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Guaranteed Rate Mortgage & Refinance

4.5 Stars (1 Review)
Updated: February 3, 2023
By: Jonathan Trout
Jonathan Trout
Content Manager
Jonathan is a former product and content manager for Retirement Living. His background spans sales/marketing, finance, and telecommunications. Jonathan’s expertise in consumer wellness and research-backed data stories helped educate seniors on financial planning, retirement, and community resources. Jonathan graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. in Environmental Sociology.
Content Manager
Edited By: Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith
Sr. Content Manager
As Retirement Living’s senior content manager, Jeff oversees the product and publishing of all retirement, investing, and consumer wellness content on the site. His extensive expertise in brand messaging and creating data-driven stories helps position Retirement Living as a top authority for senior content and community resources.
Sr. Content Manager

Guaranteed Rate is the company behind the world’s first digital mortgage. It has been helping families get mortgage loans since the year 2000. At that time, Victor Ciardelli and a few like-minded mortgage and real estate professionals found a way to put the customer at the center of the mortgage process by using technology and experts in the banking industry. Guaranteed Rate started with 15 people in Chicago and now has over 3,000 dedicated mortgage professionals serving customers in all 50 states.

Editorial Breakdown

Account Options 4.5 Stars
Resources 4.3 Stars
Customer Service 4.5 Stars
Mobile Banking 4.8 Stars
Overall Rating 4.5 Stars

Bottom Line

Guaranteed Rate offers multiple loan products including conventional and VA home loans. You'll find transparent fees, low rates and the use of advanced technology to help streamline the loan process.

Guaranteed Rate Review

Guaranteed Rate is the company we named as having the Great Online Experience in our Best VA Loans Guide. It is one of the nation’s largest retail mortgage lenders with an origination volume of $19 billion in 2017. The lender differentiates itself from the competition with transparent fees, low rates, a very high level of service and technology that streamlines and simplifies the entire mortgage process.

Guaranteed Rate won the 2018 Best Online Mortgage Lender FinTech Breakthrough Award for its 100 percent secure digital lending platform. The lender offers conventional financing options as well as VA loans to allow eligible veterans to buy or refinance a home without private mortgage insurance or a down payment.

Pros

  • Offers multiple mortgage loan options alongside VA loans
  • Licensed to originate loans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
  • Convenient online mortgage application and pre-approval

Cons

  • Some states have no physical branches

Guaranteed Rate VA Loans

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Guaranteed Rate issued over $806 million in VA mortgage loans last year with a $308,063 average mortgage loan amount. Backed by the federal government, VA loans offer more flexibility and several advantages compared to other mortgages, making these loans an excellent option for those who qualify.

Guaranteed Rate VA Loan Programs*
Program Features
VA Purchase Loan
  • No down payment or PMI
  • Fewer credit restrictions
  • Financial assistance with closing costs
  • Lower interest rates
  • Maximum $420,00 to $720,000 depending on location
VA New Construction
  • May require a down payment
  • Most features are the same as a purchase loan
  • Contact local Construction and Valuation advisers for the maximum loan amount
VA Energy Efficient Mortgages
VA Mortgage Refinance
  • VA Streamline: Refinance a VA loan to a new VA loan with a simplified application process
  • Cash-Out: Use home equity to pay bills or refinance a conventional mortgage to a VA loan

*Guaranteed Rate also offers conventional loans, FHA loans, jumbo nonconforming loans and interest-only mortgage loans.

How to Apply for a Guaranteed Rate VA Loan

Guaranteed Rate has 300 local branches across all states except Alabama, Arkansas and West Virginia, and no matter where you are, you can apply online by completing a form on the website. Enter the type of VA loan you are interested in, purchase price, down payment (if any), the state the property is located in, your name and email address. Most loans can be processed electronically, so you don’t have to leave your home other than to meet with a local representative to close on your mortgage.

If you have questions before starting the application process, Guaranteed Rate lists a phone number and email address at the top of the form to get answers. You can look up the current day’s rates, use the mortgage calculator or the Knowledge Center on the website without entering any information.

Guaranteed Rate Mortgage Rate Comparison

Guaranteed Rate provides up-to-date mortgage rates for conventional, FHA and VA loans. Rates listed are within a few hours old. Below is an example of their mortgage rates side-by-side so you can easily compare.

Guaranteed Rate

Source: Guaranteed Rate

Guaranteed Rate Complaints

Overall, Guaranteed Rate gets high marks from nearly every trusted consumer rating site, with customers speaking highly about the personalized service, ease of use and efficiency of the agents. The lender’s client satisfaction surveys since 2007 reflect an average of 95 percent customer satisfaction.

  • Zillow readers give Guaranteed Rate 4.96 out of 5 stars with over 7,000 ratings
  • Nearly 1,000 Lending Tree users give the company an even higher rating at 5 out of 5 stars
  • ConsumerAffairs readers give the lender 1.8 stars with 33 ratings, but Guaranteed Rate staff responded to negative comments with an offer to speak directly to unhappy customers to resolve the problem.
  • ConsumerAdvocate scores the company an 8 on a scale of 10
  • The Better Business Bureau gives Guaranteed Rate an “A” rating with 149 customer reviews, and the lender is BBB Accredited
Guaranteed Rate Estimator

Monthly Payment Estimator, Source: Guaranteed Rate

Guaranteed Rate VA Product-related FAQ

  • What are the eligibility requirements to receive a Guaranteed Rate VA loan?
    Veterans who meet government requirements regarding length of service, active duty service members who have served for a minimum period, certain National Guard members, reservists and surviving spouses of deceased veterans are all eligible for VA loans. See VA Loan Eligibility and Requirements for details.

  • What are the VA loan interest rates from Guaranteed Rate?
    Guaranteed Rate lists daily interest rates for VA and all other loans on the website, so you can get an idea of what your rate might be. However, final mortgage interest rates depend on the amount of the loan, your credit and work history, your debt to income ratio and other factors. You will have to fill out an online loan application or contact a Guaranteed Rate representative to obtain a VA loan rate quote, which should be very competitive.

  • How much are Guaranteed Rate VA loan closing costs?
    Guaranteed Rate will show you all costs associated with your proposed mortgage, and the costs vary, so we can’t give you an estimate. Typically, closing costs on a VA loan consist of a loan origination fee (usually one percent of loan amount), loan discount points, credit report, appraisal fee, hazard insurance and real estate tax escrow, VA funding fee, title insurance and a recording fee. VA loan regulations allow the seller to pay these expenses, so you can write this into your offer to purchase.

  • I don’t want to enter my information online. Can I still get a VA loan from Guaranteed Rate?
    Yes, you can apply in person for a loan with Guaranteed Rate. Use the branch locator on the website to find the address and phone number for the closest branch, then call to schedule an appointment with a loan representative. If there are no branches located close to you, give Guaranteed Rate a call to start the VA loan process.

  • How do I know a Guaranteed Rate VA loan is my best mortgage option?
    To compare mortgages, use the Intuitive Loan Finder on Guaranteed Rate’s website by clicking on the red Let’s Get Started button at the bottom of the Loan Options page, then fill in the step-by-step details. You can also call a representative to compare VA loans to conventional mortgages. The VA loan has many money-saving benefits, but another type of loan may fit your financial profile better.

Conclusion

Our research shows Guaranteed Rate is a reliable company with excellent reviews from satisfied customers, both past and present. An easy to navigate website and loan agents who are personable and knowledgeable make the company worth considering for your VA mortgage loan needs.


1 Guaranteed Rate Reviews

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1 Star

June 05 2020 11:22PM

One feature that made me choose Guaranteed Rate was the ability to lock a rate and then re-lock it once without a fee when interest rates go down. When I asked my loan contact, Thomas K, about if I was able to do that, his response was incredibly unprofessional: I had clarified to him that I wanted to make sure he took into account the points I bought, my credit history and down payment when calculating the potential lower rate.

I included those details because I wanted to be sure we were on the same page, because he had made a fairly serious mistake previously when I asked about a relock, comparing my loan with a completely different type of loan. He assumed I had a 30 year FHA, when I actually had a 15 year conventional. (I did not tell him this was my reason for including those details.) He responded with petty insinuations that I should be happy with the rate I got, and that Guaranteed Rate even took my business at all, and that his credentials make him above question. And that they got me the close date I wanted.

In short, he did not address my inquiry at all, just pushed back with passive aggressive weirdness. Thomas K did not even begin the process of looking into whether I would qualify for a lower rate or not. (And if I didn't qualify I was fine with that, I just wanted to know either way.) He took my inquiry personally and all I got was a terse attitude.

His teammate Jeremy S was just as bad-- it was like they took my benign inquiry (about a feature that GR offers its clients) as some kind of affront, and tried to make me feel like I was being some ungrateful cheapskate. All for doing something that ANYONE would do: take them up on their OFFER to lower their rate when applicable.

Julie M.
Brooklyn Park, MN
1
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