At Tolis Mortgage Financial Group, Art and Heather Tolis work in adjacent offices just a knock or a few steps away from each other. After being in business for 20 years and working side-by-side for the past 10, this family-run business has been making big strides in the mortgage industry.

According to Heather, a realtor for HomeSmart Lifestyles who also helps her husband at Tolis Mortgage Financial Group, it’s the family culture of the business that has kept them on the inside track.

“We’re a family-oriented business where we make sure anyone who works with us, that they’re part of a family, they’re not just an employee of the company,” Heather said.

Tolis Mortgage Financial Group celebrates 20 years of business this year, but it didn’t come without its fair share of difficulties. Like many, the 2007-08 financial crisis rocked the budding mortgage company, forcing Art to close shop, but he still kept his mortgage license active.

Art worked in banking through the Great Recession and stayed busy locally, serving on the Fountain Hills Zoning Commission, chairing the Fountain Hills Realtors Marketing Session and serving on the Chamber board of directors. Over the years, Art was also a two-time president of the Four Peaks Rotary Club and a Town councilman for four years.

Reflecting on how his business has changed since 2002, Art says the entire real estate landscape has changed, which has subsequently shifted the demand for services Tolis Mortgage offers. One such change is an increased interest for reverse home mortgages.

“Reverse mortgages are a huge change from 2002 to now,” Art said. “They’ve become much more attractive to people that want to have continued income that they can tap into that equity from their home, without any expense to them.”

Reverse mortgages are one of the Tolis Mortgage Financial Group’s specialties, while also providing a host of mortgage programs including conventional, FHA and VA loans, debt consolidation mortgages, commercial lending and more.

As the company grows, Tolis Mortgage has the entire country in its sites, expecting to be licensed in half of the U.S. by the second quarter of 2023, “and that’s with no debt,” Art added, who has a goal of being licensed in all 50 states.

“We want to see people have successful lives and have that home that they’ve always wanted and raise kids in a home that they want their kids to grow up in,” Heather said, who worked in insurance before joining her husband at Tolis Mortgage. “When you hand over the keys to the client and you see the joy in their faces, that’s why we do what we do.”

On Art’s desk is a sign that reads, “Hustle. Grind. Execute.” It’s been a central theme at the Tolis Mortgage Financial Group, which is closing on loans in Florida, Connecticut, California, Colorado and Arizona.

In its pursuit of national licensure, the Tolis family is traveling the country in a newly wrapped RV, which currently serves as an unofficial mobile billboard parked outside the office near Saguaro and Palisades boulevards.

Complete with their logo, QR code and a memorable vanity number, 888-GO-TOLIS, Tolis Mortgage Financial Group is hitting the road, visiting licensed states and making in-roads in others, attending homebuyer seminars and, most importantly, attending the Arizona State Fair for some family fun.

For more information on Tolis Mortgage Financial Group, visit tolismortgageusa.com, their Facebook page @Tolis Mortgage Financial Group or call 480-270-9244.

“This is like the Beverly Hills of Arizona,” Art adds. “We’re passionate about helping homeowners find the right loan for their home, and that’s why we’re still here because we still enjoy what we do. We like to help people with home ownership and finding the best deals.”