Alan Castro

Senior Mortgage Consultant
Wintrust Mortgage

Alan Castro does not shy away from a challenge. In fact, in many ways, challenges seem to be what help him thrive. “I’ve developed a reputation for getting deals done that others cannot,” he says, recalling some of the professional achievements he’s most proud of, including securing a mortgage for a client who was the victim of identity fraud. “The imposter not only filed tax returns using my borrower’s number, but also was foreclosed on with an FHA loan a year earlier. We were still able to close him with an FHA loan and help him realize his dream of homeownership.”

After getting his B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Castro got started as a financial advisor specializing in personal finance and mortgages, before beginning to buy and sell real estate more than 10 years ago. For Castro, much of the draw of the real estate industry was the satisfaction he got from helping people buy their homes, especially their first ones. Even to this day, most of the clients Castro serves are first-time homebuyers, and he estimates that Latino clients make up 40 percent of his business.

A fluent Spanish speaker himself, Castro takes special pride in helping the Latino community, who face unique challenges and barriers when trying to buy their first homes. Outside of the real estate world, Castro has also been heavily involved with the Latino community in Chicago, serving as a director and board member for the East Village Youth Program, a non-profit that encourages and prepares low-income youth, primarily Latino youth, for a college education. Castro was honored with the EVYP’s Founder’s Award this past year for his dedication to the organization.

It’s fitting that Castro is so involved with an educational nonprofit, as his real estate philosophy is also all about education. Navigating the complex world of real estate can be stressful, confusing, and downright intimidating for many buyers, much less first-time buyers, so Castro’s approach “is to educate my clients as best I can to empower them to make the best possible decision regarding their home financing.” By taking the time to walk through the process before diving right in, Castro helps his clients feel more comfortable, which translates to closed deals.

Outside of his professional and volunteer work, Castro’s biggest source of inspiration is his family, especially watching his children grow up and learn from their surroundings. A self-described “social butterfly,” Castro has made many friends both inside and outside the industry over the past decade, and says, “I enjoy connecting people so that they can help each other,” forming strategic partnerships for real estate and for life. Castro is also an avid volleyball player.

Thanks to MILA for letting us use their beautiful location for our photo shoots.