The CFPB rate checker has caused a lot of noise in the industry, but stop worrying about pricing and start worrying about marketing and the niche you will become the expert in.
By Brian Sacks
Take a trip up the main street in any big city and you will notice a few interesting things. Look at the gas stations that have been there for many years. There are probably one on each of the four corners on the major intersection right?
Now look at their signs- They are all different and one of them is usually significantly cheaper than the other three. Once you have filled up your tank keep driving. You will see a Walmart and a Costco if you live in a city with any sort of density. Not far away - usually a mile or two you will see a store that sells upscale jewelry- upscale clothing- upscale appliances, etc.
Please stay with me here- This has everything to do with your own mortgage business.
In my own town Baltimore, you can drive up York Road and see a mall full of cars shopping at Tiffany's -Burberry and Nordstrom. Drive three miles down the road and you will see Dollar General and Walmart along with a Men’s Warehouse and other discount stores. All of them are busy and all of them are doing business.
I mention all of this because of all of the noise the past few weeks over the CFPB rate checker and the new company that is trying to eliminate us and have "robotic" on-line originations. That's fine. Why waste energy and time debating it??? None of us will ever have the best rate - and we don't need to! (Read the last part again)
If you know me at all then you realize that being successful has nothing to do with rates and points. It's all about expertise and marketing. It's all about picking a niche, becoming the expert and letting everyone know about it. My clients rarely even ask me about my rates and points. They want to know what their payment will be and how much cash they will need at closing- that's it.
Yes- I realize that sounds easy but let me give you a real-life example. I regularly mail to apartment complexes with a systematic way of generating new deals. I also mail directly to renters who I know are eligible and have had a bk or foreclosure and are now able to buy.
One of the clients that came from this mailing was ready to buy and I got her pre-approved. I then called an agent in an office I had no relationship with and turned my buyer over to one of the top agents in that office who I had never met or spoken to. That agent- has already sent me two new deals- both conventional 20% down with 800 scores. (Did you follow that recipe? I gave the agent what she wanted- a pre-approved buyer ready to buy and used that to build our relationship-- much better than donuts huh!)
My niche- and the one that will be exploding this year - are buyers who have had a bankruptcy or other credit issue. Some have had a foreclosure three to four years ago or more. They are now eligible for a mortgage-- but they don't realize that.
As an industry- we have even given them a name- boomerang buyers and the last estimate was that there are close to 7.5 million of them who are now eligible to buy. Are you talking to them? Didn't think so! But they are ready and willing to get back in the market! Stop worrying about pricing so much and start worrying about marketing and the niche you will become the expert in.
Brian Sacks is a national mortgage expert who has career closing of over 5924 transactions for over $1 billion. He has trained, consulted and coached, tens of thousands of loan officers and company owners over the past 29 years on how to close more loans – make more money – and still have a life. You can download his free report The 4 Tools You Can Use To Immediately Grow Your Business at www.AgentsChaseYou.com.
Take a trip up the main street in any big city and you will notice a few interesting things. Look at the gas stations that have been there for many years. There are probably one on each of the four corners on the major intersection right?
Now look at their signs- They are all different and one of them is usually significantly cheaper than the other three. Once you have filled up your tank keep driving. You will see a Walmart and a Costco if you live in a city with any sort of density. Not far away - usually a mile or two you will see a store that sells upscale jewelry- upscale clothing- upscale appliances, etc.
Please stay with me here- This has everything to do with your own mortgage business.
In my own town Baltimore, you can drive up York Road and see a mall full of cars shopping at Tiffany's -Burberry and Nordstrom. Drive three miles down the road and you will see Dollar General and Walmart along with a Men’s Warehouse and other discount stores. All of them are busy and all of them are doing business.
I mention all of this because of all of the noise the past few weeks over the CFPB rate checker and the new company that is trying to eliminate us and have "robotic" on-line originations. That's fine. Why waste energy and time debating it??? None of us will ever have the best rate - and we don't need to! (Read the last part again)
If you know me at all then you realize that being successful has nothing to do with rates and points. It's all about expertise and marketing. It's all about picking a niche, becoming the expert and letting everyone know about it. My clients rarely even ask me about my rates and points. They want to know what their payment will be and how much cash they will need at closing- that's it.
Yes- I realize that sounds easy but let me give you a real-life example. I regularly mail to apartment complexes with a systematic way of generating new deals. I also mail directly to renters who I know are eligible and have had a bk or foreclosure and are now able to buy.
One of the clients that came from this mailing was ready to buy and I got her pre-approved. I then called an agent in an office I had no relationship with and turned my buyer over to one of the top agents in that office who I had never met or spoken to. That agent- has already sent me two new deals- both conventional 20% down with 800 scores. (Did you follow that recipe? I gave the agent what she wanted- a pre-approved buyer ready to buy and used that to build our relationship-- much better than donuts huh!)
My niche- and the one that will be exploding this year - are buyers who have had a bankruptcy or other credit issue. Some have had a foreclosure three to four years ago or more. They are now eligible for a mortgage-- but they don't realize that.
As an industry- we have even given them a name- boomerang buyers and the last estimate was that there are close to 7.5 million of them who are now eligible to buy. Are you talking to them? Didn't think so! But they are ready and willing to get back in the market! Stop worrying about pricing so much and start worrying about marketing and the niche you will become the expert in.
Brian Sacks is a national mortgage expert who has career closing of over 5924 transactions for over $1 billion. He has trained, consulted and coached, tens of thousands of loan officers and company owners over the past 29 years on how to close more loans – make more money – and still have a life. You can download his free report The 4 Tools You Can Use To Immediately Grow Your Business at www.AgentsChaseYou.com.
