Community Lending And Community Care

A food pantry trying to hit a $125,000 community goal. A mortgage advisor explaining “off menu” loans that can save a home purchase. And a shared belief that relationships beat red tape when life gets hard. That’s where the conversation goes as we host Patrick Hunt of United Federal Credit Union alongside Lynn Staggs, executive director of Storehouse, right here in Hendersonville, North Carolina. 

We dig into practical mortgage guidance for Western North Carolina buyers, from conventional and construction loans to USDA, VA, and FHA options. Patrick also explains portfolio lending, the kind of in house mortgage that can work when a borrower does not fit a strict Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac box due to credit disruption, a divorce, or a slightly high debt to income ratio. We also talk about a huge difference many homeowners only notice later: keeping mortgage servicing local, so the same institution that helps you close is the one you can call when you need help. 

Then Lynn brings it home with what Storehouse is seeing on the ground, including the ongoing reality of storm recovery, the way heavy weather can trigger real anxiety, and how their new location supports better operations. We walk through senior delivery routes that double as wellness checks, the constant challenge of buying and sourcing food, the push for more volunteers to expand pantry days, a new raised bed garden plan, and a Christmas program that serves thousands of local kids through school partnerships. 

If you care about Henderson County, local nonprofits, and smarter home financing, listen all the way through and share it with a neighbor. Subscribe, leave a review, and send this to someone who’s buying a home or looking for a meaningful way to volunteer.

Transcript

Welcome And Local Show Setup

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, friends. Thank you so much for being here. This is the George Real Estate Group podcast, which is a production of our live weekly radio shows hosted on multiple radio stations here in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The George Real Estate Group serves Western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina, and it is a privilege to share positive news about our local real estate market and community. Thanks so much for subscribing. And of course, if you have any real estate questions or if we can help you in any way, be sure to reach out. Visit us at George Real Estate Group Radio.com for more information.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

Welcome to the George Real Estate Group Radio show on this Thursday morning, July 30th. Randy Houston in. Noah is uh away from town and ask uh us to fill in. We'll be joined by Linda by uh Lynn Stags from the storehouse, and that's coming up in just a minute. Patrick Hunt is here from United Federal Credit Union. Uh Patrick, good morning to you. Hey, good morning. How are you today?

SPEAKER_03 1:06

I'm doing well. I'm doing very well. Uh beautiful day, things news. Fun day here at the radio. So yeah, excited to be here.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

Well, we're glad you came. And as I said, Lynn will be joining us in a few minutes. But uh

Mortgage Advisor Role And Partnership

SPEAKER_02 1:20

while uh while we wait and while we uh can, let's talk a little bit about your position at United Federal Credit Union as a uh mortgage advisor. Let's uh learn how that could tie into the George Real Estate Group.

SPEAKER_03 1:35

You bet, you bet. We have a really strong partnership with the uh George Real Estate Group. I've been working with Noah and his team for uh a number of years now. Um I actually sit at his office on Tuesdays, so that's a place you can find me, is over at uh Flat Rock on Tuesdays. But yeah, he's got a phenomenal team of realtors that they cover both uh commercial and residential, and um I've teamed up with many of them over the years to help provide uh just uh best service we can to those clients looking to purchase homes and need some financing. We've got a ton of options uh at United, um all your regular stuff, conventional government, but a lot of fun, funky portfolio stuff too.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

So you are actually on premises at the George Real Estate Group on Tuesday.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

I'm there on Tuesdays, yeah. So they do a weekly meeting there, and um, you know, I sit there and advise on what's going on with the the rate environment, you know, uh and I'll just kind of guide on all the different programs available to them and their their buyers. So when they have somebody come in that needs that uh assistance, they know who to send to and they're educated to to start that process with us.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

Well, uh Lynn is joining us from the

Storehouse Fundraiser Goal And Update

SPEAKER_02 2:52

storehouse. And Lynn, uh was it last week that you were here last Thursday with two weeks ago? Maybe it was two weeks ago, yeah. Well, you then you owe us an update from two weeks ago.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Yes, we are getting really close. We have two more days to kind of meet our goal for 4th of July. The goal was $125,000, and we're sitting at $105,400. And I'm trying to be as exact as I can so we can meet our goal. Um, and our partners are absolutely amazing. Um, the banners are out here on Four Seasons Boulevard. These partners have come alongside us year after year after the initial partnership with the veteran couple that started this whole challenge, and we are just blown away by the response from this community. So the original challenge was two a veteran couple walked in and they said, and this was 12 years ago, they walked in and said, you know, we'll we'll match anything you raise up to ten thousand dollars and you got eight weeks. And then they walked out. I was like, oh my, you know, we've never done anything like that. And so we came right down here and Richard put us on the radio

How The Matching Challenge Started

SPEAKER_01 4:15

and we started publicizing Fourth of July, and that first year was a huge success. We we met our mark, we went over it a little bit, we raised twenty-two thousand dollars that year. And for us being as small as we were at that time, and in our location on Seventh Avenue, it was huge. And now we are serving so many more people, and our location is bigger, and there's just more to do in Henderson County.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Um when did uh storehouse start, Lynn?

SPEAKER_01 4:47

In May of 2000. So this is year 26 and a half. Yeah. We're closely approaching going over to the next year.

SPEAKER_02 4:57

Well, there's been a lot of growth and a lot of changes in the 26 years as of that.

SPEAKER_01 5:02

There have. I mean, we survived COVID and that changed how people did everything, and then the hurricane physically changed our land and our population and the people here. And they're still recovering from that. Everybody thinks, well, that was a couple years ago. Y'all are back to normal. There's no back to normal yet. Some people

Storm Recovery And Ongoing Anxiety

SPEAKER_01 5:35

still are not in their homes. And people outside of here don't seem to understand that. And if it weren't for good partners and places like United Federal Credit Union, people would have no way to get back into their homes because all the other monies have not been freed up yet.

SPEAKER_02 5:53

Yeah, and uh and when storms come along like did Monday night here in western North Carolina, you know, uh PTSD kicks in. Uh there were some incredible storms that uh raked through the mountains of North Carolina over in northern Bunkham County and into Madison County. There's investigations underway by the National Weather Service to see if indeed a tornado did touch down in a couple of different places. And uh that just causes anxiety everybody.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

Well, and too, it does not take as much water to move things around as it did because the trees are not there. So with it changing the topography of the land physically in such a huge way, there's not as many barriers for water and different things. So they still haven't repaired all the gullies and ditches and different things like that. So a little bit of rain can cause a huge problem.

Loan Types And Portfolio Options

SPEAKER_02 6:59

Patrick, uh, let's talk a little bit about more uh uh about the different kinds of loans and mortgages that you have at United Federal. You have uh you have conventional loans and and and other loans, right?

SPEAKER_03 7:12

Yeah, we do, we do. Um so a lot of so personally what I do at United is uh I am a residential mortgage loan advisor. So when you are looking to occupy it as your primary or a second home, um vacation home, and even investment properties um limited on residential investment properties, um, I can help with that. So uh we do anywhere from you know construction, uh conventional, the government, USDA, VA, FHA loans. And then we've got, you know, it was funny, I was meeting with a realtor that I do a lot with yesterday, and we're sitting with a mutual client, and she's like, Well, what about the off-menu items? And I was like, ha ha, chuckle. There's just we do a lot of portfolio stuff when you know it makes sense to do a loan for somebody that maybe they're not in the perfect box of a conventional Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac loan, or their debt to income is just a tad too high, or there was a reason where they had some some credit issues, and their credit, you know, is is not where most loans needed to be for approval. If there's good reason for that, maybe somebody went through a divorce and through that process, you know, uh there was a big impact to their credit. Um, but historically we can look and see everything else was paid on time up until that point. Well, let's look and see if we have other offsetting, you know, compensating factors, other positives that we can say, all right, we can we can overlook that and still do this, and it becomes a portfolio loan. So, which means we do it, we finance it, it stays with us. If something ever goes south on that, we are the ones that, you know, take the heat on that. But we that doesn't typically happen because we we look really strongly at those, and we're not just gonna do it for for you know when there's there's high risk, but there's a lot of scenarios out there where for whatever reason they didn't fit into the box, but it still makes a lot of sense to help this person, this small business, whatever it may be. Um, and we try, we actually do quite a bit of that. It's a lot of what we do. So really um, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

Um there are some off-menu items.

SPEAKER_03 9:21

Off-menu items, yeah. Um, so the commercial side of things, small business and commercial loans, those are all portfolio. So it's it's a group of United Federal Credit Union advisors and underwriters that are looking at that and understand the bigger picture of things. They understand what you know the community needs are, they understand what is thriving in our area, what's not. So, you know, all those things are looked at when we're making decisions on, you know, whether or not we can move forward and you know provide financing for for folks. So yeah, it's a big part of what we do is that small business and commercial piece to to meet the needs of what this community needs.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

I think the storehouse

Why Credit Unions Feel Personal

SPEAKER_01 10:05

is the poster child for all of it. Yeah. Because we are definitely your commercial, and then my husband and I, we're also your personal, we have our home loans, and both of our homes have been through United Federal Credit Union, and now our business is through um I mean our bank accounts have always been there, but our loan for our new building is through United Federal Credit Union. And they worked with us and it was a long process, but I know that the steps had to be done in order to justify what they're seeing in in at the home office versus the people here know us because they deal with us all the time.

SPEAKER_03 10:46

Um it's a community. Um we uh I don't know if anybody that's listening has not experienced a credit union um model versus your traditional bank. It's just different. It's uh it's a culture. Uh I've worked for some larger banks and I could never see myself going back to that type of environment. It's it's just different. It's it's based on relationships, people that come through the door and like the tellers, it's like everybody's friends. Yeah, it's it's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 11:18

Okay, how you doing? I mean, it's and they actually know your name before you get to the counter. That is a special component that you don't always get at the big commercial banks.

SPEAKER_02 11:30

I agree wholeheartedly. I uh I've been a credit union customer for probably 40 years, and and uh recently uh my dad passed away and I became the executor of his estate and he did business through one of the major banks. So I got to be really surprised when I started doing business with a bank. Yeah. As opposed to what I'd been used to for 40 years. Uh it's a slap in the uh it really is a waking up. Yeah. It really is.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

So yeah, we're we're very grateful for for our community. It's what keeps us going and we try to keep them going.

SPEAKER_02 12:09

Well, tell us about the the new storehouse, Lynn, and and how it came about and where you were and where you are and where you're going.

New Storehouse Location And Growth

SPEAKER_01 12:19

Well, our new location is at 2313 Spartanburg Highway. We are right next to East Flat Rock First Baptist Church, and they are awesome to have next door. They help us with parking, they we just work back and forth with them on a weekly basis, along with all the other churches that come in and send their volunteers. Um I think we probably go across the board and work with as many churches as possible. Um we really love the new location because we have actual rooms for things instead of everything being in my office. This is the first time in 26 years that I've ever been in our office by myself. And that's been a huge adjustment mentally because I'm used to having nonstop action in my office all the time. And but it's helping with our programs because our senior delivery routes is much more um it was always organized, but it's easier to keep it organized and it's easier to add more people and be able to do it for a larger group, especially when we partnered with Advent Health and they're helping us identify seniors who are at risk so that we can add them to our delivery routes also.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

So every week or every day or when how often do senior deliveries occur?

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Well, we have seven different routes that go all over Henderson County. Okay. And we're up to about seventy three or seventy-four now. And I know that number may not sound big, but when you know what they're getting every month, it it makes a big difference in the logistics of having everything ordered for everybody and having their delivery route together because each driver usually has no more than seven to eight on their route. So the people on the route, they have no family, no transportation, um, they're over 60, they usually have a lot of medical issues. So these

Senior Deliveries And Wellness Checks

SPEAKER_01 14:33

are the ones who are at the highest risk in in any group. They're just they just have more issues. And that is how we get them identified so easily. So not only are we taking them their food, but we're also doing a wellness check. Um we're able to check on them, make sure that you know, if we have to call an ambulance, if we have to call the sheriff's department or adult protective services to help them that at least somebody is checking on these people that don't have anybody else.

SPEAKER_02 15:08

That's fantastic. So that's just one of the many services you have, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:12

Yeah. I mean, we do

Pantry Schedule And Volunteer Needs

SPEAKER_01 15:14

the food pantry for families every day. You know, that we're open. We're doing three days a week right now. And as soon as we get those three days under control in our new facility because we're having to do all new processes. It's a new building, so it goes through the building a different way. And the paperwork goes through the building in a different way. And that's a learning curve. You can't anticipate how that's gonna look until you get there and actually do it. So that's been it's figuring it out has been fun and aggravating and then it's fun again. So we're about to get that down path. But we need more volunteers so we can be open more days and to have a steady um faithful crew that comes in on time without having to be called or checked on. That is a miraculous gift that we have, the three days cover the way we do. But we still would like to do two more days, maybe a Tuesday afternoon and a Saturday morning. And on our Saturday morning, I have a different model for that. I don't want somebody to have to give up every Saturday. So I would like it for a family or people to have, you know, the fourth Saturday every month so that they know they've got this one Saturday every month that that's what they're gonna do. And that way no one has to give up all their Saturdays.

SPEAKER_02 16:42

That's good planning. Um but you uh where do you get your uh donations from,

Food Purchasing And Garden Plans

SPEAKER_02 16:49

Lynn? Where do you get food for the food pantry, etc.?

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Well, we have to purchase our food. We are going to whatever store has the best sale. We order our produce from produce trucks and local farmers donate to us, local people donate to us, and we are actually in the process of getting our own garden put in in the back so that we can grow some of our own produce. So if you're a gardener and you just have way too much energy or you're bored, we're gonna be putting in a 15-bed garden, raised bed garden behind the storehouse, and we have the stuff and we have a plan. Um so come on and talk to us about that. Um I'm not I mean, I can do my little two beds at the house, and that's about the limit of my expertise. I can grow tomatoes and and cilantro. That's it. Um but we have lots of things going on, there's lots to do.

SPEAKER_02 17:46

Yeah, lots of chances to volunteer.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

And as soon as you take a breath, then it's time for us to do Christmas again.

SPEAKER_02 17:52

Yeah, we'll be here before you know it.

SPEAKER_01 17:54

We start in October.

SPEAKER_02 17:56

Wow. So Yeah, it's almost August. Well, you uh we we're filling in for Noah George, who's uh out of town today, but uh we we've got to hear a message from Noah, so let's take a break.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Can we say happy birthday to Noah? Today is his birthday. Today is his birthday.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

Oh, happy birthday. Let's let him talk a little bit here.

Real Estate Message From Noah

SPEAKER_00 18:16

You want to? Maybe the house feels a little too big these days. The stairs, a little steeper, the pace of life a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go? It was about making space for peace, for freedom, for what matters most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transition, timing, and trust. We help thousands of families in Western North Carolina to make smartphone moves. Closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to rise size, simplify, or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group. Local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

Thank you, Noah, and you're listening to the George Real Estate Group Radio show. And uh Noah is away today. We're guests, uh, have as guests uh Lynn Stags, who's director of the storehouse, and Patrick Hunt, who's a mortgage advisor with United Federal Credit Union.

Christmas Program For Local Kids

SPEAKER_02 19:35

You mentioned uh Christmas coming up now. You guys go all out for Christmas and have one big Christmas drive for the kids, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 19:44

We do. We partner with Henderson County Public School, and we go into four different locations in each district, do intakes with the parents, gather all that information, create tickets, and then we pass them out in the community, and uh all of it comes back in in December, and then we pass it all out in two days, and it is a wild ride.

SPEAKER_03 20:08

I bet that is. Last year, how many how many kids did Liz did you affect with that?

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Last year it was 2,135.

SPEAKER_03 20:16

Wow, yeah. So have you been around that pattern? I have. It's it's it's it's uh it's like Santa's village going on over there. It is running around and it's and the all of this fit toys all rolled together. And now with the space you have here, are you gonna is it gonna be Have you lost your mind?

SPEAKER_01 20:33

No, okay. No, why why would I want to mess up my new building? I haven't even got my new building paid for. Plus, I'd love going out to Living Water and aggravating them.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

I can go out there, do what I need to do and do it at Living Waters Baptist Church.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

Yeah, we do it at Living Water Church, and they have been an awesome partner for years. Um we when we first started, we did it at First United Methodist in one room, and I mean it was smaller then, and then we moved to First Baptist Church in the Green Building, and we were there for a while, and I think we were at Upward Christian Fellowship for quite a few years, and we had a big snow, and the roof started giving it in a little bit. They they had a little structural thing, and we had to vacate the premises.

SPEAKER_03 21:23

Uh oh.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

And we're right in the middle of it. We have all the stuff unpacked. I am standing there outside just crying.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

Sounds like a Mayberry episode.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

It really was. And um I got on the phone and Chris Pace and Tony Burkhead were the co-pastors at that time. They were like, come on. And we've been out there ever since. They took us in a with a 15 minute notice and they cleared the sanctuary for us, and we went out there and set up. But every place we've been, we have been blessed.

SPEAKER_03 22:08

It's a remarkable scene. Like it there's hallways are filled with things. The sanctuary, it's just and there's cars coming and going, dropping off, deliver it's yeah, it's a beautiful thing. I'm sure it is.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

We are working in the matrix for real out there. It but it's a lot of fun, and there's so much joy, and there's so much tired, and there's so much community input. The people that come in and they're donating for these children, they're really vested. They take these tags and treat them like these are their children, and that is a beautiful thing to see.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Absolutely. Well, I'm sure you see a lot of beautiful things happening there at the storehouse. Lynn Staggs, executive director. Patrick, uh, we uh Patrick Hunt is with uh United Federal Credit Union.

Branch Footprint And Loan Servicing

SPEAKER_02 22:58

You guys are located all around Western North Carolina. We are, yeah. Several here in Henderson.

SPEAKER_03 23:03

We have two in Hendersonville. We are right around the corner here on Jack Street, right next to the Blue Ridge Mall here, um, right behind uh the gas station. Um and then our newest location that replaced, we were in the fresh market plaza that got flooded out with Helene. And we went up the road a little bit on uh now 855 Spartanburg Highway. So right next to the co-op, the Hendersonville co-op. And then Fletcher, we've got a branch in Fletcher right across from Lulu's on 25. Yeah, and then uh up in Asheville too, West Asheville, we have a branch up there. So yeah, yeah, yeah. And Statesville, we're had this one way out in Statesville too. So I mean, yeah, so yeah, we uh try to cover the bases and um yeah, it's uh an incredible place. So we're in six different states. Headquarters is Michigan. So and yeah, that's what allows us to in on my side of things with the residential lending, people are like, oh, so you can only do mortgages in in North Carolina. Like, nope, we can do all lower 48. So if anybody's moving or buying a second home someplace else, we can we can handle that.

SPEAKER_01 24:09

So and if you want to be loved on and treated well, go to the credit. That's right, that's right. I mean, if we ever have any issues, all I have to do is pick up the phone. That's a that's amazing.

SPEAKER_03 24:21

A big part I'm glad you mentioned that. So a big part of mortgages, um a lot of the big companies and even some of the smaller banks in this area and whatnot, the loans and the servicing is sold the moment you close. And they just bundle it up with all their other loans and sell them to investors, and then whoever was buying that house gets this letter in the mail a week later that says, Hey, we're so and so conglomerate, you know, company, and we are now, you know, hold your mortgage and we need your payment information. We don't do that, so we service all of our loans, excluding government loans. The government loans we do have to get rid of the servicing on those as well. Um, but all of our conventional, all of our commercial, all of our standard, you know, mortgages, non-government, we service them all until the day you pay it off. So you're with us if you've got an issue, you go into a branch and you talk about it. Um you're we're who you started doing business with helped you close the home and who you're gonna be with when you pay it off. So it's a hard thing to find.

SPEAKER_01 25:26

Yeah, it's a wonderful thing to

Compassion Story And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_01 25:28

have. I mean, if there's ever any issue, like a few years well, it's been more than a few years now, but my husband was had had a major accident at school and his kidney shut down and he was in ICU for like thirteen, fourteen days and on dialysis for four months. It was a phone call and we were able to get that taken care of. A little bitty hiccup in her mortgage, but everything stayed the same. And it and it was the ability to actually call the bank and talk to our people and they took care of everything for us. They knew what to do. We were met with such compassion.

SPEAKER_02 26:15

It it was amazing. And you appreciate that. You really do.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

Absolutely. That's why I'll never go anywhere else.

SPEAKER_02 26:21

Thank you both for being here today. We really appreciate you filling in for Noah, and uh we'll look forward to getting together again sometime.

SPEAKER_01 26:29

Yes, we'll have total numbers next month, and we'll be talking about Christmas, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Sounds great. Have a great day.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Maybe the house feels a little too big these days. The stairs, a little steeper, the pace of life, a little too fast. But what if your next move wasn't about letting go? It was about making space for peace, for freedom, for what matters most. At the George Real Estate Group, we understand that real estate isn't just about the house. It's about transitions, timing, and trust. We've helped thousands of families in Western North Carolina make smart, thoughtful moves. Closer to nature, closer to family, closer to home. So when you're ready to rise size, simplify, or start fresh, we'll be here. The George Real Estate Group. Local, trusted, proven. Call us today, 828-393-0134. Find us online at realestatebygreg.com because your next chapter deserves to feel just right.

SPEAKER_02 27:47

Thank you for listening to the George Real Estate Group Podcast. Tune in next time for more industry news, updates, and real estate tips. You can reach Greg, the George Real Estate Group, at 828 393 0134 or at realestatebygreg.com.