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I was well taken care of and my emails/phone calls were responded to quickly. I was met with friendly, knowledgeable, courteous and professional personnel. As I m not adept with today's technology, Guaranteed Rate walked me through the steps one by one until I was able to complete the documents. Kudos to that. Thank you so much for a pleasant experience.

Jeanette M. - Lake Barrington, IL | MAY 2017

Rich Postlethwait and his crew are very knowledgeable which turned out to be very helpful to me. I ended up lowering my interest rate two days prior to closing and Rich told me that he would get everything done on time and he was right. Closing went on smoothly. This is the second home my family and I bought thru Guaranteed Rate in three years. Looking forward to work with Rich and his team again in a near future. Thank you!

Ludian M. - Arlington Heights, IL | APR 2017

Rich and his team were fabulous - their customer response was right on target!

Teresa K. - Arlington Heights, IL | APR 2017

I can't imagine purchasing a home without Rich Postlethwait and Guaranteed Rate! The team kept me up to speed on a daily basis, answered all my crazy questions, and were extremely friendly and professional. I'm very appreciative of all their dedication to make the loan process extremely easy. Many thanks!

Kelly M. - Algonquin, IL | MAR 2017

Rich Postlethwait has a very difficult name to spell but after that he is the best and most approachable realtor I could imagine. His knowledge and ability to communicate it in terms that a layman can understand is unequaled. Rich is extremely personable whether in person or on the phone. This characteristic is passed on to all the people who work with him which allows the customer to be relaxed and confident when asking questions or getting advise. I would recommend and have in the past...

Henry R. - Skokie, IL | NOV 2016

Rich Postlethwait was an absolute pleasure to work with! That man is a true professional and I couldn't ask for a better experience.

Mark L. - Tower Lakes, IL | NOV 2016

Loved the service! We especially appreciated Rich's detailed explanation of the points of the loan. We never had that explained so well! He was patient with all our questions. We highly recommend Rich Postlethwait. The staff at Guaranteed Rate we courteous and helpful with questions as well. Our loan was processed quickly and efficiently. We recommend Guaranteed Rate!

David E. - Lakewood, IL | NOV 2016

Rich has been our "go to guy" for re-financing for many years now. He continues to do an incredible job, is easy to reach and we've always been extremely satisfied with his professionalism and complete knowledge of the industry. He is a real asset to your company!

Keith G. - Arlington Heights, IL | OCT 2016

Rich was absolutely terrific with assisting myself and my husband buy our house. He was informative, helpful and extremely timely and attentive. I have worked in the banking industry for the last 10 years, and I can honestly say that Rich is the best of the best! We will recommend him to all of our family and friends.

Michael M. - Arlington Heights, IL | OCT 2016

Awesome team! My son was critically injured in an accident limiting my access and availability. Rich and team stepped up and made the process as easy as possible. Can't thank them enough!

Anthony S. - Algonquin, IL | OCT 2016

Each person involved in processing my loan application was knowledgeable and competent, resulting in an efficient outcome. Beyond their ability, their attitudes and customer orientation made it a pleasure to work with them. Thanks to Rich and his excellent staff for such a positive loan experience! You can be certain that I will recommend Guaranteed Rate to others.

Karen I. - Elgin, IL | Sept 2016

Rich was great and everyone always answered us in a timely manner. We always felt like their top priority.

Matthew S. - Fox River Grove, IL | JUL 2016

Rich and Mary were wonderful to work with on our new mortgage. We had a condensed timeline of less than 30 days and they made it happen for us! THANK YOU!

Michael E. - Crystal Lake, IL | JUL 2016

As a first time buyer, Guaranteed Rate helped me a lot. The process was fast and easy for me. Thank you so much for the support to walk me through this whole process.

Laura P. -North Chicago, IL | APR 2016

We love Guaranteed Rate because they helped us in every way to make our loan happen. Never once did we feel that Rich and his team were unable to guide us and help see us through with the purchase of our very first home! Thank You Guaranteed Rate for making our dreams come true!

Kevin H. -Lake In The Hills, IL | APR 2016

Rich Postlethwait gives excellent customer service! I would highly recommend him to anyone!

Thomas B. -Crystal Lake, IL | MAR 2016

Rich and his team did such an amazing job helping us with our loan. We had a short sale, and were first time home buyers. Plus we had a million questions, and Guaranteed Rate gave us the most helpful information to make our decision. The online forms were so easy to send throughout our loan process, and we received daily emails and alerts to let us know how the process was going. We had such a pleasant first time experience and would highly recommend Rich and his team at Guaranteed Rate! Thanks...

Blake L. -Algonquin, IL | MAR 2016

Rich was very helpful, informative and supportive throughout the entire year long process of finding our new home. He made it easy to understand what we could afford and made the whole process easy to understand. Everyone who assisted us was very kind, efficient and helpful. Our loan was processed quickly and when our closing was delayed on our sale they were great to work with and made sure our own loan was not affected. We have already recommended your services to a friend who is looking to...

Cynthia M. - Schaumburg, IL | Jan. 2016

Rich and his team had excellent response time to all of our questions and were very patient with us as we had many questions. His team is very knowledgeable and worked hard to get us the best deal. Very trustworthy and excellent customer service from everyone. Extremely pleased with how smoothly the purchase of our new home went!

Matthew B. – West Chicago, IL | SEP 2015

Rich explained everything to me, made the process easier.

Gregg P. – Glenview, IL | June 2015

Rich and his staff were very thorough. Very helpful!

Melissa C. – Bartlett, IL | May. 2015

Rich Postlethwait went above and beyond to make sure we were able to purchase another home. We have worked with him for 15 years and have never been disappointed. He is always friendly, follows up on details and is immediately available whenever there is a question.

Robert K. – Naperville, IL | Mar. 2015

My loan officer Rich Postlewait, was pleasant and knowledgeable. The service was efficient!

Albert S. – Streamwood, IL | Feb. 2015

Extremely impressed with everyone at Guaranteed rate, made this home buying experience as pain free as possible!

Kevin R. - Cary, IL | Dec. 2014

Rich and his team went over and beyond helping and working with myself and the association.

Meredith M. -- 11/17/2014

Rich was AMAZING!

Laura D. -- Chicago, IL. 9/11/2014

Rich was excellent! He quickly took care of all of the necessary paperwork!

Jean Claude R. -- Palatine, IL 7/21/2014

Rich is the definition of a "true professional"! He is very communicative and reliable. He's an excellent loan officer with high motivation! I could not be happier with the experience that I had with Rich and Guaranteed Rate!

Frank K. -- Chicago, IL 4/24/2014

"I can't say enough about how wonderful my experience was! From beginning to end, the Guaranteed Rate team was phenomenal to work with! Rich even went out of his way to present multiple options and get me pre-approved. My realtor, Elizabeth Sincox has worked with Rich for many years and highly reccomended him and I've already referred Rich and his team to a few friends who are currently looking for a new home."

Christina K. -- Barrington, IL -- 9/ 2013

"Our Loan Officer was wonderful... Rich really looked at our unique situation and made it possible to do what we wanted. The application process was easier and the length of time for the whole loan process was faster than I expected. Thanks!"

Jennifer R. -- Riverside, IL. -- 5/ 2013

We really appreciate you and the work that you do. We will refer you like crazy to any of our friends looking to buy :)

Jennifer O., Chicago, IL

Thanks to Rich and his team, the process of refinancing our mortgage was practically a nonevent. We now have a lower rate of interest on our primary home mortgage and look forward to many years in our home of 32 years. The information required was detailed for us and put in proper format for the closer. The closer was very professional and did a first rate job, all in the comfort of our home. We would recommend Guaranteed Rate, Inc. to everyone with the caveat that Rich Postlethwait and...

Terri and Gates R. Skokie, IL 3/2012

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Rich interview Q&A

How long have you been in the mortgage business and what inspired you to get into it?

I have worked in the mortgage industry for more than 25 years. As a loan officer, I attribute a lot of my success to starting at the bottom. I began my career working for a large bank as a loan processor and learned how to arrange, organize and submit clean loan files to underwriting with the goal of getting them approved the first time. Underwriters would continually compliment me on the quality of the loan files I submitted to them. As a loan officer today, those initial building blocks have enabled me to make the process of getting a mortgage more understandable and pain free despite the ever growing complexity required. My transition from loan processor to loan officer came quickly once I realized that I was more of a people person and had more of an opportunity to meet that desire meeting borrowers, Realtors and attorneys face to face. I\'m one of those guys that fits the saying, \"choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life\". I can\'t imagine doing anything else.

What advice would you give new or first time home buyers?

Trust your Realtor and loan officer and don\'t be afraid to ask questions. I never want to hear a borrower say, \"I had a question over the weekend and was going to call you --but I didn\'t want to bother you\". I always remind them that we don\'t get paid by the hour. We only get paid if it closes and the best part is that they don\'t have to pay us ...the Realtor gets paid by the seller and I get paid by the bank that ends up buying their mortgage from us. Helping first time home buyers de-mystify the mortgage process is one of the best things I like about my job.

What part of the home loan process do customers find most difficult and how do you help them through it?

Understanding how much cash you need at closing seems to be the most difficult thing to understand. Borrowers need to understand that they will still need to bring money to closing even if they are doing a "no cost" mortgage. I address how much cash is required to close at the initial loan application and start these conversations by asking the borrower to get a pen and piece of paper so they can write the information down and follow along. I don't rely on the credit report to calculate how much cash will be needed at closing on a refinance. Instead, I call the current mortgage company to find out what the current balance is and even adjust balance based on future payments that will be made prior to closing so we know exactly how much will be owed at closing.

Summary of where you grew up: family, affiliations, college, high school, etc.

I was born in Akron, Ohio and have fond memories of learning to ride my bike at the Good Year blimp hangar where my grandfather worked for over 40 years. I had an older brother and still have 2 younger sisters. By 5th grade, we moved to Springville, Iowa ... a small farm town of 1,200 people. My mom and dad bought a 40 acre farm and to say that I worked hard as a kid would be an understatement. I absolutely learned the value of hard work growing up. I graduated high school in a class of 52 students and headed off to Iowa State University to get a degree in Agricultural Business ... I mean Mathematics ... I mean Computer Science. Ok, I wasn\'t quite sure what I wanted to do back in those days. I graduated from Roosevelt University with a degree in Computer Science at the same time I was working for Citibank as a loan processor. From there I became a mortgage loan officer and 25 years later I can tell you that through all the ups and downs this business has gone through, I wouldn\'t do anything different. I love what I do. I am married to the love of my life and we have 4 kids that keep us laughing and crying as we work to grow them up and release them into this world.

Tell us something that makes you unique or something wacky, yet interesting about you?

I have played tennis for the last 20 years and my doubles partner is 81 and we are a force to be reckoned with. I converted our old screened in porch into a ping pong room and even have a robot and recapture net so I can play by myself. Check out the video on my Facebook page or the demo at www.robopong.com. If you look in my trunk, you will generally find my tennis racquet, golf clubs, croquet set, Frisbee, bocce ball set, badminton set and geocaching bag (check it out at www.geocaching.com) I love being active and playing games.

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