20 percent down, and the rates were pretty good.”

But who knew in April that the mortgage rates would continue to drop so favorably by July?

“We wanted to get it before the home was sold,” said Steinbruecker. “There were a few times that these homes would go before we could put a bid on them.”

Yet despite the gains seen by loan officers, the overall real estate market still needs to catch up more to get back to where it was before the recession, added Perry.

“Year over year, we have been seeing improvement in the number of loan applications, but we still have a long way to go,” Perry said. “We’re still seeing millennials who are living in their parents’ homes now instead of going out in the market and buying a home or others who are still in apartments instead of owning their own home. Traditionally, they would have become homeowners by now, but they still remain hesitant.”