Ready When You Are
Loans With
Andy Stephens
Let's find the loan that actually fits. Shopping more than 140 lenders happens to be the whole point.
Smart Mortgages
Better Prices
You should not have to choose between great service and a competitive rate. I shop more than 140 lenders on your behalf, so you see a real range of options before you decide. Clear advice, fast pre-approvals, and a phone that gets answered.
How It Works
Pre-Approval
Made Simple
Meet Your Advisor
A short discovery call. We cover your timeline, your budget, and what you're actually trying to do.
Complete Application
The digital application takes about fifteen minutes, on your desktop or your phone.
Submit Documents
Secure upload, a full review by me, and a clear list of anything still outstanding.
Get Pre-Approved
A real pre-approval letter you can send with an offer, on your schedule — not bank hours.
Why Me
More options.
More attention.
Fewer surprises.
I am a broker, not a bank. A loan officer inside a bank can only sell you that bank's money at that bank's price. My files go out across more than 140 wholesale lenders, and they compete for your business.
You work with me from the first phone call through the closing table. Same person, same number, every step. Not a 1-800 line and a file that gets reassigned twice.
My Story
I came to lending the long way around. I grew up in Illinois, served in the military, and moved my family to the Upper Cumberland. I used my own VA benefit to buy a house here, which is why VA files are personal to me — I have read the entitlement math on my own loan, not just a training slide.
Most of what I do is unglamorous and it matters. Reading the contract closely. Catching the deadline nobody calendared. Calling you before you have to call me.
Outside of work I am married with two kids, I am in the gym most mornings, and my faith shapes how I run this business — which mostly means I would rather tell you the timing is not right than write a loan you should not have.
Where I Lend
The Upper Cumberland,
Middle Tennessee, and
wherever you are headed next.
Also serving Algood, Baxter, Monterey, Sparta, Crossville, Livingston, Gainesboro and Smithville — and licensed in Tennessee, Texas, Arizona and California.
Loan Products
Financing built around
who you actually are.
VA Veteran
Zero down, no monthly mortgage insurance. We walk your entitlement, funding fee exemption and certificate of eligibility line by line, including second-tier entitlement if you still own a home.
USDA Rural
Most of the Upper Cumberland qualifies. No down payment, income limits set by county, and an eligibility map most agents have never actually checked.
FHA
3.5% down with room for lower credit scores and higher debt ratios. Often the strongest option on a first purchase or after a rough credit stretch.
Conventional
As little as 3% down for first-time buyers, and mortgage insurance that comes off once you have built equity — unlike FHA.
Self-Employed & Investor
Bank statement, P&L and DSCR programs that qualify you on deposits or on the rent the property brings in, rather than a tax return written to minimize income.
Construction & Renovation
One-time close construction and renovation financing that rolls the work into the loan on a property that is not finished yet.
Payment Estimator
See the whole payment,
not just principal
and interest.
Estimated Monthly Payment
$0 /mo
These amounts are estimates for illustration and planning. They are not guaranteed, and what you actually pay may differ. Estimates exclude HOA dues and flood insurance; your obligation will be higher where those apply. This is not a quote, an approval, or a commitment to lend.
What Clients Say
In their words.
“He went above and beyond to teach and educate us through the whole process.”
— Jackson Curtis · First-Time Buyer
“If it wasn’t for his tenacity, we would have missed out.”
— Chad Ruger · Homebuyer
“I’ve worked with nearly every lender in town. Andy stands out.”
— Amber Flynn-Jared · Realtor
FAQ
Questions people
ask me first.
What is the difference between a broker and a bank?
A bank sells you its own money at its own price. As a broker I submit your file to a panel of more than 140 wholesale lenders and bring back what they offer. Some weeks that is a better rate. Some weeks it is the difference between an approval and a decline, because the lender who says no to self-employed income sits right next to the one who writes it every day.
How much do I need for a down payment?
Less than most people think. VA and USDA can be zero down, FHA is 3.5%, and some conventional programs start at 3% for first-time buyers. The right answer depends on your credit, the property and how long you plan to hold it — which is what the first call is for.
Will a pre-approval hurt my credit?
A mortgage inquiry has a small, short-lived effect. Multiple mortgage inquiries inside a shopping window are typically treated as one event by scoring models, so shopping does not compound the impact.
I am self-employed. Can I still qualify?
Yes. Beyond standard tax-return underwriting there are bank statement and P&L programs that qualify you on deposits, and DSCR programs for investment property that qualify on the rent instead of your personal income.
How long does closing take?
Most purchase files close in about thirty days, and cleaner files move faster. The timeline is driven by the appraisal, the title work and how quickly conditions get cleared — all three of which I stay on top of so you are not the one chasing.
Get Started
Call, text, or send me
the address you are
looking at.
Most first conversations take fifteen minutes and cost nothing. If the timing is not right yet, I will tell you that too, and what to work on between now and then.
- Call or Text
- 931-526-3364
- andrew@tlcco.com
- Book a Call
- 30 minutes on Zoom
- Apply
- Secure application
Licensed To Lend In
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Arizona
- California
Based in Cookeville, Tennessee. Serving the Upper Cumberland and, by phone and secure upload, everywhere else I am licensed.