In 1972, I started my Business Career servicing new home construction sites in the growing suburbs of the greater Santa Clara County. This led to becoming a Licensed Building Contractor with the eventual growth of hiring 150 employees that included the Contract Services for Commercial and Industrial Properties throughout the Bay Area.

In 1986, after experiencing a boom in the Commercial and Residential New Construction market, I soon realized that the next growth industry for Housing in this Valley would be in Property Improvement and Resale. Hence, I became a Licensed Realtor and with my contractor experience, I began to channel all my interests into helping Sellers, Buyers and Investors make wise choices in the rising value of home ownership and improvement here in “Silicon Valley.”

In 1995, I added Mortgage Loan Origination as an additional service to my clients and Community Trust Mortgage was formed.  Having a Mortgage Origination office alongside an established Real Estate Company has enabled me to become considerably more innovative in providing tailor-made mortgages for my clients in their home purchase or refinance. And for sellers, it has solved considerable problems in a transaction when a buyer of one of my properties listed for sale, has needed help beyond what his Realtor or Mortgage Broker could provide. This has permitted me to not only market their property for the best price, in the shortest time, but also provide clients with mortgage services that meet the needs of both Buyer and Seller in a competitive market.

As an example of this: During the recent housing boom, many sellers received multiple offers for their homes at the dismay of anxious buyers. In representing Buyers in 16 offers that year, I succeeded in winning the home for my clients 13 times!  Yet our offer was never the highest and often the lowest!! WHY was my Buyer’s offer accepted and others rejected? The answer is simple: No loan or appraisal contingency in a 10-20 day closing period with all inspections and repair estimates completed within a minimal time period. Only a Realtor/Mortgage Broker with an assortment of Mortgage Products and Building Contractor Experience can make an offer like that!

Now, due to the Sub-Prime Mortgage decline, we at Stevensen & Neal Realtors, along with Jim Hustler in our REO department, have established new relationships with Lenders, Home Retention and Loss Mitigation Departments to help Borrowers avoid default and keep their most important possession, Their Home. Assisting over encumbered properties to sell quickly at their current appraised value has enabled Borrowers retain a good credit rating and helped Lenders to reduce their loss. Our Property Management Department and Building Contractor experience has greatly improved the marketability of REO and neglected properties or "fixer-uppers," thereby reducing the listing period and monetary loss in a declining market. Also, by providing the most appropriate and responsible mortgage products to prospective Buyers, there are no "TFT's!" We pre-qualify all Buyers, regardless of who represents them. Over the years we have built relationships with the following Loan Servicers and Lenders with their REO properties: