Networking, educational initiative welcomes 300 real estate agents
Strong connections with the realtor community have always been an essential component of mortgage brokers’ daily work – and cultivating those relationships and sharing best practices were key considerations for Edge Home Finance Corporation in launching its series of Realtors Edge events.
Tom Ahles (pictured top), the company’s chief growth officer, told Mortgage Professional America the series, which debuted in late January at Minnesota’s Golden Valley Country Club, was designed to bring top real estate professionals together and provide a forum to help them streamline and grow their business.
That Minnesota event welcomed roughly 300 real estate agents, with the next stop scheduled for the Dallas-Fort Worth market on May 30.
“We put together panels featuring the top real estate brokers in our market to allow them to share ideas and collaborate on what’s working best as well as other panels for rising stars, those that are newer to the industry, what they’ve done to hit some of the goals they set for the prior year,” Ahles said. “It’s really just a collaborative event with real estate agents posted in our local market.”
Why it’s in realtors’ best interests to work with mortgage pros
With mortgage brokers taking an increasing chunk of market share across the US, there was also another message the company wanted to put out to realtors, according to Ahles: namely, if you’re not working with an independent mortgage broker, you should be.
Part of the event focused on the so-called broker advantage. “To me, one of the biggest advantages of using a mortgage broker is the simple fact that we sell money cheaper and we close faster,” Ahles explained. “How I started the event is really asking those that serve buyers: do they negotiate for their buyers? Obviously, all of them said yes.
“And then I provided facts from a study that AIME [the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts] provided, showing the savings from a consumer using an independent mortgage broker compared to using a retail lender. It’s roughly $10,000 or more in savings. And then I asked them if they’re truly negotiating for their borrowers, then why are they using an overpriced lender?”
Yury Shraybman from Innovative Mortgage Brokers anticipates a bustling mortgage market in the coming months, fueled by dropping mortgage rates and sustained economic growth.https://t.co/70o1V9SLsY#mortgageindustry #marketupdates #housingmarket #springmarket
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) February 6, 2024
Edge Home pulled out all the stops for the event, with the company perennially focused on maximizing relationships with realtors and other financial advisors. Other participants included a contract company helping with real estate contracts, homeowners’ insurance companies, and solar service providers.
“We put everything in one place for [real estate brokers] where it was impactful for them to come learn, network, and hopefully gain some knowledge about why they’d want to work with a mortgage broker – and specifically for this event, a mortgage broker with Edge Home Finance,” he said.
Beneficial event for real estate and mortgage community alike
It proved a venture that was worthwhile not just for the real estate professionals in attendance, but equally for Edge Home, which has seen its own standing among the real estate community soar as a result of the endeavor.
“There were some very good things that helped to build our own reputation within the real estate industry locally,” Ahles said. “They hear it directly from a real estate agent [on a panel]: maybe they’re $5,000 off and at an impasse on a deal where the seller doesn’t want to go down and the buyer doesn’t want to go up, and they’ll bring me [as a mortgage broker] in.
“And a lot of times, we can help bridge that gap due to the flexibility that we have in the mortgage broker channel.”
Every little helps for real estate and mortgage professionals when it comes to navigating today’s ever-complex housing market – and Ahles said real estate brokers can get an invaluable edge by attending events like those organized by his company.
That’s not to mention the importance of working closely with mortgage professionals, he added, to make sure all involved in the real estate sector are getting the best value for money in their daily roles.
“If you’re a real estate agent and you’re not working with a mortgage broker, reach out to one of our team members and we’d be thankful and grateful to be able to show you what the broker advantages are,” he said, “and help make sure that your clients are getting the very best deal.”
Stay updated with the freshest mortgage news. Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox, and always be the first to know by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter.
