About

Garrick Emiele Werdmuller von Elgg — known simply as Garrick Werdmuller — was born in San Jose, California. At age three, his family moved to Morgan Hill in search of a quieter life away from the growing bustle of the city. Some of his earliest memories include visits to the legendary Frontier Village amusement park. Garrick later graduated from Live Oak High School, already showing signs of the creativity and entrepreneurial energy that would define his career.

Not long after high school, Garrick and a close group of friends launched a clothing company, all while he attended junior college, not sure which educational direction to take. The brand quickly gained traction, landing in boutique stores across Northern and Southern California. Although the venture was profitable, creative differences brought it to an early close — but the lessons (and fun) were invaluable!

Still searching for a long-term path, Garrick decided to pursue a lifelong passion: cooking. He enrolled in the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, excelled in the program, and earned a Sous Chef position as the top student in his class at The Hyatt Regency Embarcadero. His culinary journey included time at iconic San Francisco institutions such as The Westin St. Francis, Boulevard, and The Big 4 Restaurant at The Huntington Hotel.

After 9/11, widespread event cancellations devastated the hotel and restaurant industry, and Garrick was laid off from the Hyatt as the newest member of the team. In that moment of transition, he shifted gears, earned his Real Estate Principles license, and entered the mortgage industry.

“I was exhausted from late nights, weekends, holidays, and low pay. I saw friends from high school thriving as mortgage brokers and thought, ‘Why not me?’ I walked into their office… and never looked back.” That was 2002.

Since then, Garrick has built a respected reputation across the lending industry. He has served as an in-house lender for Prudential and BHHS Drysdale Properties, managed new-construction lending divisions, and run full retail branches for First Priority Financial and Caliber Home Loans.

After earning his California Broker’s License, Garrick founded Fresh Home Loan Inc. in 2019 — an independent mortgage brokerage built on the belief that lenders should work for the people.

“I wanted to make getting a home loan cool — not confusing, not intimidating, and not a frustrating process. I can’t say we’re perfect, but our clients’ and Realtors’ reviews tell us we’re doing things the right way and getting closer every day.”

Today, Garrick and his team help California homeowners, buyers, and investors with everything from Zero-Down Programs and ITIN Loans to Investor Loans, Private Money, Fix-and-Flip, Reverse Mortgages, Equity Lines, Jumbo Loans, Self-Employed Loans, and more.

He has built a highly trained, forward-thinking team and integrated state-of-the-art technology to deliver speed, transparency, competitive pricing, and a truly modern lending experience.

Garrick has achieved many industry accolades including the Alameda Association of Realtors Affiliate of the Year, Nominated Best of Alameda, Alameda Magazine, Fastest Purchase Closer, United Wholesale Mortgage, 40 Under 40 most Influential Loan Officers of the Year – National Mortgage Professional Magazine among other industry accolades. He is a published author and has been published in Realtor magazine and National Mortgage professional magazine. 

When Garrick isn’t elevating the mortgage experience for his clients and partners, he enjoys spending time with his kids, hiking, jogging, kayaking, exploring nature, watching movies, reading and writing, cooking, and enjoying great food.



He also is a published author and owns an underground record label and is signed to AWAL (Artists Without a Label) — a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment — continuing to fuel his lifelong creative drive.