Inspired Mortgage Brokers

Inspired Mortgage Brokers Relationship-driven, compassionate, full-service mortgage broker℠

Clear to close in 4 days. Contract to closing table in 12.The buyer was in the middle of a job transition, with just two...
09/01/2026

Clear to close in 4 days. Contract to closing table in 12.

The buyer was in the middle of a job transition, with just two weeks to reach the table, the kind of file that usually gets slow-walked.

But speed like this isn't luck. It's a real pre-approval conversation and a full financial picture done up front, so a job transition becomes a detail, not a dealbreaker.

A big shout-out to the team that moved fast right alongside Todd:

🙌 Evin Earnhart with the Dimora Team
🙌 Bo Wagner with Wagner Law Group
🙌 And Danielle, who keeps everything moving behind the scenes

It was never about how fast, it's about being prepared enough that fast is even possible.

Every financial planner has had this moment:A client with a strong balance sheet and an income structure that doesn't fi...
09/01/2026

Every financial planner has had this moment:

A client with a strong balance sheet and an income structure that doesn't fit the mold gets told "no" by a lender…

and it lands back on your desk.

Self-employed. Recently retired. Income spread across multiple properties or businesses. On paper, they look "complicated." In reality, they're often more than qualified, the loan just has to be structured differently.

That's the world of non-agency lending. And it's exactly where the wrong lender costs your client the deal.

Todd Sheppard recently led a session for CFPs on how these loans actually work; when they make sense, who they're built for, and how to spot the client in front of you who could use one.

It's approved for 1 hour of CE. And it's free.

He'll bring it to your team as a lunch-and-learn or run it as a webinar, whatever fits your calendar.

If you've ever watched a client's home purchase stall because their income didn't fit a box, this is the hour that helps you get ahead of it next time.

Want to set one up for your office or study group? Send us a message and we'll find a date.

08/28/2026

Todd went in to teach a room of financial planners something new.

He walked out surprised himself.

He was there to show how non-agency loan options really work: the paths that exist for clients who don't fit the traditional box: business owners, retirees, people whose income is real but doesn't show up neatly on a W-2.

What caught him off guard? Three moments where the room went quiet; planners realizing a client they'd assumed was stuck actually had options.

Because so often, "not right now" isn't a money problem. It's that no one connected the dots.

👇 Watch the reel.

They walked in certain the answer would be no.A recent client had already decided the move wasn't possible. The income l...
08/25/2026

They walked in certain the answer would be no.

A recent client had already decided the move wasn't possible. The income looked complicated on paper, they'd been discouraged before, and more or less talked themselves out of it.

"There's just no way this works."

We hear that sentence a lot. And more often than people expect, it turns out not to be true.

So instead of reacting to the one number they was stuck on, we stepped back and looked at the whole picture: their income, assets, goals, and how the pieces actually fit together.

Once it was all laid out clearly, the story changed.

It wasn't a special loan product or a magic trick.
It was a full financial picture and a lender who was willing to problem solve with them.

They went from "there's no way" to "wait… we can actually do this", not because anything about their situation changed, but because someone finally connected the dots.

That shift is the whole reason we do this work.

If you've been assuming the answer is no, it might be worth a real conversation before you close the door.

Have you ever counted yourself out of something that turned out to be possible?

Most people treat their mortgage as a standalone decision.It isn't.The way you structure a home loan ripples through the...
08/20/2026

Most people treat their mortgage as a standalone decision.

It isn't.

The way you structure a home loan ripples through the rest of your financial life: your retirement contributions, your investments, your tax picture, your cash flow, and how much cushion you keep for the unexpected.

A few examples of how the pieces connect:

→ Putting more down lowers the payment, but pulling that cash out of investments has its own cost
→ A larger loan might preserve liquidity you'd rather keep working elsewhere
→ The right structure can be more tax-aware for a business owner than the "obvious" option
→ Reserves after closing matter as much as the down payment before it

This is exactly why we work so closely with financial planners and CFPs. When the mortgage is designed alongside the financial plan, instead of bolted on afterward, clients end up with something cost-effective, tax-conscious, and built to last.

The goal was never just to get approved.
It's to structure the whole thing around the life you're actually building.

For our planner partners: this is the conversation we love having with your clients.

What's a financial decision you wish someone had looked at in full context?

08/18/2026

Before Inspired Mortgage Brokers existed, our founder Todd Sheppard was a registered life insurance rep, with a manager who had one directive: push the product.

It never sat right with him.

So when a friend invited him into the mortgage business, something clicked. Finally, a role that started with the client's full financial picture instead of a quota.

That mindset became a company.

Todd opened his own brokerage, and 30 years later, Inspired still runs on the same principle he walked toward all those years ago:

Your mortgage should fit your financial life: not the other way around.

It's why financial planners and realtors across Georgia trust us with the people they care about most.

Your client's income on paper doesn't always tell their real story.For a lot of self-employed professionals, business ow...
08/18/2026

Your client's income on paper doesn't always tell their real story.

For a lot of self-employed professionals, business owners, and high-net-worth clients, traditional financing hits a wall, not because they can't afford the home, but because the system wasn't built for how they earn.

That's the gap our founder, Todd Sheppard, is breaking down.

On August 19 at 12 PM ET, Todd is presenting a webinar for the Financial Planning Association of Georgia on Non-Agency lending: the strategies that open doors conventional lending keeps closed.

He'll walk through:
✅ Asset depletion
✅ Bank statement programs for business owners
✅ 1099-based qualification
✅ DSCR loans

If you're a financial planner with clients who don't fit the conventional mold, this hour is worth it, you'll earn 1 CFP credit and leave with real strategies you can put to work.

Register here: https://fpaga.starchapter.com/meetinginfo.php?id=257&ts=1781291504

We hope to see you there.

Not all pre-approvals are created equal, and the difference shows up at the worst possible time.A weak pre-approval fall...
08/10/2026

Not all pre-approvals are created equal, and the difference shows up at the worst possible time.

A weak pre-approval falls apart three days before closing.
A strong one holds up when it matters.

For realtors, that difference is everything. Because when financing falls through, everyone feels it, the buyer, the seller, and the agent whose deal just collapsed.

Here's what a strong pre-approval actually protects:

→ The buyer, who doesn't fall in love with a home they were never truly qualified for
→ The seller, who can accept an offer with confidence it will close
→ The agent, whose reputation rides on deals that actually make it to the table
→ The timeline, because the hard questions got answered up front instead of mid-escrow

At Inspired Mortgage Brokers, a pre-approval isn't a number we hand out to keep the process moving. It's a real review of the full financial picture, income, assets, structure, and the "what ifs", before anyone writes an offer.

That's what lets everyone move forward with confidence instead of crossed fingers.

Realtors: what's your biggest frustration with pre-approvals from other lenders? We're listening.

"Should I refinance?"It's one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer is: it depends on more than the rate....
08/06/2026

"Should I refinance?"

It's one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer is: it depends on more than the rate.

Refinancing isn't automatically good or bad. It's a math problem wrapped around your goals.

A few questions worth asking before you make a move:

→ How long do you plan to stay in the home?
→ What would the new payment do to your monthly cash flow?
→ How much would it cost to refinance, and how long until those costs pay for themselves?
→ Are you trying to lower the payment, pull out equity, consolidate debt, or shorten the loan?
→ Does this fit the bigger financial picture, or just look good in isolation?

Sometimes refinancing is a genuinely smart move.
Sometimes the numbers don't justify it yet.
And sometimes there's a better option than the one you came in asking about.

The only way to know is to run your actual numbers, not a rule of thumb you saw online.

We're always happy to take a look and tell you honestly whether it makes sense right now, or whether waiting serves you better.

Have you been wondering whether a refinance is worth it lately?

Thirty years in, and our founder still gets excited about the same moment.Not the closing table.Not the paperwork.The mo...
08/05/2026

Thirty years in, and our founder still gets excited about the same moment.

Not the closing table.
Not the paperwork.

The moment someone goes from "I don't think this is possible…" to "wait… we can actually do this."

After three decades in mortgage, Todd Sheppard has helped just about every kind of buyer you can imagine: first-time buyers, retirees, business owners, luxury purchases, and plenty of people who'd been told "no" somewhere else.

Here's what's kept him in it this long:

It was never really about the loan.
It's about helping people make one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives with clarity instead of stress.

That's why every conversation at Inspired starts with your full financial picture, your income, your goals, your cash flow, not a rate sheet.

Because a mortgage should fit your financial life, not the other way around.

Thirty years later, that part hasn't changed. And we hope it never does.

What's a decision that felt impossible until someone helped you see it clearly?

Address

Alpharetta, GA
30022

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 5:30pm
Thursday 9am - 5:30pm
Friday 9am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+14705670090

Website

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