What is the difference between a mortgage broker and a bank?

A bank offers you only its own loans. A wholesale mortgage broker works with dozens of lenders, compares them, and presents your file to the ones that fit best. If a bank tells you no, that only means that bank said no. A broker can take the same file to ten other doors.

How much does it cost to work with a mortgage broker?

In most cases the broker is compensated through the lender, not by a direct charge to the buyer. By law you must receive a Loan Estimate showing every cost in writing before you commit. Always ask for that document and compare it.

What should I ask a mortgage broker before hiring them?

Five questions: their NMLS number so you can verify them, how many lenders they work with, whether they have experience with your specific situation, the Loan Estimate in writing, and what happens if your file is denied. If they dodge any of the five, find someone else.

How do I verify that a mortgage broker is licensed?

Look up their NMLS number on NMLS Consumer Access, the free public registry of the national system. It shows their license, which states they operate in, and their history. Any legitimate broker gives you their NMLS without hesitating.

Can a mortgage broker help me if I am self-employed?

Yes, and it is usually the better option. There are programs that qualify you using bank statements or a profit and loss statement instead of tax returns. Those programs are rarely in a traditional bank catalog, but they are in a wholesale broker one.

Can I get a mortgage without being a permanent resident?

Yes. There are programs for ITIN holders, for work permit holders, and for non-resident foreign nationals. Requirements and down payments vary by case. Since May 2025 FHA has been limited to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, but the conventional route and portfolio programs remain open.

Who is the best mortgage broker in Tampa?

It depends on your situation, and the honest answer is that you should compare. The criteria that matter are a verifiable license, how many lenders they work with, experience with cases like yours, cost transparency in writing, and real reviews. Infinity Wholesale Mortgages is a wholesale broker licensed in Florida and Texas, with an office in Tampa, real Google reviews, and a specialty in self-employed, ITIN and work-permit borrowers.

Do you work in Spanish?

Yes. The entire process, from the first call to closing, can be done in Spanish or English.

Written by Julian Hernandez

How to choose a mortgage broker in Tampa: the 5 questions to ask

August 22, 2026

Published August 21, 2026 · By Adrian Colin, licensed mortgage broker in Florida and Texas, NMLS 1684240

I am going to write this the way I would if we were sitting in my office on Hoover Boulevard and you asked me what to look for — even if you end up working with someone else. An informed buyer is a better client for anyone.

First: broker, bank and direct lender are not the same thing

This confusion costs people money, so it is worth separating clearly.

A bank offers you the bank’s loans. One menu. If you do not fit their product, the conversation ends.

A direct lender lends its own money. Same limit: their catalog is the only catalog.

A wholesale broker does not lend its own money. It works with dozens of wholesale lenders and investors, and its job is to find which one fits your case.

The practical difference is this: when a bank tells you no, that only means that bank said no. It does not mean you do not qualify for a mortgage. Understanding that distinction changes a lot about what you believe about yourself.

When a bank is the better option

I will be fair, because we are not always the answer.

If you are a W2 employee with good credit, years of steady employment, and you are buying a conventionally priced home, your bank can give you a perfectly good loan. Sometimes with a relationship discount. In that profile the difference between options is small.

A broker becomes valuable when your file does not fit the standard box. And in Tampa, plenty of files do not.

When you need a broker

You are self-employed and your tax returns show little after deductions
You do not have a Social Security Number and want to buy with an ITIN
You have a work permit and were told you no longer qualify after the 2025 FHA change
You live abroad and want to invest in Florida
Your income is not W2: commission, tips, rental income, contracts
You have already been told no once or twice

If you recognize yourself in that list, a broker is not a luxury: it is the difference between buying and not buying.

The five questions you should ask

Keep this list. It works for evaluating us and for evaluating anyone.

1. What is your NMLS number?
Every mortgage loan originator in the United States has one, and it is public. Look it up on NMLS Consumer Access, which is free, and you will see their license, their states and their history. Any legitimate professional gives it to you without hesitating. If they stall, the interview is over.

2. How many lenders do you work with?
If the answer is one, they are not a broker. And ask whether any of them specializes in your specific situation.

3. Have you closed files like mine?
Be specific: self-employed, ITIN, work permit, foreign national. A broker with real experience will describe the whole process without being asked. One without it gives vague answers.

4. Will you give me the Loan Estimate in writing?
It is a standardized federal form with every cost on it. Never accept numbers over the phone. The document lets you compare offers side by side, because everyone uses the same format. It is your best tool and it is free.

5. What happens if my file is not approved?
The answer you want is not “it will definitely be approved.” It is a plan: what is missing, how long it takes to fix, what other route exists. Optimism without a plan is a red flag.

Warning signs

They quote you a rate before looking at your credit. It is not possible to know it without reviewing the file.
They offer you an FHA loan with an ITIN. FHA requires a Social Security Number. Ask for the product sheet in writing.
They pressure you with artificial urgency. “Today only” does not exist in mortgages.
They suggest leaving something off the application. That is mortgage fraud, and you are the one signing.
They will not give you their NMLS or it does not appear in the registry.
They charge you upfront to “lock” your rate or review your case.

How to read reviews

Five stars across eight reviews does not tell you much. What matters is volume and content.

Look for reviews that describe situations like yours. One that says “great service” is worth little; one that says “helped us with a complicated loan using income that was not W2” tells you exactly what to expect.

And look at how they respond to negative reviews, if there are any. That reveals more about a business’s character than the good ones do.

About us, so you can compare

Using the same criteria I just gave you:

Licenses: Adrian Colin, NMLS #1684240. Infinity Wholesale Mortgages, LLC, Company NMLS #2420223. Licensed by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML). Verify us on NMLS Consumer Access.
Model: wholesale broker. We compare among multiple investors for every file.
Reviews: read our Google reviews.
Recognition: BusinessRate, Best of 2026, Town ’n’ Country.
Office: 5404 Hoover Blvd, Suite 6, Tampa, FL 33634.
Area: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Town ’n’ Country and all of Florida and Texas.
Languages: English and Spanish, the whole process.

What we specialize in: self-employed buyers who qualify with a profit and loss statement without needing a licensed CPA, ITIN mortgages, conventional loans for work permit holders, foreign national programs, flexible Non-QM, Florida Housing down payment assistance, and zero down options for those who qualify.

What to expect from a first call with us

Fifteen to twenty minutes. We ask about your income, your approximate credit, how much you have saved and what you are looking for. At the end we tell you one of three things: you qualify and this is the range, you qualify with these adjustments and this is the timeline, or not yet and this is the plan.

We do not ask for a credit card and there is no charge for the review. And if your own bank turns out to be the better deal, we will tell you.

Browse the programs in our Casa Catalog, add the ones you are interested in, and leave us your name, phone and email. We show up to the call already knowing what you are looking for.

Sources

NMLS Consumer Access — public registry of mortgage loan originator licenses
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — Loan Estimate, standardized disclosure form
HUD, Mortgagee Letter 2025-09 — Revisions to FHA residency requirements
Florida Office of Financial Regulation — mortgage broker licensing

Keep reading

Adrian Colin is CEO/President and Loan Officer of Infinity Wholesale Mortgages, LLC, a mortgage broker licensed by the Florida Office of Financial Regulation and the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (SML). NMLS #1684240. Company NMLS #2420223.

Informational and educational article. Not a loan commitment or an offer of credit. Programs and requirements change without notice. Subject to credit and property approval, income verification and appraisal. Equal Housing Opportunity.