Jonah Bank - Katie Coonts NMLS #893040

11/02/2026

This is one of those details that can get missed when you're house hunting. Two homes can both be listed at $400,000, but they may come with very different cost each month.
Property taxes, homeowners' insurance, mortgage insurance, HOA dues, and other factors can change the picture. And as a buyer, you need to be prepared. I want you as my client to look at what that particular home means for your actual monthly budget. I am constantly telling my clients to shoot me over the property address of interest to let me quickly generate an estimate before you make an offer to make sure this home fits your pocketbook.
Sometimes the details make a bigger difference than you'd expect. The purchase price gets the attention. The monthly obligation deserves it too.

Questions? That's what I'm here for.

10/31/2026

10/30/2026

Since it's Halloween, let's talk about things that are actually scary. Not ghosts. Not haunted houses. Not monsters.

The truly scary things in life usually start small. A workout skipped occasionally. A relationship that slowly stops getting attention. A goal we keep pushing off until next month. A difficult conversation we avoid. A dream we convince ourselves can wait.
Most major problems don't show up overnight. They grow quietly while we're busy looking elsewhere.
The good news?
The opposite is also true. Small acts of discipline grow. Small acts of kindness grow. Small improvements compound. Small efforts become big results.
The life you want isn't built through one massive decision. It's built through small choices repeated consistently over time.
Pay attention to the little things. They're usually bigger than they look.

10/28/2026

One of the biggest surprises for first-time buyers isn't the mortgage. It's everything else. Most people spend months thinking about down payments, interest rates, and loan approvals.

But once closing day arrives, homeownership becomes much bigger than the mortgage itself.

Ø There are property taxes.
Ø Homeowners insurance.
Ø Utilities.
Ø Maintenance.
Ø The occasional appliance that decides its life mission is to stop working at the worst possible time.
That's why I always encourage buyers to look beyond the mortgage payment and focus on the total monthly housing budget. The goal isn't just qualifying for a home. The goal is feeling comfortable living in it.

A good home purchase should support your life, not stretch it. The buyers who enjoy homeownership the most are usually the buyers who planned for the full picture from the beginning.

10/26/2026

One of my favorite conversations starts like this: "I'm not ready yet, but …"

Perfect. That's exactly when we should talk.

Too many buyers wait until they find a house before asking questions. The reality is that the earlier we talk, the more options we usually have.

Maybe you're ready now. Maybe you're six months away. Maybe there are a few things we can improve before you buy.

Either way, knowledge creates opportunity.

The best time to create a strategy isn't after you've found the perfect house. It's before.
A short conversation today can prevent a lot of stress later.

10/23/2026

One of the hardest lessons I've learned is that being right isn't always the most important thing. Sometimes we become so focused on proving a point that we forget what we might lose in the process.
A friendship. A partnership. A marriage. A relationship with a child. A working relationship. A moment we can never get back.
There are times when standing firm matters. Absolutely!
But there are also times when listening matters more. The older I get, the more I realize that wisdom isn't knowing how to win every argument. It's knowing which arguments aren't worth winning.
Not everything deserves a battle. Protect the relationships that matter.
Those are harder to replace than being right.

10/21/2026

Let's address the question every borrower eventually asks: "Why do you need all of this?"
I get it. Sometimes it feels like lenders ask for everything short of your kindergarten report card.

But there is a reason.

A mortgage isn't based on assumptions. It's based on documented information.
When we ask about a deposit, employment history, or account balance, we're not trying to create work.

We're trying to ensure there are no surprises later. Most delays happen because something important wasn't addressed early. The smoother transactions are usually the ones where questions are asked and answered up front.

The goal isn't paperwork. The goal is confidence. For you.

10/19/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is: "What's the minimum credit score I need?"
While credit scores matter, they are only one piece of the puzzle. A mortgage approval isn't based on a number alone.

Lenders look at:
v Income
v Assets
v Debt
v Credit history
v Stability
v Payment habits

I've seen buyers with similar scores have very different outcomes because the rest of their financial picture looked different. The goal isn't simply to have a strong score. The goal is to have a strong financial foundation.

Your credit score opens doors. The rest of your financial story determines what happens after you walk through them.

10/16/2026

THE BEST LEADERS DON'T CREATE FOLLOWERS. THEY CREATE LEADERS.

As I've gotten older, I've realized that some of the most important people in our lives aren't always the loudest or the most recognized.

They're the people quietly helping others become more than they ever thought possible.

I've worked with Ward Anderson for 12 years. And in those 12 years, I've come to appreciate something that isn't easy to find in any industry.

Leadership. Not management. Not titles. Not authority … Leadership.

Long before Ward Anderson was helping develop hard headed loan officers like Nancy and me, he was serving our country. Looking at this photo reminds me that service has always been part of who he is. Some people spend their lives asking how they can get ahead. Others spend their lives asking how they can help the people around them succeed.
Ward is the latter.

I know I'm not the easiest person in the world to “manage”. I hold myself to a very high standard. Because of that, I tend to hold the people around me to a high standard too.

I challenge ideas. I ask questions. I push … A lot, because my clients and partners deserve that from me … Somehow, Ward always finds a way to meet me there. Never by asking me to lower my expectations. Never by asking me to be someone different. Instead, he helps meets me where I am and helps me raise continually raise the bar.

The greatest thing Ward has taught me is not how to originate loans. It’s how to navigate changes professional and personally. It’s not how to build relationships. It something much bigger. He taught me that I could be myself. That I could put myself and my family first. That I could keep my values. That I could do business the right way. And still become successful.

In an industry that often pressures people to be something they're not, that lesson matters more than any sales strategy ever could.

Now, in the interest of complete honesty...
I've worked with Ward for 12 years, and I am still waiting for a meeting to end without:
✅ One more topic being added
✅ One more story being told
✅ Or one more point being driven so thoroughly into the ground that it's probably tickling China by the time he's finished making it. If you've worked with him, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

But those extra stories and extra topics all come from the same place. A man that genuinely cares. He wants Nancy and me prepared for anything this industry can throw at us. He wants us to succeed. Not because it benefits him. Because that's who he is.

When I look at the respect I've earned from my Clients, Realtors, Title agents, Builders, Appraisers, and the people I work alongside every day, I know a large part of that foundation came from someone who believed in me, invested in me, and helped me grow into the leader I am today.

The mortgage industry is full of lenders. True Honest Leadership and Integrity is a lot harder to find.

Thank you for helping build the leader I am becoming. More importantly... Thank you for being my friend.

Happy Boss's Day, Ward!

10/14/2026

One of the biggest challenges for buyers isn't finding a home. It's deciding what matters most.

Everyone starts with a wish list.
Big kitchen. Three-car garage. Perfect yard. Finished basement. Home office. Updated bathrooms. The list grows quickly…

Then reality enters the conversation. And that's where priorities matter. A want is something you'd love to have. A non-negotiable is something you need.

The two are very different. The buyers who have the best experience usually know their non-negotiables before they start looking. They understand what matters most. They focus on what supports their goals.

And they avoid getting distracted by features that look great but don't actually improve daily life.

The perfect house doesn't exist. But finding the right house becomes much easier when you know what's truly important.