Kyle Draper SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES 5 Ways to Embrace and Improve at Marketing Yourself Through Video Kyle Draper, Social Media Coach Now that social media has been adopted so widely, most loan officers have learned they can use it to market themselves directly to consumers. Social media is a powerful tool…but what’s more powerful? VIDEO! Video is the only form of marketing that works for you while you’re not working or doing something else. For example, when I know I’ll be occupied for several hours, I will post a video. Why? Because while I’m busy doing what I’m doing, my vid ..read more

Kevin Hearden CONSUMER STRATEGIES How to Help Borrowers Overcome a Low Appraisal Kevin Hearden, Product Development Director The low supply of homes for sale, combined with high demand, has made this perhaps the most competitive housing market for homebuyers that the mortgage industry has ever experienced. And while some of the challenges created by such an extreme seller’s market are obvious to buyers, there is one challenge lurking that will likely catch them by surprise – the low appraisal. Challenges facing homebuyers The most obvious challenge facing those looking to buy ..read more

Stephanie Budnik REFERRAL STRATEGIES 3 Ways Top Loan Officers Connect with Real Estate Agent Referral Partners Stephanie Budnik, AMP, Marketing Program Specialist Recently, MGIC surveyed 144 loan officers who originated at least $5 million in loan volume in a 6-month period to find out some of the secrets to their success. Unsurprisingly, referrals were a hot topic – and 96% of those surveyed said that real estate agents are one of their best sources for generating referrals. Here’s what we learned about the top 3 ways that loan officers build relationships and generate referrals ..read more

Melinda Harris CONSUMER STRATEGIES Those Darn DPAs! How to Talk about Down Payment Assistance with Borrowers and Real Estate Agents Melinda Harris, Director of Marketing Communications As rates threaten to tick back up, we’re seeing both a renewed focus on purchase business and overdue emphasis on down payment assistance (DPA). The Biden administration has made affordable housing a priority, and the industry as a whole is working to close the affordability gap, especially for minority buyers. State Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) not only remained open during the pandemic but ..read more

Gibran Nicholas REFERRAL STRATEGIES The Surprising Way to Avoid Burnout AND Win Bidding Wars Gibran Nicholas, CEO A whopping 74% of real estate agents experienced burnout recently, according to a survey we conducted at a recent Inman Connect event. Agents also reported bidding wars as one of the top challenges in today’s market. What if you could implement a simple strategy to simultaneously help your referral partners – AND YOU – avoid burnout and help your borrowers win their bidding war? Want to avoid burnout? Sell the best version of yourself to yourself. Burnout manifests a ..read more

Dave Savage CONSUMER STRATEGIES 5 Strategies That Help Loan Officers Work More Efficiently to Manage High Origination Volume Dave Savage, CEO Mortgage Coach The year 2021 is going to be another unique and challenging one. Refis are projected to drop 40% to 50%, while purchases are only going to grow 10%. Is your business ready for that kind of shift? Whether you want to be a $1-million-plus mortgage leader or you simply want to manage incremental business growth, 2021 is the year where you need to go beyond the transaction. At Mortgage Coach, we use the Total Cost Analysis (T ..read more

Trevor Hammond CONSUMER STRATEGIES How to Avoid Mortgage Loan Officer Burnout Trevor Hammond, Branch Manager The mortgage industry has been fast paced in 2020, and the result is some mortgage loan officers have battled with burnout. Avoiding mortgage loan officer burnout is an important topic, and one I have discussed frequently in recent months. I recently connected with a colleague who is someone I respect greatly as a professional. He’s enjoyed a lot of success and has helped many families throughout his career. The words he shared with me hit home: “I’m burnt out.” I c ..read more

Zak Stoiber CONSUMER STRATEGIES Leverage Closing to Build Relationships, Strengthen Brand, Generate Referrals Zak Stoiber, Digital Marketing Program Specialist Loan officers and mortgage professionals put so much work into everything preceding the closing that it can be easy to miss out on the great opportunity the actual closing presents for building relationships, generating referrals, and strengthening their brand. And that makes sense! At the end of the day, loan officers’ #1 priority should be to provide their borrower with a positive experience. In this article, I’ll s ..read more

Lorri Hoffman CONSUMER STRATEGIES 3 Ways Loan Officers Can Help Speed up the Underwriting Process Lori Hoffman, Senior Loan Officer In times of high mortgage volume, loan officers can help speed up the underwriting process by paying attention to a few simple steps when submitting a borrower’s loan information. I was a mortgage underwriter for 20 years. From an underwriter’s perspective, I understand what it takes to get a mortgage loan approved in a timely fashion. This insight has helped me become a top producing loan officer for the past 6 years. I find that now, more th ..read more

Jim Park CONSUMER STRATEGIES 3 Ways Lenders Can Attract More Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Homebuyers Jim Park, CEO There are three simple ways lenders can attract more Asian American & Pacific Islander homebuyers. Without much fanfare, Asian American & Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have quietly grown to be the largest minority users of conventional conforming loans in the country over the past 7 years. That growth has been driven primarily by responsible use of credit, strong income growth and larger-than-average down payment when purchasing a home. Comp ..read more