From rock-bottom rates during the pandemic to the current tariff chaos, brokers have seen plenty of disruption
Brokers who entered the mortgage space after the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic have received a crash course in the industry's ups and downs. One broker believes this gives her an edge in helping customers in the current climate.
Samantha Shelton (pictured top), mortgage broker, president, and founder of Align Lending, has seen it all in her five years in the mortgage business.
“I have that unique perspective of joining in when rates were really low,” Shelton said. “I had to learn as rates got higher. I had to get my hands dirty and learn how to get clients, keep your clients, and find new clients. And I had to learn all of that while competing in a purchase market that was really hard where there were 20 offers on houses.”
Customers are concerned about the current crisis, which still includes substantial tariffs on steel, aluminum, auto parts, and many goods coming from China.
This has led to fears that inflation could spike to 4% due to the tariffs. Shelton believes that brokers must calm fears by keeping customers informed about what’s ahead.
“I would be lying to you if I told you I haven't had numerous conversations in the last week about tariffs and how that's going to impact our interest rates,” Shelton said. “But what it's also allowed me to do is educate them on, even if this happens, this is where you're at.
“They're looking for the best solution for their financial goals, and we just need to be better at providing the knowledge above and beyond what headlines say.”
From stay-at-home mom to brokerage president
Shelton decided she was tired of being left out of dinner conversations.
Her husband had been in the mortgage business for years, and friends would stop over and talk about everything related to mortgages.
“He had been in mortgages forever, and I was a stay-at-home mom, and to be honest, I was just sick of not being part of the conversation and understanding what people were talking about,” Shelton said. “Friends would come over and they'd be talking about their interest rate. And I'm like, ‘I have no idea. Do you want to talk about Yo Gabba Gabba?’ That's what my kids watch.”
So, Shelton decided to jump into the industry at a local bank. Then, the pandemic hit.
“Michigan shut everything down the week before I was going to get my fingerprints,” Shelton said. “It was closed until further notice. So I was pretty dedicated, so I drove to Ohio, because everything was open in Ohio. I drove there, did all my testing, got my fingerprints, and got everything squared away.”
After working briefly at a local bank, Shelton opened her own mortgage brokerage, Align Lending, in 2021. She said being a broker provided her with tools and technology that the bank simply didn’t have.
“It's very different being a broker,” Shelton said. “We're allowed to draw outside of the lines. We're not a one-size-fits-all. The point of being a broker is being able to shop around and find the best product. At the bank, I was just really good at selling the products that we had, because that's what was available to me.”
Now, four years after becoming a broker and five years in the industry, Shelton has seen the full spectrum of market conditions in a short time period. She talks with veteran brokers who tell her about going through the same cycles, but over a long period of time.
Jeanette Shields thrives in the tough market by educating clients and using social media. Now at Mortgage Edge, she’s expanding her business with support from AIME.https://t.co/Tucgak06R5
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) April 10, 2025
“I feel like I’ve had to encapsulate in five years what most brokers have done in their whole career,” Shelton said. “It’s been kind of wild, but it’s made me better for it. I truly believe that.”
Advice to new mortgage brokers: Embrace technology
For other brokers who have entered the industry in the post-pandemic world, Shelton believes that embracing technology is the biggest key to success.
“This job is hard, whether it’s building relationships, running numbers for people, just the market itself can be challenging at times,” Shelton said. “If you have something that makes your life a little easier, something that’s a little more automated, that’s so important.”
Shelton believes one positive from the pandemic era was the modernization of the mortgage process. Tools created out of necessity during that time are now everyday items for mortgage brokers. And with millennial buyers making up most of her customers, those technologies are critical for her success.
“We still have older generations who are downsizing, but the biggest piece of my pie is the millennials,” Shelton said. “They don’t want to talk to me on the phone very often. They want to send a text message and know I’m available. I still have clients where I have full-on, hour-long Zoom meetings where we talk through the loan estimate. And then I have some that just want me to send them a synopsis of what it means.”
In addition to live Zoom meetings, Shelton can use video technology like Loom to record full explanations of loan documents that clients can watch at their convenience.
“They can do it at their own pace,” Shelton said. “They can do it early in the morning, or they can do it at night while they’re eating dinner. And it’s not awkward with me sitting on a screen with them.”
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