Ken Starks

My Story

I started in the mortgage industry in the early 2000s, and the learning curve was steep. I came up through an era that included the biggest housing boom in American history, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, and the complete rebuilding of mortgage lending standards that followed. I have seen every market condition, every rate environment, and every regulatory shift this industry has produced in over two decades.

That experience shapes how I work with every client today. I am not guessing which loan program fits your situation — I have placed thousands of borrowers into the right product across every type of market. And when the answer is not obvious, I have the depth of knowledge to find creative, compliant solutions that less experienced originators simply would not know to look for.

I have been honored to be recognized as a Scotsman Guide Top 1% Mortgage Originator year over year — a distinction based on verified loan volume, not marketing claims. But the number I care about more is the 2,400-plus families I have helped. Many of them came back for their second, third, or fourth loan. Some have sent their children to me when it was time for them to buy their first home. That kind of trust is earned over years, and it is the foundation of everything we do at The Starks Team.

What I Specialize In

Over 23 years, I have developed deep expertise across the full spectrum of residential mortgage products. Here is what I work with most frequently.

My practice is not limited to one niche. A family buying their first home in Mesa needs a completely different approach than a real estate investor scaling a rental portfolio across multiple states or a retiree evaluating a reverse mortgage. I handle all of them because the mortgage market is interconnected — and understanding every product makes me better at recommending the right one for each client.

Gilbert, Arizona — Home Base

I have been coming to Gilbert since 2002, moved here in 2007, and have been raising my three daughters in Power Ranch since 2014. This is home. When I talk about the East Valley housing market — Gilbert, Mesa, Chandler, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley — I am not reading a report. I am living it.

I served three years on the Town of Gilbert Public Facilities Municipal Property Corporation, working on community development projects alongside civic leaders and two Town Mayors. That involvement gave me a deeper understanding of how Gilbert is growing, where development is headed, and how local policy shapes the housing market.

While I am licensed in all 50 states and work with clients nationwide, Arizona's East Valley and Orange County, California are where my local market knowledge runs deepest. I know the neighborhoods, the school districts, the commute patterns, and the appraisal trends — the kind of ground-level insight that makes a real difference when advising on property value and loan structure.