Keller Williams Contact

Keller Williams Contact:

Vladimir F. Golik

[phone]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [e-mail]
Keller Williams^® Realty Premier Properties Teams Up with SunTrust Mortgage, Their New Preferred Lender

Miami, FL March 2008 — Miami-based Keller Williams^® Realty Premier Properties has added SunTrust Mortgage to its family as the company’s preferred lender. A SunTrust Mortgage representative will be on hand at Keller Williams’ Kendall location, giving their customers the advantage of an in-house financing service to facilitate their real estate transactions.

Keller Williams^® Realty Premier Properties co-owner Vladimir Golik affirms, “SunTrust is ethical, professional in their business dealings and their rating after a closing is very high. In the spirit of Keller Williams, this business relationship makes it a ‘win-win’ for all parties involved.”

SunTrust Mortgage was chosen based on the company’s financial strength, name recognition and neighborhood presence. Focus on customer service has earned SunTrust Mortgage its reputation; in 2006 Pricewaterhouse Coopers ranked SunTrust Mortgage in the top two during all four quarters for customer retention. That same year SunTrust Mortgage ranked number one in “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Primary Mortgage Sales” by J.D. Power and Associates. “It has never been more difficult in the past 20 years to qualify for a home loan,” says Golik, “SunTrust is a reputable and first class lender that will move mountains to make a loan happen.”

SunTrust also shares Keller Williams’ commitment to the communities it serves by donating millions to charities like the United Way, First Book, a national non-profit organization that donates books to low-income children, as well as sponsoring many initiatives to encourage home ownership in the Hispanic and African-American communities. Gerardo Viera, Vice President-Production Manager of SunTrust Mortgage says “SunTrust Mortgage is passionate about serving our customers and our communities and Keller Williams has matched our enthusiasm. These similarities in our companies made the decision really easy for us.”

This alliance between SunTrust Mortgage and Keller Williams^® Realty Premier Properties comes at a crucial moment in South Florida’s real estate market. Getting financing is paramount to the home-buying process and as a result of the crisis with sub-prime lending and the tightening of standards by major lenders, many buyers are finding themselves left out of the market. Notes Viera, “There is no question that our market presents many challenges, decreasing home values, lack of liquidity in the market place, etc.; however SunTrust Mortgage is always looking to stay ahead of the game as well as going back to basics.”

A wide range of exotic mortgage products were available to consumers before the recent credit crunch. As the market began to shift in September 2007, says Viera, SunTrust Mortgage began to give their loan officers refresher training on both FHA and bond loans.  As a result, they now have a well-trained staff, better prepared to deal with borrower’s needs.  And it is no surprise he notes, that FHA loans are once again, key to being successful in this current market.

Keller Williams’ clients can benefit from the strength and competitiveness of SunTrust Mortgage. Viera reminds buyers that are shopping for a lender to look for stability, “In today’s challenging market while most of our competitors have seen the need to consolidate and centralize operations we have been able to stem the tide and keep our operations local.”

Gerardo Viera is one of the Vice President-Production Managers of SunTrust Mortgage’s Kendall Home Loan Center. With twelve years serving in the mortgage industry, he has been with SunTrust Mortgage for over two years. He was born and raised in Miami, and holds a BA in Finance from Florida International University and has worked with several of the major lenders such as Washington Mutual and Wachovia before he joined SunTrust Mortgage.

Vladimir F. Golik is co-owner of Keller Williams^® Realty Premier Properties in South Florida.  He is a South Florida native who started his real estate career while attending the University of Miami in 1982. He worked formerly for the Keyes Company Realtors, where he ran the number one office out of 35 tri-county offices and was the regional Vice President.  He served as president of the Realtor Association of Miami-Dade County in 2004. The recipient of numerous awards from agent growth to production volume, Vladimir has distinguished himself throughout Keller Williams nationally since opening the Miami office in 2004.

Keller Williams Realty International (KWRI) is an international real estate company with more than 700 offices located across the U.S. and Canada. It is currently one of the top four largest U.S. residential real estate firms throughout North America. For more information please visit Keller Williams Realty online at www.kw.com.