Counsel Mortgage Group LLC serves in Arizona and California. It’s a mortgage broker that uses cheap and black-hat marketing tactics to win the trust of potential customers.
Before you risk your money and financial future by dealing with them, it would be best to go through the following overview of this firm:
What is Counsel Mortgage Group LLC? Who is John Rapasky?
Counsel Mortgage Group LLC is a mortgage broker located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Their address is 8700 E Pinnacle Peak Rd UNIT 224, Scottsdale, AZ 85255, US and their contact number is 480-502-1000.
The company’s office opens from 9 AM to 5 PM on weekdays.
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They offer their services in Arizona and California and claim to offer straight-forward mortgage advice. The founder of Counsel Mortgage Group LLC is John Rapasky. He has been running this company since 2007.
Apart from John Rapasky, other prominent people at this firm are Jim Moore (Mortgage Loan Originator), Mike Green (Loan Officer), and John Nicholls (Mortgage Loan Originator).
This broker offers residential loans and commercial loans along with VA loans, adjustable-rate mortgages, USDA loans, and FHA loans.
While it may seem like an ordinary enterprise, Counsel Mortgage Group LLC has several problems. According to its clients, this mortgage broker has terrible service and the representatives don’t care about you.
There are many complaints against this broker. To hide those complaints, John Rapasky and his business partners use various unethical tactics. They try to mislead consumers into thinking they are better than they truly are.
Posting Unverifiable and Suspiciously Positive Reviews On Their Website
The first huge red flag present in this firm is that it has a dedicated page for client testimonials on its website. But it doesn’t have reviews from any third-party platform.
Their testimonials page is a collection of paragraphs and names all of which praise the company constantly. The so-called reviews present on this page don’t share any specific details and are filled with useless information.
Moreover, there’s no way to figure out whether these are actual customers or just a bunch of random names strung together. All of these “client testimonials” are unverifiable.
Because all of these reviews are present on their own website and are unverifiable, it’s safe to assume that they are fake. It’s very easy for a company to add a dedicated page for fake reviews so it can mislead consumers.
Adding fake reviews on the internet to seem trustworthy is a common strategy among shady mortgage lenders. For example, Universal Capital Mortgage Corp is a Los Angeles-based firm that has added fake reviews on its Google listing.
They are BBB Accredited, But That’s Not The Full Story
Another red flag present in this firm is that it has a BBB accredited profile. Contrary to popular belief, businesses don’t get BBB accreditation for maintaining a higher standard of service. They get BBB accreditation by paying a hefty annual fee to the review platform.
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Businesses with BBB accreditation tend to have A or A+ ratings regardless of their business practices and quality. It’s a highly unethical practice and scammers take advantage of it.
CNN Money had conducted a detailed research on this matter. They found that companies with federal charges of fraud and discrimination enjoyed A+ ratings on BBB because they were accredited.
During their investigation, they also found that companies were paying up to $10,000 per annum to BBB to maintain their accreditation.
Being BBB accredited allows companies to seem more reliable than they are. It’s a deceptive tactic to mislead consumers.
Take Dr. Stephen M. Miller for example. He is a plastic surgeon who has received a ton of complaints for mistreating clients and giving wrong diagnoses. Dr. Miller uses his BBB accreditation to distract consumers from the various complaints against him.
Who is the Financial Adviser?
A financial adviser or advisor is a professional who offers financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In several countries, financial advisors have to finish specific training and register with a regulatory body to provide advice.
Counsel Mortgage Group LLC is Not Suitable for Veterans
Daniel Estada is a Local Guide on Google and has posted 100+ reviews on the platform. He says that this mortgage broker is not friendly towards veterans.
Daniel had met Jim Moore at the Glendale Stand Up event and thought this broker could help him get a house of his own. However, the broker never called him after the event.
Daniel had to call this broker multiple times before he finally got an answer. He asked when he could meet with the broker and discuss his requirements, the broker simply said, “What are your numbers?” Daniel points out that he didn’t have them in front of him at the moment and he said so.
Upon hearing this, Jim hung up on Daniel.
He shares that he doesn’t believe Jim Moore is a ranger because it’s very difficult to trust him.
Jim Moore Writes Fake Pre-Qualifications and Makes You Lose Your Money
Alejandro suggests staying away from Jim Moore. That’s because Jim will cause you to lose your money as he writes fake pre-qualification letters.
Alejandro’s client lost a lot of money because of Jim and he witnessed it first-hand. Jim’s voicemail stays full and he gets snappy if you question his work.
Also, Jim ignores calls and takes no accountability for his actions. He is stubborn so it’s either his way or the highway. Jim will demand that you don’t use certain third-parties on contracts despite what your client wants.
It’s against FDCPA but when Alejandro shared his concern with Jim, he yelled at him and threatened to cancel the contract.
Alejandro says that it was a total nightmare as this broker is extremely unprofessional.
Counsel Mortgage Group LLC Is an Unethical and Risky Broker
Working with Counsel Mortgage Group LLC can be a huge gamble. This firm puts a lot of effort into deceptive marketing strategies, which is not a good sign. It means the company has something to hide.
The firm has attracted many complaints because of the stubborn and rude behavior of its professionals.
It wouldn’t be a smart choice to work with them. If you’re looking for a mortgage broker you can trust, avoid this one.
The people working at this company are some of the worst!! You don’t expect to see such an unprofessional group of people running a mortgage company. I wish I would have found this review earlier so I wouldn’t have wasted my time talking to these pieces of trash. Total jerks.