The Changelog

Last year, I wrote about a small town funeral home.

Today it's time to write about small town banks.

So last Saturday, Terah and I went to the bank in the town we're going to be closest to (population 590, compared population 3500 town we live close to now). We were discussing financing for the house and renovations.

The loan officer at the bank is also the city mayor. She's lived in the area for years. I don't know her well, but I know of her and she has heard of me too.

So some of the questions we got were:

"Are you still working the same place I heard about awhile ago?"

"Now should the seller's copy of this example contract go to your aunt or your dad?"

"So the place you're buying -- just a couple of miles from your great uncle then, right?"

Unlike the large nationwide bank we talked to, we were NOT asked:

• Are you farmers? Because we aren't set up to work with farmers. (There's no way a small-town bank could survive with an attitude like that)


• Are you SURE you're not farmers? Because that's a lot of land for someone that's not a farmer, and some of it is a pasture!
  (I hate to break it to him, but 17 acres is not nearly enough land for most farmers around here)


• Hmm, so there's a well on the property? That's cause for concern, but hopefully it will be OK since rural water is hooked up there.


• Could you just tell me who you are and what you're doing again? (I got this EVERY TIME I talked to or e-mailed them, even though it was always the same person)

The person at the small-town bank also actually returned my calls, answered my e-mails, and kept appointments. She also provided all sorts of help for us along the way. It's as if the bank would actually like to have our business and would work to get it.

Guess which bank we're going to use.