What a first-time buyer in Mississippi actually needs
Down payment, credit score, and closing costs — what the real numbers look like, not the scary ones you read online.
Read the guide →
Madison, Mississippi
A mortgage should feel like a conversation.
I’m Julene Stewart. Thirty-one years in real estate — first on the legal side of the closing table, now on the lending side — and the last twenty of them right here in Mississippi. Whether you’re buying your first home or refinancing the one you’re in, you’ll get real answers from a real person who picks up the phone.
In Real Estate
Loan Programs
Serving Mississippi
Licensed Originator
How I Can Help
Three ways people usually find me.
Every file is different, but it almost always starts as one of these. Not sure which one you are? That’s fine — call me and we’ll figure it out together.
Buying a home
First home, next home, or a move across town. We’ll get you pre-approved so you can shop with confidence — and so your offer actually gets taken seriously.
Refinancing
Lower the rate, shorten the term, drop the mortgage insurance, or pull cash out for a project. I’ll run the numbers honestly — including when the answer is “not yet.”
Just getting started
Credit questions, down payment worries, self-employed income, or “can we even do this?” There’s no charge to ask, and no pressure after.
About Julene
A paralegal’s eye for the paperwork.
I started out as a secretary for a real estate attorney in 1995 and worked as a paralegal until 2016 — which means I spent two decades reading the documents most people only see at the closing table.
In 2016 I became a loan originator at Fidelity Mortgage, and joined MS Lending in March 2023 after Fidelity’s merger. Mississippi has been home since 2006.
That background is the whole reason I’m good at this job: I know where files get stuck, and I catch it before it costs you your closing date.
Reviews
In their words.
Straight from my Google Business Profile — unedited.
The Application
Apply online in about ten minutes.
The secure application is the same one every MS Lending borrower uses. Start it whenever you like — nights and weekends included — and I’ll pick it up from there.
Fill out the secure form
About ten minutes. No fee, and no hard credit pull to get started.
I reach out
We talk through your goals, your numbers, and what you actually qualify for.
Documents and rate lock
Together we finalize the file and lock your rate when the timing is right.
From the Blog
Plain-English answers to the questions I get most.
No jargon, no sales pitch — just the stuff I end up explaining on the phone anyway.
When refinancing is worth it — and when it isn’t
The break-even math, in one short paragraph, so you can decide for yourself before anyone calls you.
Read the post →
Five things that quietly hurt your credit before closing
Do not buy the furniture yet. Here’s the rest of the list I give every borrower.
Read the post →Let’s Talk
Ask me anything. Seriously.
There’s no cost to ask a question, and I won’t put you on a mailing list for it. Call, text, email, or send a note — whatever’s easiest for you.