Edge Home Finance has added another recognizable industry voice to its leadership bench, bringing on Be My Neighbor co-founder Nathan Knottingham as senior vice president of education and VA strategy.
The move, announced by Edge President Tom Ahles, comes as leadership continues to shift at the mortgage brokerage once positioned as a key component of reAlpha Tech Corp.’s AI-driven homebuying platform.
“We’re excited to welcome Nathan Knottingham to Edge Home Finance as our SVP of Education and VA Strategy,” said Ahles on LinkedIn. “He has built a career around developing people and elevating standards.”
Be My Neighbor was acquired in September 2024 by reAlpha for up to $6 million, with the brokerage intended to serve as the mortgage arm of a vertically integrated, commission-free homebuying model.
At the time, the company — licensed in more than two dozen states — was expected to continue operating under its existing leadership, while enabling reAlpha to embed financing directly into its broader platform.
Since then, that original leadership structure has evolved, with multiple founders no longer in those roles.
Fellow Be My Neighbor co-founder Christopher Griffith, recently joined NEXA Mortgage as executive vice president of VA growth and strategy.
A Familiar Name
Knottingham is widely known across the industry for his work in mortgage education and coaching, including his role with MLO Force, as well as his involvement in the VA lending space.
At Edge, he will focus on expanding internal education initiatives and strengthening the company’s VA strategy — two areas that align closely with the broker’s growth model and emphasis on agent and loan officer development.
Edge Continues To Scale
Edge operates as one of the larger independent broker platforms in the country, with more than 1,000 loan officers and a nationwide footprint that places it in the “mega broker” category.
Production has scaled alongside that growth. In 2025, the company reported helping more than 25,000 borrowers secure financing totaling over $9.5 billion in loan volume.
That scale is supported by consistent monthly production — including periods where the firm has funded more than 2,000 loans and over $800 million in volume in a single month.
The hire reflects Edge’s broader strategy of investing in training and niche expertise as competitive differentiators, particularly as brokers look to gain ground in a purchase-driven market.
