Access One Forges a New Direction in the Industry
by Jim Evans

Jeff Brumfield has learned a few things in his more than 15 years in the mortgage-consulting business, and one has been to not put the proverbial cart before the horse.

"It’s a different market than it used to be," Brumfield said. "It used to be that people would shop for a new home first and then worry about the mortgage financing, but now it’s the other way around. The important thing is to secure the right kind of loan program to fit your needs and then shop for the best property that you can afford to meet those needs."

Brumfield, owner of the Ramona branch of CalPacific Mortgage Consultants and K.S. Stratton Construction, hopes to make a positive impact on the way real estate is bought and sold in Ramona with his newest enterprise, Access One Real Estate Mortgage.

The "one-stop" office offers mortgage brokering, real estate sales, homeowners insurance, property management, and construction and remodeling.

"It just makes sense to have all of the services for buying and selling properties under one roof," Brumfield said, "instead of having folks run from place to place, frantically trying to put all of the necessary pieces together."

Located at 1012 Main St., Access One combines the already-existing services of CalPacific Mortgage Consulting and Stratton Construction, located at 1140 Main Sreet, and has coordinated with Steve Sellin of the Sellin Insurance Agency to include homeowners insurance through Farmers Insurance. The company expects to have its property-management division in place soon.

However, Access One offers more than just convenience.

"All of our real estate agents are employees — not independent contractors — so our emphasis is a team approach to ensure maximum customer service and satisfaction," Brumfield said. "Our concept of actually hiring agents as full-fledged W-2 employees is unusual in this era of over-specialization and independent contractors."

"With our team approach, we can draw on the individual strengths and skills of each employee — with everyone working as part of a professional team — for the benefit of our customers, and our ads will focus on the company and the property rather than the individual agent."

In an even more dramatic departure from standard real estate practices in the area, Access One offers discount brokerage fees of just 4 percent. And, if the customer secures a mortgage through the company’s affiliated mortgage company CalPacific, Access One will apply 20 percent of their commission on the buyer’s transaction toward the closing costs. That concession is unheard of in today’s high-priced real estate market.

"We want to change the way people look at buying and selling real estate," Brumfield said. "Real estate is no longer as simple as just buying or selling a home, for most people. It has also become a major part of their investment portfolio.

"They should be able to invest in a dream home that will meet their living needs but, at the same time, achieve maximum value for their investment. It starts with the financing — we just put all of the other components together to make it easier for people to realize their dreams at a better price."

For further information about Access One, call (760) 788-4796.