I'm Rick Elmendorf. While VA lending is my specialty — with the national ranking to prove it — my team brings the same standard of excellence and speed to conventional, FHA, jumbo, and non-traditional financing. Exact numbers before you offer, and a closing strategy that wins houses.
#12 in the nation for VA loan production — 2025 Scotsman's Guide*
Most lenders quietly add underwriting, processing, and application fees to a VA closing — and many still charge origination on top. On my team, every one of those lines reads the same way: $0.
That's not a promotion. It's how we've always run VA loans — because the benefit was earned, and my job is making sure you keep it.
Check out the numbers for yourself — get the Purchase Worksheet →
Most loan officers touch a VA loan a few times a year. For me, it's the loan I specialize in — and we have the national ranking to prove it. My entire operation is built around VA production: a team that lives in the VA guidelines, pre-approvals in hours, and files structured to close in days, not months. We've done this thousands of times. That's what makes it fast and easy for you.
No underwriting, processing, or application fees on VA loans — savings that typically run into the thousands at the closing table.
When the deal demands it, my VA buyers close in under two weeks — my fastest ever is 8 days. Speed is an offer strategy.
Fully underwritten up front, so where appropriate you can strengthen — or waive — the contingencies that make sellers nervous.
Exact loan amount, rate scenarios, payment, and cash to close for every house you consider. Run your own numbers. No surprises.
VA guidelines often let us exclude your departing home's payment when you qualify — so you can buy the next house without selling first.
Entitlement tied up in another property? Second-tier and bonus entitlement can still mean 100% financing on your next home.
We review your full credit history — not just a number — so more service members qualify than the big-bank checkbox allows.
Rate's exclusive program: qualified Veterans can purchase with a true no-down-payment option. Your COE? We help pull it — usually same day.
I've spent three decades in some of the most competitive housing markets in the country, and I built my business around one belief: the people who earned the VA benefit deserve a lender who has mastered it.
That's why my team runs VA loans differently — no lender junk fees, fully underwritten pre-approvals in hours, a Purchase Worksheet with your exact numbers, and a personal call from me to the listing agent on every offer you make. And when your next move is conventional, FHA, jumbo, or a refinance, the standard doesn't change.
And when the move includes selling a home, my listing program — Project My Home® — carries the same mission: helping military sellers relocate, getting the home sold for top dollar, and making housing affordable for the next family by building a real financing package into the listing itself.
You served. This benefit is yours. My job is to make sure you get every dollar of it.
— Rick Elmendorf, SVP of Mortgage Lending, RATE · NMLS #485091
No mystery, no waiting by the phone. Here's exactly what happens after you hit "Start My Application."
Complete the digital mortgage — a soft credit pull, so no ding to your score — and select programs and rates right on the spot.
My team runs your numbers fast and emails your pre-approval letter — normally within a couple of hours. Fully underwritten, not a checkbox.
A 1-on-1 video call: rates, market, offer and money strategy. I update your worksheet live and send you a video recap.
You shop; I stay close. My clients get my personal cell. Need a great agent? I'm connected nationwide with agents who understand military moves.
I work with your agent and personally call the listing agent to cement the financing side of your offer — so the seller knows your money is solid. Most lenders never make that call.
Once you're under contract, we order the appraisal, submit to underwriting, and work through conditions — my team chases the paperwork so you don't. You get a weekly status update, then clear to close, final numbers, and keys.
Pre-approval timelines are typical, not guaranteed, and subject to complete application and underwriting review. Soft credit inquiry at initial application; a full credit report is required prior to final approval.
Sell here. Buy there. One team for the whole move.
I built Project My Home® for families who have to sell one house and buy another at the same time — usually in two different states, usually on somebody else's timeline. If that's you, even if the move is months out, this is the conversation to have before you list.
Here's what you get that you can't get anywhere else. Builders attach financing incentives to their homes so buyers show up ready to write an offer. Nobody does that for regular sellers. We do. We attach a builder-style lending package to your listing — and we fund the marketing and open-house push behind it.
You also get a Project My Home Certified Agent — an agent I've vetted personally who understands military moves — and one team running the sale here and the financing there. No handoffs. Nobody dropping the baton.
Already listed and it isn't moving? Call me anyway. This is exactly the problem the program was built for — I'll bring the financing package to your agent and we'll go get the house sold. You don't have to switch agents to work with me.
It costs you nothing to find out what your home would look like with all of that behind it. If you're selling, or trying to, call me first.
I connect you with a Project My Home Certified Agent in your market — vetted by me, trained on military timelines. You're not hunting through strangers online hoping you picked right.
Financing advantages attached to your home the way a builder does it — so buyers come to your door ready to write. We fund the marketing and the open-house push behind it.
Sale and purchase synced — timelines, funds, paperwork. And your VA benefit travels with you, so the next home can still be $0 down in any state.
Short, straight answers to the questions that decide whether your offer wins.
The lender fees most VA buyers never should have paid.
Watch SHORT 02VA loans aren't slow. Slow lenders are slow.
Watch SHORT 03Why your financing gets vouched for on every offer.
Watch SHORT 04Structuring a VA offer that stands next to any other.
Watch SHORT 05Play loan officer. See every option before you offer.
Watch SHORT 06The departing-residence rule most lenders miss.
Watch SHORT 07Good loan officers still make expensive VA mistakes.
Watch START HERESee your exact numbers in minutes — no strings attached.
Get started"I have worked with Rick and his team on multiple loans and refinancing over the years. The process and professionalism are awesome."
"Working with Rick and his team made home buying simple and efficient. Easy decision on who we will be going with for the purchase of our next property."
"Our second loan with Rick. His team is always very helpful and does all the heavy lifting."
Reviews collected via Google and Birdeye. Individual experiences vary.
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