From low education standards to cities on fire, brokers face a nonstop battle to combat borrowers' misconceptions
On top of market volatility and affordability challenges, brokers in certain parts of the country also have to turn on the news and hear horrible things about their hometowns.
Whether it’s something like a rural part of the south being stereotyped a certain way or a large metropolitan area being framed as being dangerous, brokers have to spend time setting the record straight for potential homebuyers looking to relocate to one of these areas.
Andrew Gagliano (pictured top), president of Gagliano Mortgage, Inc., spoke to Mortgage Professional America about some of the things he’s heard about his home state, and how he works to correct perspective.
He said because of some of those misconceptions, he’s not seeing the same level of growth in Alabama as some of its neighboring states.
“I have seen an increase in the number of people moving into Alabama from other parts of the country,” Gagliano said. “I will say that I don't know necessarily how many more we're getting in Alabama, because it seems like if we get 1,000 in, we have 1,000 going out. So I don't know necessarily that the population in Alabama is growing as much as it is in some of the other states like Georgia, Tennessee or Florida.”
Educating homebuyers
Gagliano said some of the misconceptions about Alabama date back to the 1960s, when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing in the South.
“Alabama is a hidden gem, and the reason that I say that is because so many people still have a negative impression of the state of Alabama based on what may have happened in the civil rights movement,” Gagliano said. “They still see Alabama as last or second to the last on the list of education and healthcare and whatever other great things that a lot of states can offer.”
He said that while there are parts of Alabama that are lower-income areas, that isn’t reflective of the entire state.
“They come to a city like Birmingham, they come to a city like Huntsville, Mobile,” he said. “They see Birmingham has the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB), which is one of the top hospitals and research medical universities in the country. That's right here in Birmingham, Alabama. The healthcare is not that bad in Birmingham.”
Over three decades of serving mortgage customers, he has closed thousands of loans. While there are people who move in from other parts of the country who decide they don’t want to stay, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad place to live. That’s what he wants to convey to homebuyers.
“So many people moved to Alabama from other parts of the country, and they say, ‘I never knew that Birmingham was like this. I just had my misconceptions about the state based on what I heard and read in the news, but I've gotten here, and there's a real sense of community,’” Gagliano said. “Neighbors still know each other and care about each other and are willing to help.
“People are nice. The area is beautiful, the state's beautiful, and there is good healthcare. There are very good school districts within the state.”
Learn for ourselves
When sensational headlines pop up in other parts of the country, Gagliano can certainly empathize with the residents of those communities. One of the more recent cases is the rumors in the city of Portland, Oregon.
“Things that we hear on the news, like a perfect example is when you hear Portland, Oregon, is burning to the ground,” he said. “Is it burning to the ground, or is there one block in this city of Portland that's burning, and the rest of Portland's doing fine and is operating as usual? The latter is probably the real truth, where the first is such an exaggeration.”
Kristi Hardy of Atlantic Coast Mortgage says uncertainty around federal job security could cause buyers to pause, but DC’s housing shortage and resilience remain steady. Her message: stay calm, guide clients, and remind them this too shall pass.https://t.co/ZP5HnL874f
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) October 2, 2025
That’s why, whether he’s talking to mortgage customers looking to move to Alabama or is seeing negative stories about other parts of the country, he encourages customers to stop assuming what they read online is the complete truth and go find out for themselves.
“I think that we develop these opinions and thoughts based so much on what we hear on the news, and read on the internet,” Gagliano said. “When it's not all true. We need to go and experience those things ourselves and learn for ourselves.”
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