Creative Ways to Get Your Mortgage Approved & Your Home Insurance Claims Paid

LET’S GET STARTED…(Jo) (Good morning, Memphis! Welcome to our internet listeners and podcast listeners across the 50 states! . You’re on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator. You can connect with me at www.JoGarner.com.

Our topic: Creative Ways to Get Your Mortgage Approved & Your Home Insurance Claims Paid Thank you to real estate attorneys, Rob Draughon and Shelley Rothman of Griffin, Clift, Everton and Maschmeyer for sponsoring the episode. Today is June 7th, 2025 Call in to the live show at 901 535-9732

Introducing Ed Hill of Masters Roofing of Bartlett, TN

(Jo) Ed Hill of Masters Roofing, you are our roof expert, and you have a great reputation for doing an excellent job repairing and replacing roofs. You also have earned some fabulous testimonies from customers you have helped with their insurance claims. I know not every insurance claim gets accepted, but you can make the difference in so many positive outcomes. Take a moment to introduce yourself and talk about some of the services you offer your clients. (Ed has about a minute to intro himself and talk about the services he offers)

(Jo) Do you remember how you felt when YOU had legitimate storm damage or fire damage to your home, but your insurance company denied the claim? Do you remember being told “NO” for a home loan application, even though you knew other people like you with good credit and funds to close who got their mortgages approved? Today on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe we are going to show you some ways some of our clients used some smart strategies to win their approvals.

JOANIE JEFFRONSON-FIGHT TO GET INSURANCE COMPANY TO PAY CLAIM

Joanie Jeffronson had been paying for a full replacement homeowner insurance policy for over 20 years with no claims. Not all insurance policies cover full replacement cost of damage, so check your policy terms. The smaller damage that had occurred to Joanie’s house over the years, she just paid to repair it out of pocket. But following a palooza sized storm, her roof had been pummeled by wind and hail. A small tree branch had hit the roof, puncturing a nice sized hole and allowing water to start pouring into the house.

Joanie assumed this should be an open and shut case in her favor since she had full replacement coverage and the damage was all the way across the back of her roof and on part of the front. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The insurance claim representative sent his own roof inspector who also chalked across the roof the observable damage. The insurance company then informed Joanie, they would not pay because they believed the damage was less than $1,000 –the amount of her deductible. The bid to replace the roof was over $10,000.

Joanie was in disbelief, angry and motivated to fight for her claim. She called her insurance agent and the trusted roofer.

1. The roofer provided Joanie with a copy of her state of Tennessee law which requires insurance companies to replace the roof to make sure all of the shingles match. If the existing shingles were no longer manufactured, the insurance company would be required to replace all of the shingles to match across the roof, according to State law.

Joanie contested the claim adjuster’s decision to deny the claim. She sent to the insurance adjuster a copy of Tennessee law, which earlier the claim department rep had did know know this law existed. The roofer sent to the insurance company’s designated lab a sample of the old shingle. He also resent the second time pictures taken on the roof documenting where the tree branch had punctured a hold in the roof, wind and hail damage to the shingles.

When you are dealing with homeowner insurance claims today, it is important that you document every possible detail of the damage. Know the terms of your insurance policy. Get help from trusted advisors like your insurance agent and a reputable roofer—in this case Ed Hill of Masters Roofing.

Stay tuned because later in this show you will hear some stories of people whose mortgage application was denied, even though they had good credit, down payment money and a good flow of income. Here is HOW they get a “yes” from the mortgage company instead of a “no” using some creative products.

(Jo) Ed Hill of Masters Roofing , we have a couple of minutes or so before we go to an ad break. Please jump in with some of your advice that you have seen work for your roof customers dealing with insurance claims. (Ed Hill has about 2-3 minutes to start launching into his topics until 9:15 break)

OUTRO: You’re on Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe. I’m your host, Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Originator. What do YOU want to accomplish with YOUR mortgage? I can make the mortgage process EASY for you with the right mortgage. Connect with me at JoGarner.com When we come back, we will be hearing more from Ed Hill of Masters Roofing. Troy and Lynn McDonald of Erin McDonald Insurance Agency will be joining us. We will see you back in just a moment.

2nd segment 9:18 am – 9:30 am

2nd segment is after 9:15 break from about 9:18Am to 9:30 AM break

It’s time to talk shop with Talk Shoppe’s Business Tip For Real Estate Professionals. Talk Shoppe is a marketing company offering free education and networking to anyone interested in real estate or in business or health and wellness. Talk Shoppe is made possible by the financial support of its sponsors. For more about Talk Shoppe, go to www.TalkShoppe.com (shoppe) For our Talk Shoppe Business Tip today we Talk Shoppe Sponsors Troy and Lynn McDonald of Erin McDonald Insurance Agency. Troy and Lynn, you both have dedicated your career to helping your insurance customers get the exact right coverage and the best customers service, even after the policy is signed. Troy and Lynn McDonald ,what is our Talk Shoppe tip today?

TROY AND LYNN MCDONALD, ERIN MCDONALD INSURANCE AGENCY

(901) 849-7101

TIP #1 Make sure you have a dedicated insurance agent for your insurance policies and not just a 1-800 number. If you even call to inquire IF you need to file a claim for something, even if you decide not to file or the insurance company decides not to pay, you still can be racking up claims on your record. This encourages insurance companies to drop you as a client.

TIP# 2

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TOPICS COVERED BY ED HILL OF MASTERS ROOFING

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How To Handle Insurance Claims

So we often talk about when a claim arises concerning storm damage to your home or property, about talking with your agent first before filing a claim on an 800 number and asking your agent about your policy coverage and whether or not it would affect you positively or negatively to file a claim. Those types of things we have covered several times before on real estate mortgage shop.

We want to talk in more depth about the details of handling an insurance storm damage claim specifically relating to your home or business.

1. Document every aspect of the claim in video with your cell phone and take many pictures with your cell phone. Provide these to the damage inspector and to the insurance company.

2. Store and safeguard all physical evidence relating to the claim. For example, if it is a hail storm that has hit your home or business then store some of the actual hail in a baggie or plastic trash bag in a freezer. Keep it to show to the adjuster when he or she comes to inspect your property damage to establish the actual reality that hail hit your property and to document the size of the hail.

3. Discuss the physical evidence retained from the storm and the effects of the storm on your home or property directly with not only the person sent by the insurance company to inspect the damage to the property but also with the desk adjuster who is ultimately overseeing the claim in a supervisory role and who will ultimately be deciding the settlement of the claim.

4. Do not rely only on the adjuster who inspects the property to properly communicate the information regarding the actual storm the actual physical evidence and the actual resulting damages on the property but you yourself should be your own most ardent advocate for a proper resolution of the claim that is acceptable to you within the provisions of your policy.

5. Do not be shy about advancing your case yourself directly and stating what you believe would be the proper and acceptable resolution based on the policy coverage that you have. No one is more concerned about your property than you are. You are the world’s leading expert on what occurred at your property and what you believe would be a correct resolution concerning the damages suffered at your home or business. Do not assume or hope that the property inspector or the desk adjuster are your greatest advocates for a proper resolution.

6. Though we appreciate the professional services provided by local insurance agents and we appreciate that the vast majority of property adjusters who inspect the damages are trying to properly resolve the damages documented, it is vital that you as the paying customer of the insurance company clearly yet respectfully make your concerns and your position known directly to the desk adjustor and his or her supervisor and the insurance company.

7. Make yourself aware of and educate yourself regarding your state’s laws relating to the proper legal settlement of storm damage claims. Do not rely on what your friends say, what you heard in the break room at work, or what you always thought. We now have one of the greatest educational tools known to mankind in the history of man in the form of online articles, videos and seminars period. Take some time out of your busy day to study information that can often be found in visual and audio form on YouTube and other platforms to learn something every day about your storm damage and the proper resolution of that damage.

8. Your state for example, may be what is often called a matching state. If you live in the state of Tennessee it is important for you to know and also make sure that your insurance company knows that you know that Tennessee is a matching state. What this means is that if your home is hit by high winds and shingles are missing, creased, lifted, or peeled away then your insurance company is required by the state of Tennessee by statute, legislation, rules, official interpretation, regulations and laws to either repair it with matching shingles that create a uniform appearance or if the shingles cannot be matched in size, quality or color then the insurance company must replace the roof so that the repairs or the replaced roof have a reasonable uniform appearance. You as the customer of the insurance company are the person that must be satisfied with this requirement, not the insurance company.

9. Do not assume that the verbal or printed settlement proposal/offer is correct or final. Construction companies can employ the same cost-averaging software that insurers use to reevaluate the claim properly.

10. If you have gone through all of these steps that we have talked about so far and your claim is still stuck or denied or closed without a satisfactory resolution then you should call 901-273-6594 and ask Ed Hill with Masters Roofing to help you work the claim through to a proper resolution.

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^3rd SEGMENT 9:35 AM-9:45AM)

TOPICS COVERED BY JO GARNER, LICENSED MORTGAGE OFFICER

Tips for Getting Qualified for a Mortgage:

1^st Capital –Cash is king. The more money you have to put down on your home and the more money showing left over after the closing in case of emergencies, the better lenders like you. In case you don’t have enough money for your down payment, we can look for down payment assistance programs, borrowing against your other assets, gifts and more.

2^nd Character-your credit reputation. The higher your credit scores, the lower interest rates you get to enjoy. The lower your credit scores, the higher price you pay for credit. 780 is a great credit score. 700 is an okay score. Scores in the 600’s can cost you a lot more for credit. I have seen some mortgage clients take 1 or 2 simple, inexpensive moves to make some quick improvements for the credit scores

3^rd. Collateral- The house needs to appraise for enough value to do what you want to do with your mortgage. Unless you are doing a renovation repair loan, the home has to be in good condition too.

4^th Capacity- You need to make sure you can verify enough stable income to quality for the loan terms you need. One of my specialties is working with self-employed borrowers with good credit. There are some extra steps we can take to add certain expenses back to income to help a self-employed person qualify for the loan they want. Today there are a plethora of special in-house outside-the-box loan programs that can verify business income from your bank statements instead of your tax return. There are special DSCR mortgages for real estate investors that doesn’t look at any income except the lease income on the property you are buying or refinancing

From No to YES Using Smart Financing Strategy -Abasi & Amal Abdel’s Story

Abasi Abdel and his wife Amal owned a gas station with a snack shop outside of town. They had been living in the city when their kids were in school, but now they were empty nesters. They found the perfect house for them closer to the business and big enough to be the gathering place for their family and soon-to-be grandchildren to have fun visiting.

Abasi and Amal had worked to keep good credit. They were disciplined with their budget and had saved a lot of money, even though they had spent money for their kids’ education and to help other family members. They were confident when they made the offer to buy the house in the country that it would be no problem getting their mortgage approved.

When the mortgage company called to say their loan was denied, it didn’t seem real. The sinking feeling of discouragement was real enough though. Their hopes of moving to a better place and making great memories with their family dimmed. That was the home they knew was handpicked for them. But the mortgage officer said they did not show enough net income on their tax returns from the business. They made plenty of money but they had a good tax professional who took every legal deduction possible.

It was time for Abasi and Amal to think outside the box. Their mortgage officer explored some in-house portfolio loan programs with them. They found a product that did not require them to use any tax returns. Abasi and Amal scanned over the last 12 months business bank statements to show the business deposits. With their good credit, a twenty percent down payment, the deposits on the bank statement was plenty of income to give Abasi and Amal competitive mortgage terms and their wish come true for the house in the country.

Unlike the Portfolio Creative loan programs, the Traditional mortgages are good for most homebuyers and people wanting to refinance. Traditional mortgage require very little down payment, a low market interest rates and some of the traditional programs allow other agencies to lend down payment assistance.

Today, there are a plethora of new, creative, outside the box mortgage programs that are funded by other sources and are not government type loans. They are creating a source of mortgage funding for people who have good credit and some extra money to invest, but offer approved financing for good borrowers who are getting tripped up with the strict regulations on the government backed loan programs.

Jenae finds the key to the treasure chest to fund her real estate investments

Jenae was working her 9-5 job and was doing ok, but that job alone could not give Jenae the lifestyle she wanted for herself and her family. “Passive income streams,” Jenae thought. “If I can build up multiple streams of income that will come to me whether I go to work or not—that is the life I want.”

A friend of the Jenae’s family invited her to attend some meetings of the local real estate investment group. Some of the people there had invested in real estate well over the years and no longer had to work their 9 to 5 jobs. She knew it was a long term plan, but it gave her hope.

Jenae’s credit was pretty good, but she did not have enough money to put down on buying multiple real estate properties.

For Jenae, the answer was getting a line of credit as a 2^nd lien on her primary residence to use and pay back as she could. She could borrow against her 401k retirement fund. She could bring on an investment partner and use their funds too.

Jenae met with her mortgage officer so she could explore a number of options based on the real estate properties she knew she wanted to buy.

The DSCR program was good for Jenae because there wasn’t as many restrictions for qualifying like on the more traditional products. These products did not require a lot of paperwork to prove income, because the only income used was the lease income on the house she wanted to purchase. The monthly lease income she got from the property needed to be at a 1 to 1 basis or with some positive cash flow. Even if she did not have a tenant in the property when she bought it, the mortgage company would simply use the estimated market rent the appraiser stated on the appraisal.

The DSCR program worked for Jenae for purchasing investment property and using the DSCR to get some cash out of an investment property with a cash out refinance.

If you are looking for a traditional mortgage with zero to 3.5% down payment OR you need a creative outside the box loan programs, let’s explore the best fit for you. What do YOU want to accomplish with your mortgage? I can help you find the right mortgage program and MAKE THE PROCESS EASY. Connect with me today at 901 482-0354 or Jogarner.com

Let’s you and I talk about YOUR plans to save on your mortgage costs or your plans to build your real estate portfolio. But you have to talk with me personally so I can work with you. You can connect with me at www.JoGarner.com or call me directly at (901) 482-0354. MAKE YOUR PLAN, LET’S WORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, DO IT TODAY!

MAKE YOUR PLAN. LET’S WORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, LET’S DO IT TODAY. I can make the mortgage process easy. Connect with me at www.JoGarner.com You can email me at Jo@JoGarner.com or call me at (901) 482-0354

REAL ESTATE TIP OF THE WEEK

Troy and Lynn McDonald, Erin McDonald Insurance Agency Tip of the Week : Tip: When you get a brand new roof on your home, contact your insurance agent to see if there are some discounts on your home insurance you can get because you have a new roof.

Ed Hill of Masters Roofing Real Estate Tip : Don’t give up when you are trying to get your insurance claim paid. During the storm or other incident causing damage to your home, make sure you have plenty of documentation of the damage and evidence of the occurrence.

Jo Garner’s tip

For getting approved for a mortgage:

1. Keep your credit scores as high as you can so you can get the lower rates and better terms. Don’t change anything on your credit during the mortgage process. Don’t open any new accounts, don’t add big balances to your credit cards.

2. Don’t change jobs and don’t change the way you are paid on your job during the mortgage process

3. Don’t add big deposits are withdrawal large amounts of money from your bank statements. You will have to document the source of the large deposits.

What do YOU want to accomplish with YOUR mortgage? I have the knowledge and experience. Let’s look at traditional mortgage products, alternative mortgage products and even combinations of products. I can help you get you what you need and make the mortgage process EASY. Jo Garner, Mortgage Loan Officer 901 482-0354 www.JoGarner.com

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Talk Shoppe equips with education, engages by offering connection opportunities between business people and empowers businesses in a supportive community. Talk Shoppe meets every Wednesday 9A-10A CT at Independent Planning Group’s conference room 110 at Clark Tower 5100 Poplar Ave 1^st floor Memphis, TN

(Thank you Manny Corless 901 808-8588 and Ben Hunter 901 660-2912 outstanding Financial Professionals at Independent Planning Group for being Talk Shoppe’s location sponsor)

Talk Shoppe on Wednesday June 11th, 2025 Come meet other business people. Shelby County Criminal Court Clerk, Heidi Kuhn will be presenting “Just Because You Have a Past, Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Have a Future” programs to help those who want to be good citizens following incarceration.

Talk Shoppe could not offer the free educational networking events free to our community without some very giving sponsors. Since we are talking about homeowners insurance claims today, let’s thank the man known for achieving the highest number of home break-ins over the centuries. Thank you to Talk Shoppe’s sponsor Chuck Bohannon, booking agent for Santa Claus. To make your summer events EXTRA memorable, invite Christmas In Summer Santa to your event. Contact Chuck Bohannon at 901 619-6436

Talk Shoppe is free to you because of the generosity of people like Talk Shoppe’s supporters, Reverend Jo Rook of Church of the Harvest in Olive Branch, MS 14707 Highway 302 in Olive Branch, Mississippi. They are holding a healing service this morning from 10am to 1pm If you or someone you know needs healing in your body, its not too late to drop by to Church of the Harvest 14707 Highway 302 Olive Branch, MS.

Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe reminds you to MAKE YOUR PLAN. LET’S WORK YOUR PLAN. IF THE DEAL WORKS FOR YOU TODAY, DO IT TODAY.

Subscribe for weekly Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe podcasts with show notes at www.JoGarner.com

SPECIAL NOTE: REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE DOES NOT ENDORSE 100% OF THE CONTENT ON THIS EPISODE. REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE RECOMMENDS THAT YOU CONSULT WITH A FINANCIAL, LEGAL OR OTHER CERTIFIED, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ACTING OR INVESTING ON ANYTHING YOU HEAR OR SEE FROM THE CONTENT ON THIS SHOW OR BLOG POSTS. THE INFORMATION WE SHARE ON REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE IS GENERAL IN NATURE MEANT FOR GENERAL EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, AND NOT AN OFFER TO LEND. EXAMPLES GIVEN FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ON REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE SHOPPE AND MOST ARE BASED ON TRUE STORIES BUT WE USE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND DO NOT DIRECTLY REFLECT REAL PEOPLE OR EXACT DETAILS IN ANY OF THE SITUATIONS. JO GARNER IS A LICENSED MORTGAGE LOAN ORIGINATOR. (EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY)

QUOTE CORNER:

“Good luck doesn’t last forever, but good insurance does” anonymous

REJOINDERS:

1. Mark McLaurine of Refrigeration Unlimited 901 216-7782

2. Rob Draughon and Shelley Rothman Griffin, Clift Everton and Maschmeyer 901 752-1133

3. Clint Cooper of Redeemers Group foundation repair www.RedeemersGroup.com

Transitional Music: “Money Song” by the Muppets; “Money Song” by Monte Python; “You Can’t Take No For an Answer” the Muppets; “Taking Care of Business” Bachman Turner Overdrive for Talk Shoppe Business Tip

PICK UP YOUR COPY OF “CHOOSING THE BEST MORTGAGE-THE QUICKEST WAY TO THE LIFE YOU WANT” by: JO GARNER

An essential guide for real estate professionals and their customers.

On Amazon and Barnes and Noble

ABOUT ED HILL OF MASTERS ROOFING

Ed Hill has been in the residential roofing industry since 2008 and has been Senior Consultant with Masters Roofing Memphis TN since 2010.  He has personally assisted about 800 homeowners with roof replacement and many others with roof and exterior repairs.  He is an active member of the Greater Memphis Business Network International chapter and is the official Masters Roofing consultant to TPC Southwind.  He holds three earned degrees including a doctorate but tries not to let those get in his way of serving his customers!  For free roof advice, free inspections, and free estimates and bids for roof replacement or roof repair call Ed Hill at 901-273-6594. Learn more at #EdHillMastersRoofing and at MemphisHomeMaintenanceShow.Podbean.Com

Ed Hill, Senior Consultant

Masters Roofing

2845 Stage Center Cove

Bartlett TN 38134

901-273-6594

EdHill.MastersRoofing@gmail.com

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ABOUT JO GARNER-MORTGAGE LOAN OFFICER:

www.JoGarner.com (901) 482 0354 jo@jogarner.com X @jogarner NMLS# 757308

(currently working with Everitt Financial dba Supreme Lending)

ONLINE LOAN APPLICATION : https://jogarner.supremelendingLO.com

“Whatever YOUR personal priorities are, my job is to help you get the mortgage terms that will give you bragging rights when you talk about it and help you score on hitting your goals .”

As a mortgage loan officer, my job is to help you get to the benefits you want from your financing terms. What is most important to you? I can help you find the financing terms that will help you get to what you want. What is your comfort level on a house payment? How much are you comfortable paying down,? What type of financing do you need to get the house you want to buy or refinance?

Different clients have different priorities in life—some are buying their first home with very little down payment funds. Some are recovering from medical challenges, divorces or preparing to send children to college and some are embarking on a long term goal of buying properties to build rental income.”

Jo Garner is a mortgage officer with extensive knowledge in helping her clients find the right mortgage program and making the refinance or home purchase mortgage process EASY. She offers conventional, FHA, VA or other loan programs for primary residences, second homes and investment properties.

Jo can help you look at rent vs buy, when it makes sense to refinance, how to get the best deal on your home purchase financing.

Jo Garner has been in the real estate/financing business for over 30 years.  She grew up in West Tennessee and got her start in real estate in Portland, Maine where she first began her real estate career. She received her real estate education from the University of Southern Maine  and was personally mentored in San Diego, California  by Robert G. Allen, author of Nothing Down, Creating

*Wealth and The Challenge.

On moving back to West Tennessee in 1987, she went into business buying and selling discounted owner-financed notes secured on real estate.  In 1990 Jo went to work for a residential mortgage company and has been a mortgage loan officer for over 30 years. 

In addition to her work in the mortgage field, Jo Garner  is the primary sponsor and founder of Talk Shoppe in Memphis. www.TalkShoppe.com Jo Garner also host the radio show Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe airing on News Radio AM 600 WREC and iHeart Radio with podcasts and show notes published on www.JoGarner.com Pick up Jo Garner’s book on Amazon or Barnes Noble “Choosing the Best Mortgage-The Quickest Way to the Life You Want”