Elizabeth Washburn

Direct: 678-467-2330     Fax:      833-813-4303

Email: Elizabeth@NewThresholdMortgage.com

My Journey to the Mortgage Industry - After graduating from Agnes Scott College, my sister was in the midst of buying her first home.  I loved seeing homes and still do, with all their individual features, but I had no desire to show the to others.  Instead, the financials of owning a home were interesting to me.  Since I had just graduated from college with a degree in Economics and Astro-Physics, my interest clearly centered around numbers.  I was relatively young at the time and had the ability to earn very little so I could humor my interest in a career that was 100% commission.  I never imagined mortgages would be my lifetime career, but untold years later, my work always stays interesting, changes with the times, stretches me to always improve my structure and service, allows me to own my own business and work out of my home, and be the best I can be for my clients in knowledge and in rates. 

Over the last 28 years, I had three beautiful children, Charlotte, 12, Luke, 16 and Madeline, 18. We also have two foster fail kittens who I had the pleasure of caring for since they were three weeks old, Bear and Gizmo in the summer of 2019. We also got a COVID dog in the fall of 2020, so our home is full of life.  My daughter graduated from highschool in the middle of 2021 and she has started her studies at UGA. 

I really enjoy traveling the USA, and most recently in 2019, Italy! Be prepared to listen for a bit if you want to talk about Italy. This was a mutual 50th birthday present with my husband of 24 years, Matthew. He gave me the nickname, "Our Lady of Perpetual Travel", which I do my best to live up to since my job can, and does, go everywhere I go. I love new adventures, camping, biking, and reading whenever possible. Since COVID19 has limited the distance of our adventures, I still try to find ways to create lasting memories before my children head into the world on their own. 

Mortgage Industry History

Over the last two decades, I’ve witnessed the entire overhaul of the mortgage industry.  When I started in this industry at the age of twenty-two, no licensing was required for either the company or the loan officer.  There was NO continuing education, absolutely NO knowledge-based testing and NO requirements to be even be registered or licensed as a loan officer.

After the overhaul started in 2009, Georgia went from having over 2500 mortgage broker companies listed with the Department of Banking and Finance to slightly under 600, and Georgia went from being #2 in the country in mortgage fraud to nearly zero. This transition is a great example of how adding licensing  to an industry, an industry so crucial to the health of our economy, forces the workforce to a higher level of knowledge and professionalism.  We still have a long way to go, but it is a start.

The government continues to be involved with further legislation designed to give a layer of protection to primary residence buyers.  This legislation, known as TRID, began in October 2015.  The most basic changes are two documents, the Loan Estimate (LE) and the Closing Disclosure (CD), be forwarded to the borrower within 3 day periods after application and before closing.  It also does not allow lenders to collect any fees outside of the credit report until the disclosures are acknowledged by the borrowers.  Without your timely acknowledgement,  your loan can be delayed.  Be sure to stay aware of what is in your inbox when applying for a mortgage.

Licensing Information

As a Mortgage Broker, I am subject to state and national licensing laws.  My license to originate means I can operate independently of a bank.  A loan officer for a bank is only required to submit their name with the state.  My license is NOT a bank registration number. You will not be speaking with a call center at all.  I have a license to originate in the mortgage brokering industry.  This was obtained by passing a rigorous knowledge-based test about the mortgage industry and underwriting guidelines and continually obtain a minimum of 8 hours of continuing education every year.

While many industries have similar requirements, the mortgage industry is not uniform in its requirements.  So fair warning, if you decide to seek your loan at a bank, you will deal with someone registered in a processing center or a telemarketer who only gathers information, not a Licensed Mortgage Professional.  I am pleased to present these license numbers as a testament of my dedication and knowledge of the mortgage industry. My license numbers: State of GA #19238, NMLS Company  #168980,  and NMLS Originator #169110  

A Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee

 Access to Online License Search