Gaetano Ciambriello

Building AFC Mortgage Group (2801) | Second generation and run it with my brother! | Bridge Lender | Student Rental Investor 🇺🇸

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

The sign went up today. Post Road, downtown Fairfield.

We're opening a new office, and the sales team is moving down to it. Monroe stays exactly where it is — that isn't going anywhere. But we wanted the sales floor somewhere with more happening around it.

More foot traffic. More walk-ins. Somebody can stop in off Post Road, ask what they came to ask, and get an answer while they're standing there. That's the whole idea.

And it puts us back where we started. Fairfield Prep is a few minutes up the road. Coming back down here to open a door with our name on it means so much.

Inside is still a construction site — framing's up, plumbing and electrical are roughed in, sprinklers go in next week. But you can walk it now and see the rooms instead of imagining them.

Give it a few weeks. Then come find us on Post Road. We can't wait to see you at the Grand Opening!

AFC Mortgage Group | NMLS #2801 | Equal Housing Lender

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

"I've been waiting for this one for a very long time. The one that checks all the marks."

That's what a buyer texted Brendan about the house she'd found. She also has a condo to sell.

Her next text was exactly the right question: after I sell my condo, do the proceeds go toward the loan, and the rest gets refinanced into a regular mortgage?

Brendan's answer: "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!"

That's the whole idea of buying first. Borrow against the home you own. Buy the next one without asking the seller to wait on your sale. Sell the old one after you move.

Her proof-of-funds letter is out, and she's shopping with it.

She told Brendan she could wait another year if she had to. She shouldn't have to.

Here's what I've learned: the right house doesn't wait for your listing photos.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

A lot of good loan officers got bad news this month.

Layoffs are hitting retail shops, big servicers, even the agencies. If you're one of them, I'm sorry. It's not a reflection of your work.

But here's what I'd tell you over coffee: the box you were selling from was too small.

When a borrower didn't fit the agency guidelines, you had to say no. No traditional income. Limited liquidity. A credit hiccup. A deal that makes sense but doesn't fit.

At AFC we don't have to say no to those people. We do conventional, and we also have our own bridge and private lending. We started it in May 2025 and we've doubled it in a year.

We just opened a new sales office on Post Road in downtown Fairfield, and we're building the team there.

If you're a licensed CT loan officer and you want more ways to get to yes, my DMs are open. Let's grab a coffee.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

To every veteran - thank you.

You gave us the freedom to build something. We don't take it for granted.

Happy Veterans Day 🇺🇸

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

More than 140 people are coming to get their Christmas trees with us.

It's our Client Appreciation Day. Last year we invited our past clients and referral partners up to Hickory Hill Orchards in Cheshire. This year we're doing it again: Saturday, November 28. Fifty families have signed up so far.

Every family goes home with a free Christmas tree or wreath. Bagels, coffee, hot chocolate. Family photos by the trees.

No presentation. No rate sheet. Nobody gets pitched.

Here's what I've learned in this business: the closing is one day. The relationship is every year after it.

Most lenders send a calendar. We'd rather hand you a tree.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@davidsenra @travisk That would be 🔥

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

CT first-time buyers: CHFA's Time to Own down payment assistance still had $10.65M open as of Nov 9.

Up to $25K at 0%, with 10% forgiven each year. You need a CHFA first mortgage and 3 years of CT residency.

When it's gone, it's gone. Ask your lender about it now.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

$32 MILLION in production. Nearly DOUBLE last year.

What’s Nick Landell doing differently?

The simple things. Consistently.

Calling referral partners. Staying in front of past clients. Following up with current clients. Building relationships.

But here’s what I think makes the biggest difference: He’s surrounded by a team that allows him to focus on what actually grows his business.

At AFC Mortgage Group, we’re investing heavily in three areas:

1. Operational Support: Dedicated loan partners and a strong operations team to keep our originators out of files and in front of clients.

2. Marketing Support: Video content, social media, and marketing resources to help our loan officers build their brands and generate more opportunities.

3. Product Advantage: Our growing bridge lending platform, backed by our own capital, is creating opportunities that traditional mortgage products can’t. Nearly 20% of Nick’s production this year has come from bridge loans.

We’ve also just opened our new office in downtown Fairfield, and we’re continuing to invest in the people, products, and infrastructure that help our team win.

Nick is doing the work. Our job is to give him every advantage possible.

And we’re just getting started.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@UltimateTrad8r Great work 👊🏻

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@grok @VladTheInflator Gotcha, thank you

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@grok @VladTheInflator This is crazy 🤯

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@Henry__Cameron Beauty

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

Her bridge loan was paid off on a Wednesday. Her new mortgage closed the same day.

Susan in Watertown bought her next house before she sold the one she was living in. When the old house sold, the sale paid the bridge down, and what was left rolled into a regular mortgage on the new house.

About ten weeks from start to finish. Two houses. One move.

I said it on a call with a buyer last week, and I'll say it again here: "I do not want to give you a bridge loan and not get you out of it. That's always our number one focus with clients, making sure there's an exit plan in place, because that's how we approve you for the bridge loan."

Here's a little secret about this business: the bridge is the easy part. The exit is the plan.

Before you take one, ask your lender one question. What pays this loan off, and when?

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

Sent our whole team one question this morning:

"What's blocking you right now?"

Files rarely stall on the big problems. They stall on the small ones nobody said out loud.

Ask early. Clear it fast.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

BREAKING: AFC Mortgage Group now has two undefeated professional runners.

Trevor and Vito made history at the Colony 5K this morning, crossing the finish line in a dead heat.

Neither has agreed to a rematch. Both are reportedly considering retirement at the top of their game.

Back to mortgages on Monday.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

What happens when you find the perfect property to buy, but selling your current one right now could cost you thousands?

We just had a client reach out who found an investment property she really wants to purchase.

The problem?

Her current property has a tenant living in it, and she knows she could potentially get a much better price if she waits until the tenant moves out before listing it.

But she doesn’t want to miss out on the new property while she’s waiting.

Our solution? A bridge loan.

We can help her purchase the new property now, without forcing her to sell the existing one before she’s ready.

She can move quickly, make a competitive offer, and sell her current property when it makes the most financial sense.

Why sacrifice equity in one property just to buy another?

That’s exactly the problem our bridge loan program is designed to solve.

If you’ve found a property you want to buy but aren’t ready to sell your current one, let’s talk.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

Vito and I were invited to the Sacred Heart University Horizons Gala last night. Really great event supporting an even better cause. Grateful we got to be part of it.

We ended up bidding on (and winning) a private movie night at the Sacred Heart University Theatre in downtown Fairfield. We get the entire theater to ourselves for a night and can pick whatever movie we want.

Naturally, our first thought was to put on Goodfellas and invite all our friends. 🤣

Then we figured maybe we should do something a little more family-friendly and invite our AFC Mortgage Group clients, friends, and families instead.

Although I’m sure there are plenty of parents who would rather leave the kids home for a night and watch Goodfellas.

Help us decide:

1. Goodfellas — Adults-only movie night.
2. Family Movie Night — Bring the kids.
3. Write-In Vote — Suggest a movie in the comments.

Either way, excited to bring some people together in downtown Fairfield for a fun night.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@Codie_Sanchez Most owners are scared their clients will leave if they raise prices. Usually the good clients stay and the price shoppers leave, which is a win both ways.

We raised prices in '20, '22 and '24. Helped our profit margins. We reinvested in better talent and technology.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

Her husband's lender told them they could do a bridge loan. They couldn't. The lender didn't offer one.

They'd already found the next house, with a closing set for December 1, and their current home wasn't sold.

She called Nick. He spent 50 minutes laying out a real plan: borrow against the house they own, close on the new one, sell the old one, then move into a regular 30-year mortgage. In his words: "We wanna make sure there's a clean exit strategy out of the bridge loan."

Then the inspection on the new house came back, and they walked away. For them, that was the right call.

Here's a little secret about this business: plenty of lenders say "we can do that" on the first call. Fewer can show you the terms.

If your plan depends on a bridge loan, get it in writing before you write the offer. The product, the exit, and who actually funds it.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

Three people last week told us the same thing: an AI sent them.

A realtor in Guilford said she got my number from ChatGPT. A buyer looking at a bridge loan found us the same way. A lead in Massachusetts told Brendan, "I went to one of those AI things, and it came up."

Nobody clicked an ad. Nobody saw a billboard.

Here's what I've learned: these tools don't recommend the loudest company. They recommend the one that explained the thing clearly, in public, over and over.

So we keep answering the questions our clients ask us on the phone, out loud, where anyone can find them.

That's not marketing. That's showing your work.

If you run a business, write down the ten questions your customers ask most. Answer every one in public. Then do it again next month.

[Gaetano Ciambriello @GCiams]

@danielfazio The falling out of the sky 🤣