Jeff Maupin said he has been helping his neighbors secure their dream homes for more than two decades.
“You’re helping the buyer with probably the biggest purchase they’re going to make in their lifetime,” said Maupin, a home mortgage consultant with Farmers & Merchants Bank. “It’s very rewarding to help them with that process.”
Based at FMB’s Eureka branch, 619 Stockell Drive, Maupin said he enjoys working in a community bank rather than in a corporate environment.
“I’m not a guy who’s sitting in a cubicle in Cleveland, Ohio,” he said. “I’m here in the community. You can come into my office and talk to me. We can schedule a meeting outside the office. My kids go to school with the other kids in the community. So I’m active and hands-on in the community.”
Maupin said community involvement is important to the bank. Those local ties set FMB apart from “the big banks and mortgage companies,” he said, adding that being local means FMB representatives understand the local market.
“And I think there’s an added sense of trust there when you see somebody out in the community,” he said.
Maupin said some potential buyers have been waiting to see if interest rates drop before buying a home, but he recommends that those who are prequalified and comfortable with current interest rates move forward with a purchase.
“If there happens to be an interest rate drop down the road, they can always refinance to a lower rate,” he said. “If a buyer waits to purchase a home until interest rates drop, there most likely will be more competition for available homes, making it harder to get an offer accepted.”
FMB was established in 1913 and has four locations: High Ridge, Eureka, St. Clair and Lonedell.
Contact Maupin at 314-368-9157 or jmaupin@fmb4banking.bank.