — everything shifted. Kyle walked him through the full 30-day process, explained what to expect, what not to do (no, you cannot finance a new truck in the middle of a home purchase), and what the timeline would look like. One phone call turned a frustrated client into a confident one.

That's the stuff that doesn't show up on a rate comparison site.

Before COVID, Kyle and Charlie really tried to get clients into the office at the start of the process. In-person connection at the beginning makes everything smoother. These days, they lean into video calls and phone calls for that same reason. Kyle even uses Zoom's AI transcription to go back and make sure he followed through on every promise he made.

Because communication isn't just about talking — it's about following through.

What Sets Them Apart (And They Don't Say This Lightly)

Kyle and Charlie aren't big on tooting their own horn. But this episode forced them to answer the question honestly: why us?

Here's what they landed on.

They make complex things actually understandable. Mortgages aren't simple. But the job isn't to impress clients with terminology — it's to make sure they leave every conversation knowing more than when they came in. Why is one program being recommended over another? What are reserves, and why does saving money as a homeowner matter beyond just making payments? The goal isn't just to get someone a house — it's to set them up to be a successful homeowner.

They pick up the phone — even when there's a problem. Most lenders go quiet when something goes sideways. Not Kyle and Charlie. Charlie shared a story about putting the flag up on a Friday afternoon when a delay hit. Not ideal news to deliver. But he delivered it anyway, because the realtors, buyers, and sellers involved deserved to know. Transparency when things go wrong is just as important — maybe more important — than communicating when things go right.

They call listing agents just because it's the right thing to do. Nobody requires this. But when a contract is written, Kyle picks up the phone and calls the listing agent — not to share anything he shouldn't, but to say: I'm on this, here's my number, call me if you have questions. His reputation is on the line with every pre-approval he issues. He wants everyone to know he stands behind it.

They quarterback the process. Once an offer is accepted, the lender holds all the pieces. Kyle and Charlie take that role seriously. Everyone from the buyer's agent to the title company should be able to reach them. When lenders go MIA, it doesn't just create inconvenience — it creates stress for everyone who trusted them to do their job.

Why Buyers Are So Overwhelmed Right Now

It's something Kyle and Charlie see constantly. Buyers come in frazzled — not because they're bad at this, but because life is a lot right now.

Buying a house doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens while juggling work deadlines, kids' schedules, car problems, family stuff, and everything else. A mortgage process that feels routine from the lender's side is anything but routine for the person in the buyer's seat.

Kyle is literally building a house right now. He knows the mortgage process better than almost anyone. And he still woke up at 4 AM thinking about property taxes in Madison County. So the empathy is real — and it shapes how Kyle and Charlie approach every single client.

That's why they try to over-communicate and over-educate from day one. The more buyers know about what's coming, the less scary it is when it arrives.

3 Actionable Takeaways Before Choosing a Lender

1. Interview your lender like you'd interview a realtor. Ask directly: who answers calls on nights and weekends? What happens if there's a panic at 9 PM on a Thursday? Kyle gives clients his personal cell number. His wife knows that if a client calls, he's stepping away to take it. That's the standard buyers should expect — and should ask about upfront.

2. Don't let rate be the only thing you compare. There's always a cheaper rate somewhere. Always. Just like there's always a cheaper cookie at the grocery store. But cheaper doesn't mean better — and it definitely doesn't guarantee the loan will close. Kyle has had clients come back after a low-rate lender couldn't get them across the finish line. Compare the experience, not just the number.

3. Work with someone who educates instead of persuades. A good lender doesn't just hand over a pre-approval letter and say "go buy a house." They show multiple options side by side. They explain the tradeoffs. They let the buyer make the decision — because it's their money and their home. Kyle and Charlie use a side-by-side comparison tool specifically for this reason. The goal is for clients to feel confident they made a smart choice — not that someone made it for them.

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions of a lifetime. Buyers deserve a lender who actually shows up — at closing, on the phone, and every step in between.

To hear the full conversation, find The Lofty Lender with #TallMoneyMan wherever fine podcasts are downloaded.

Kyle Guldenpfennig is a mortgage lender at Midwest Family Lending in the Des Moines, Iowa area and host of The Lofty Lender podcast.