Face-to-face interactions and a client-focused approach can help brokers close deals in the current housing market, expert says
In a market where most loan officers are retreating, some brokers find that going back to basics and focusing on work ethic, reputation, and face to face interactions are leading to more deals than ever, said David Wechsler (pictured), mortgage consultant at Union Home Mortgages.
“Last year, we closed 116 families for a little under $30 million,” he said. “In Michigan, that is not bad. I’m not in Chicago or have these giant loan amounts, but, in my market, in Oakland County, there’s still a lot of business happening.”
Wechsler, a Michigan-based loan officer with Union Home Mortgage, has been building his book the hard way since long before the pandemic spike. That work ethic has outlasted a market shakeout that saw a sharp decline of loan originators since 2022.
“I’ve always built my business ‘boots on the ground’ and meeting with people face to face,” he said. “People got in this business for the wrong intentions."
In today’s Midwest market, getting buyers ready means more than issuing a pre-approval and hoping for the best.
“Most people in my world send their clients to a website; they might never even speak to them,” he said. “We eliminate concerns, gather accurate information and make sure that we aren't going to miss anything.”
Wechsler holds in-depth hour-long consultations with buyers and runs files through automated underwriting in advance.
“Maybe you have a property inspection waiver and an appraisal is not even needed - we could actually give you that information in advance,” he said.
That’s a sharp contrast to the kind of shortcuts that got others pushed out of the business.
“There was a lack of ownership in the business,” he said. “They took the lazy approach and sent out a pre-approval letter saying that someone could purchase without actually knowing if they could.”
Reputation, he stressed, can make or break a deal - especially in competitive areas, and when offers do go in, Wechsler makes sure he’s directly involved.
“I think working with someone that has a good reputation is very, very helpful for a buyer’s competitive edge,” he said. “If someone does not know the name on their pre-approval letter, sometimes an agent might take someone else's offer for no reason other than that.
“I tell all my buyers' agents, let me know in advance, and I will call and do an introduction so that they know that you are as good as the piece of paper says you are.”
That philosophy - balancing compliance, creativity, and commitment - is what he believes sets his business apart.
“In residential finance, there is a very large ocean of red, there's a smaller island of green, but there's a sea of gray in between,” he said. “It is our job to guide individuals from the gray to the green.”
That also means choosing not to work with clients or agents who cut corners.
“There’s individuals where it seems like the real estate agents do not care about the client,” Wechsler said. “Those are agents that I typically don’t work with.”
But he still steps up when others won’t. He recalled working with an elderly woman buying her first home, struggling to navigate the paperwork.
“It seemed like everyone was against her,” he said. “We really had to take her under our wing.”
For Wechsler, success isn’t about shortcuts or spikes in volume. It’s about building systems that actually work - and doing the job like it matters.
“We get paid very well to do a job,” he said. “To not do it in a professional manner, not operating your business like a business - I don’t understand it.
“The reason I operate my business like a business is to have a great family life balance. They are the reason I do what I do,” he said. “I would be lost without my team and the support Union Home provides for me.”
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