Invest In Software And Tools
A loan originators day is dominated by the technology and software we have available to us. Whether its a CRM, LOS, marketing automation platform, or lead capture website, you probably spend the majority of your work day in front of a computer.
Luckily, in todays digital age, the software available is better than ever. Investing in high-quality software will be an integral step to building your mortgage business. When youre first getting started, simple and inexpensive tools, such as Microsoft Excel could work for you. However, in order to keep track of all the details of a thriving mortgage business, you will probably need to invest in more powerful tools.
Focus on finding tools that will streamline your processes. Integrate multiple tools in one login. This will save you time, and will ultimately make you more money, because you wont be wasting time on inefficient software.
The True Value Of Your Mortgage Team
Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest men in American history with an estimated worth of 310 billion dollars by modern calculations, says that his success was partly due to the people he hired. One of which were sure youve heard of: Charles Schwab.
Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of the United States famously said, The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg put it this way, I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person.
Time and again, every successful leader owes some part of their success to building a team that got them there. If you want your lending business to drive itself , you must build a strong mortgage team.
Heres how to do it:
Network With Other Agents
Make the time to network with other agents so that you can learn about some of the best practices taking place within the industry. Meet once a month for coffee to discuss the latest happenings in the mortgage industry or your favorite mortgage tools and tips.
Your goal should always be to improve your mortgage business, but the new year is a great time to renew your commitment to that goal. At ABT, we offer the tools you need to make your mortgage company work faster, better, and more securely. To learn more about our mortgage cloud software, contact us today.
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Understand Laws And Regulations
Like most financial industries, the mortgage industry is highly regulated. There are federal, state, and local laws that a mortgage business must comply with at all times.
At the federal level, for instance, theres the Consumer Credit Protection Act, the Fair Housing Act, and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.
As a mortgage business owner, you must do more than just be aware of all the laws the business needs to adhere to. You need to have an active regulatory compliance department. If you cant afford to build an in-house department, hire third-party companies that offer regulatory solutions for mortgage businesses.
If your business is not compliant with a certain law or regulation at any time, it could face massive fines. Its reputation could also suffer harm, which can affect its ability to attract new customers and keep existing ones.
They Prioritize Relationships Over Immediate Dollars
This can feel hard to do if you havent been building a solid business. Yet, having the discipline to live within your means, being honest if this is not the right loan for them, passing on competing versus engaging in bait and switch, and not hounding people who back out of loans will help you build far more income and longevity in your mortgage business than trying to take unsustainable shortcuts.
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What Is The Growth Potential For A Mortgage Brokerage Business
The firm can be small or large. Typically, a small mortgage brokerage firm consists of a team of 1 to 5 people. If you own and operate the business, you can run the business out of your home. However, most brokerage firms operate out of an office, since most borrowers want to meet with a mortgage broker in a professional setting.
HomeSure Lending, Academy Mortgage Corporation, and Crestico are all examples of large mortgage brokerage businesses.
What Is A Mortgage Company
A mortgage company is a specialized financial firm engaged in the business of originating and/or funding mortgages for residential or commercial property. A mortgage company is often just the originator of a loan it markets itself to potential borrowers and seeks funding from one of several client financial institutions that provide the capital for the mortgage itself.
That, in part, is why many mortgage companies went bankrupt during the subprimemortgage crisis of 20008-09. Because they weren’t funding most of the loans, they had few assets of their own, and when the housing markets dried up, their cash flows quickly evaporated.
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Debt Service Coverage Ratio
DSCR estimates your companys available cash flow. This is essentially the money that pays for your companys current debt obligations. DSCR is calculated by dividing the annual total debt service with your annual net operating income . The total annual debt service is the amount borrowers use to pay the principal and interest of a commercial mortgage.
Preferred DSCR for Commercial Loans
A good DSCR range for companies is between 1.15-1.35. Most commercial lenders require a DSCR of 1.25 for approval.
How To Start A Mortgage Brokerage Business
Buying a home or owning a business is a dream many people have. But, getting a loan to buy that home, a piece of land, or an office building can be difficult. Lenders don’t always want to talk to a small business owner or even a renter looking for a home. A mortgage brokerage business acts as a middleman between the borrower and the lender and can often negotiate deals with lenders that the borrower couldn’t do on his or her own.
Learn how to start your own Mortgage Brokerage Business and whether it is the right fit for you.
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2021-09-09
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Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning For A More Personalized User Experience
A recent study by Accenture revealed that financial services consumers strive for more personalization from their banks and insurers. As well, 2019 research by Business Insider found that 75% of banks are eager to implement AI solutions, and cite the desire to get personalized insights about their customers as one of their reasons for doing so.
If you decide to build mortgage platform, you should keep these findings in mind. AI doesnt only speed up the process of getting a loan, but also empowers alt lenders to know their clients better and provide them with a more tailored experience.
Building Your Own House
An RBC Royal Bank® construction mortgage1 can provide the financing you need to create the custom house you want.
Many Canadians are choosing to build custom houses with special features to suit their lifestyles and personal tastes. While building your own house can be a creative and exciting experience, it can also present some complicated financial challenges.
Hereâs where your RBC Royal Bank® mortgage specialist comes in. With an in-depth knowledge of construction mortgages, we can give you the support you need from start to finish to guide you through the process and explain all the important facts you need to know, including:
- Designing your house plans with an architect
- Arranging a construction mortgage
- Managing your house construction costs
- Hiring a general contractor
- Constructing your house
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Step : Plan Your Business
A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:
Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.
What are the costs involved in opening a mortgage brokerage business?
Costs involved in starting a mortgage brokerage business are small. Most brokerages can be started out of the home for little or no money aside from the licensure and basic legal requirements.
What are the ongoing expenses for a mortgage brokerage business?
Ongoing expenses for a small mortgage brokerage business are minimal. Usually, all you have to pay for is office space and labor expenses. Larger firms incur higher expenses due to higher labor, insurance, and office-related expenses.
Who is the target market?
Target market for this business includes businesses looking for commercial property, individuals and families looking for residential home, and investors looking for real estate or rental properties.
How does a mortgage brokerage business make money?
This business makes money by receiving a commission in return for bringing customers to the lender.
How much can you charge customers?
The fee is paid either by the borrower or the lender, and is usually between 1% and 2% of the total loan amount. Some brokerage firms also charge fees for applications or other ancillary services.
How much profit can a mortgage brokerage business make?
What will you name your business?
Lead Generation Method #: Pay
Pay-per-click advertising is extremely effective when done correctly. The problem with PPC ads is that they are more expensive than any other marketing method weve talked about so far, not to mention riskier and more complex.
However, executed correctly, PPC ads can turn your business into a booming success with a recurring fountain of leads.
Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all offer PPC advertising, but the juggernaut of them all is Google Ads.
Google Ads allows you to target any keyword and market you want on Googlefor a price. Say, for instance, you wanted to target the key phrase best mortgage lender. This means that any time someone types best mortgage lender into Google and happens to be in the target market youve specified, your ad could show up at the top of the search results. Thats an extremely powerful position to be in.
According to Search Engine Journal, 28.5% of users will click on the first organic option they see in the search results. Just 15.7% will click the second result, and an unexciting 2.5% will click on the last result. However, if ads are featured, then everything changes. Google Ads, which will usually show just two or three ads at a time, will capture about 44% of all search traffic when present.
Find a keyword that has 10,000 or more people searching for it per month, and you could be capturing tons of leads.
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Don’t Rely Solely On Referrals
I hope that these tips have provided you with some inspiration on how you can improve your referral rate and gain those all-important clients through recommendations and word-of-mouth marketing.
Remember, though, that you should never rely on one single source of leads. Your business needs to be built on multiple marketing pillars to give it stability. After all, as we saw with the 2020 coronavirus crisis, you never know when something might happen which will cause a temporary blip in your supply of referrals as people spend less time interacting and socialising with each other.
That’s why I always recommend that, as well as working on increasing your referrals, you should also focus on using tools such as from people outside your immediate network of clients and professional connections.
Got any questions about generating more referrals for your mortgage brokerage? Or want to share a referral strategy of your own? Leave a comment in the box below.
Use Social Media Platforms
According to a survey by The Close, 82% of real estate agents plan to focus on and improve their social media presence in 2021. This means almost an entire professional network is available at your fingertips.
But, it isnt just real estate agents that you should be connecting with on social media platforms. Its homebuyers, too. There are multiple ways you can reach out to past, present, and future clients on social media. Whether you use direct messages on , comment on home listings, or connect directly with buyers through the agents in your network, actively using social media allows you to create connections within your sphere of influence.
Directly connecting with buyers isnt the only way to use social media to grow your mortgage referral business. You can also use social media to
Search for relevant events like garage sales. Join specific neighborhood pages and maintain an active, helpful presence by commenting and offering suggestions when members ask questions or for referrals. Like and share posts from local businesses. Post photos of closings to your social media platforms with permission.
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Get More Automated Or Semi
Utilize marketing automation tools to funnel content via social media or email. Use management automation tools to schedule time to follow up with current or potential homebuyers. Many vendors offer ways to help you become more digital without making a huge commitment of time and money. Ask them what solutions they provide for your automation needs.
What Does A Mortgage Broker Do
Mortgage brokers serve as the connecting point between buyers and lending institutions. This makes them an essential player in the real estate industry processes.
Homebuyers and commercial clients seek brokers help to access the best loan options available on the market. You can see the benefits that buyers get when working with a mortgage broker in our infographic.
The gist of a mortgage brokers work is staying informed about loan products. Researching is thus one of the main activities you need to undertake.
You also need a good understanding of the legal framework, economics, and accounting. Thats how you can provide thorough and accurate advice to your customers on loan options, qualification criteria, loan terms, and interest rates.
The typical fees brokers charge either lenders or clients are between 1%-2% of the arranged loan amount. This means that you can reach a 6-digit income per year with the right approach to working with your customers.
How to start a mortgage brokerage then?
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How To Qualify For Commercial Real Estate Loans
Commercial loan approval depends on your creditworthiness as a business owner. When a lender grants a loan, they trust that your company will produce enough profits to pay back the mortgage. That said, a commercial lender can only approve your loan after carefully reviewing your financial status.
Main Qualifications for Commercial Lending
Lenders refer to three main types of requirements before approving a commercial mortgage. These qualifications include your business finances, personal finances, and the propertys characteristics. They also check your personal and business credit score. Commercial lenders review your accounting books to verify if you have enough cash flow to repay the mortgage.
Apart from your finances, commercial underwriters also evaluate your company profile and your business associates. They will even assess your business plan and check the companys projected earnings based on your goals. Due to this strict underwriting process, many new companies have a hard time getting their loan approved.
Make sure to meet the following requirements when you apply for a commercial loan:
Start A Blog Offering Free Resources
Mortgage broker marketing doesnt always mean trying to sell yourself. In fact, focusing on the value you can provide to others will go a long way. Consider adding a blog to your website and create resources your audience can use for free.
To keep your audience engaged, make sure your content is genuinely helpful. The more people feel youve helped them, the more likely it is that you stay top of mind when it matters most.
So what are some ideas of free resources you can create?
A home buyer checklist What financial goals to set before purchasing a home How-to guides for home showing preparation and walkthroughs Short videos explaining concepts like the ins and outs of the lending application process Financial document checklist for closings
Drive traffic to your website by sharing your content within your sphere of influence and on social platforms. The more people you can reach, the better!
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Improve Your Social Media Presence
People are spending an increasing amount of time on social media, offering another opportunity to connect with current and potential customers and create an online presence for your business. Find one or two social media channels where your target audience is active, and start utilizing them for your mortgage business. Post consistently and engage with your followers to maximize the benefits.
Develop Templates Lots Of Templates
Mortgage sales and marketing is a lot of doing the same things over and over again. Templates will free your soul.
Create a template for anything that you do more than twice and expect to do again. Templates not only make you more efficient, but they also make your sales and marketing process more repeatable and scalable.
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Encourage The General Public To Purchase
Knowledge is power. Share your expertise. Explain to potential homebuyers the benefit of homeownership, answer any questions related to homeownership and build trust through constant communication. This is especially important to millennials and members of Gen Z as they move forward to purchase and seek out understanding of the home loan process. As a home loan expert, you have the opportunity to share knowledge with them. Take the time to educate across your website and social media and be readily available to respond to questions.
Ways To Improve Your Mortgage Business In 2017
byJustin Kirsch, on Thu, Jan 12, 2017
As a mortgage lender, you are always looking for new ways to increase productivity, generate new leads, and improve the efficiency and success of your business. Fortunately, with the right tools and the right mindset, you and your team of loan officers can make great strides towards those goals in 2017.
Here are ten ways you can start improving your mortgage business today.
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