While working for Wild Geese Construction, his family’s construction business based in Park Ridge, Justin Michael Murray realized a disconnect between the construction process and the financing available for these projects. Oftentimes, families were left without the ability to bring their dreams of building a home to fruition, says Murray, the senior residential loan advisor with Village Bank & Trust, a Wintrust Community Bank serving clients in Chicagoland and nationwide.
With knowledge on both sides of the transaction, Murray knew he could make financing more accessible to local families and act as a sounding board for them. “I had in-depth knowledge of the construction process and could guide them through it, from start to finish, as a single point of contact, alleviating a great deal of stress for these families,” he says. Before real estate, Murray had a career in biotech pharmaceuticals.
In addition to construction loans, Murray’s other main passion is working with first-time homebuyers and self-employed business owners. “All three categories of people find getting traditional financing a little overwhelming and complicated,” he says. “These clients deserve constant attention to detail and a professional with the ability to structure a deal that most banks and lenders are unfamiliar with.”
Murray recently teamed up with Gina Back from HomeSmart Connect. She works exclusively with first-time homebuyers, most of whom are new to the U.S. “Gina and I have a special appreciation for one another in our desire to help those new to this country,” he says, noting his family emigrated from Ireland. “Working hand in hand with Gina to help these newly landed families achieve homeownership is more satisfying than words can describe, as we often work with these families extensively, becoming very close in the process.”
Murray sees Gina as an ambassador for her clients and he is proud to support her in achieving their goals. Clients have taken notice. They appreciate Murray’s resilience in sticking with them through difficult cases that other lenders & banks do not want to take on due to the time and effort involved. He has that same wherewithal when it comes to continuing his education.
Murray is halfway through his MBA program at University of Illinois and is simultaneously earning his private pilot’s license. Nonetheless, he finds time to volunteer with multiple nonprofits in the community.
