Ryan Miles, Louisville mortgage broker. Eighteen years of this, and roughly 1,800 loans closed.

Born here, still here

I grew up in Louisville and went to the University of Louisville. I started in the mortgage business in 2007, straight out of college, which means my first few years on the job were the years the whole industry came apart. It was an unusual education. Everything since — the refinance waves, the rate spikes, the stretches where nothing made sense — has been easier to read for having started there.

Somewhere in that span sits between 1,800 and 2,000 closed loans. A lot of that came from volume-based consumer-direct shops, where you learn to move quickly and you learn what actually stalls a file. I publish the bottom of that range rather than the top, because I would rather be conservative about my own numbers than round them in my favour.

Why I went independent

For nearly all of my career I worked for large companies. When you do that, you sell what your company sells. If a borrower's situation does not fit the products on your shelf, the answer is no — not because no is correct, but because it is the only answer available to you.

I became an independent broker so I could stop giving that answer. Now I place a file wherever it actually belongs, across a network of more than 200 lenders whose guidelines differ from one another in ways that decide real outcomes. The same borrower who gets declined at one lender is entirely ordinary at another. Knowing which is which is the job.

It cost me something to do this. Going independent meant leaving behind years of accumulated reviews, since they lived on my former employers' websites. I am rebuilding that from scratch, which is a fair trade for being able to do the work properly.

What working with me is like

I explain things. If you want to know why one option beats another, I will show you the numbers rather than assert it. Rate is one variable among several — fees, mortgage insurance, program choice, and how long you actually plan to keep the house all move what a loan really costs, and two lenders can look identical while pricing very differently.

If what I can offer is not the right thing for you, I will say so. That includes telling you to wait, telling you a different program fits better than the one you called about, or telling you the loan you already have beats anything I could write. I would rather be the person you trust for a straight answer than the person who closed you once.

I am local and I am reachable. Call or text me directly at (502) 457-6615. If you would rather sit down in person, we can do that.

Some things about me that turn out to matter

I own investment property, so DSCR and investment financing in Kentucky is not something I read about in a product sheet. My own income is self-employed, which means the frustration of a tax return that does not describe your actual finances is familiar rather than theoretical — and it is why bank statement lending in Kentucky gets proper attention here. And I have bought in this market myself, recently enough to remember what it feels like.

I am a member of BNI, and I have taught classes and given presentations at real estate offices around Louisville. Explaining this stuff is the part of the job I actually enjoy.