By William Jacko
When Bruce and Tasha Henry chose the name OhmStar Home Lending for their new business, they wanted something with a soothing sound that would generate positive energy.
“The meaning of ohm is the ultimate,” said Tasha Henry, who holds a doctorate in occupational therapy. “It’s been proven that saying the word ‘ohm’ brings a calming effect and healing vibration to the soul — it clears the atmosphere and brings light to situations.
“And, we wanted to bring light to our buyers. It can be a dark place if you’ve never bought a home before because you don’t know what to expect. You need light, guidance and someone to help decrease the stress. We wanted to send a good and positive vibration out to the universe.”
OhmStar opened in 2004, and with savvy leadership, survived the 2008 recession to become a mortgage lender with both state and national licensing.
“OhmStar Home Lending is a direct lender,” said Tasha. “We’re not going to shop customer loans to 50 different lending companies. We’re pretty much a one-stop shop, and customer credit will only be pulled once.”
The Henrys communicate directly with mortgage underwriters who make the final decision.
“We are able to close and fund very complex loans in less than 30 days,” said Tasha. “We’ve even had VA loans that we’ve closed and funded in two weeks, which is almost unheard of, and are very proud that our turnaround time. Our goal is to get the loan in, closed and funded in less than 30 days.”
As a mortgage lender, OhmStar offers Federal Housing Administration, Veterans Affairs, conventional and 12-month bank statement loans. They also offer first-time homebuyer programs, and can do refinances, purchases and loans for investment properties, second homes, primary residences, duplexes, apartment buildings and commercial loans.
“We cater to veterans,” said Bruce Henry, who holds a doctorate in business administration. “We can do 100% financing for veterans with FHA and VA loans, and also offer a credit enhancement program to help veterans and other clients whose credit is not the best.”
The OhmStar credit enhancement teaches financial literacy to their customers. “We offer classes designed for first-time homebuyers—just to educate people on financial literacy,” said Tasha.
While the Henrys have built a large and successful lending business, they continue to give personalized service that small businesses specialize in.
“I was born in the early 1960s, and remember going to the neighborhood food and meat markets,” said Bruce. “Those hometown services were important to me growing up because they looked after the little person. We believe in that same level of service and sense of community, and strive to offer that to our customers every day.”
813-784-1206 • www.ohmstarloans.com • 7320 E. Fletcher Avenue, Tampa, FL 33637
Published 2/12/20
