Tough market? Smart brokers are doing this to win more deals
Mortgage Professional America
Insider coverage of the real estate and mortgage industries, with innovation, tips and info you won't find in the press.
In today's Mortgage Minute
?? Why working with multiple lenders gives brokers an edge
?? Homeownership hacks – helping buyers get in with zero or low down payments
?? Luxury real estate scandal – brokers facing serious legal battles
?? Trump’s potential lumber tariffs and what they mean for housing costs
?? Private lending’s big moment in a changing regulatory landscape
?? And more…
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Mortgage brokers who build strong relationships with a variety of lending partners gain access to more loan programs, better pricing, and increased flexibility in structuring deals.
Evan Einhorn , mortgage broker and founder of Modern Home Lending, says his diverse lender relationships have allowed him to secure financing for clients who would have otherwise been turned away.
“Working with more lenders ends up giving you more loan programs for your consumers," Einhorn told MPA. "And it's not just the initial consumer – if you're able to help someone that was turned down elsewhere they're more likely to be what we call a ‘walking billboard’ and a ‘raving fan.’"
Down payment assistance (DPA) programs and USDA loans are making homeownership more accessible. Martin De La Garza is using DPA programs and USDA loans to help first-time buyers achieve homeownership faster.
Through Motto Mortgage , De La Garza offers educational materials in multiple formats. De La Garza’s position as a broker also allows him to work with multiple lenders, each with different underwriting guidelines and credit score requirements.
The mortgage landscape will undoubtedly continue evolving in 2025 – and amid that constant change, SitusAMC is continuing to help originators and other primary market participants meet the key challenges they’re facing.
MPA TV sat down with Michael Franco, CFA , SitusAMC’s chief executive officer, to hear how its offerings are helping companies increase efficiency and decrease costs – all through its unique value proposition as a participant in any stage of the mortgage lifecycle.
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The Davis Wright Tremaine LLP partner says the recent cull witnessed at the CFPB didn’t mean rules were vanishing, and highlighted the existence of other bodies that were still enforcing guidelines and regulations.
“We all still have to comply with all the laws that the CFPB has jurisdiction to enforce,” litigator Chava Brandriss said. “And there are also other regulators – consumer, state regulators, banking regulators – depending on whether a mortgage participant is a bank originator, or servicer, or nonbank. You’ve got different regulators and consumers out there still looking to enforce the laws.
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In the non-QM space, Angel Oak Mortgage Solutions president Tom Hutchens said the guidelines that have emerged from Dodd-Frank have largely proven positive for the industry, even though some mortgage professionals may take issue with the enforcement of policy and regulations by the CFPB.
New lawsuits have been filed against wealthy real estate brokers Tal, Oren, and Alon Alexander, who are accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women. The brothers, known for their luxury real estate dealings in New York and Miami, were arrested in December and remain in federal custody in New York.
Trump’s plan to slap tariffs on softwood lumber imports in April is causing concern for the US housing market. Russ Taylor , of Russ Taylor Global , warns that this could create extreme price swings for homebuilders and buyers.
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We caught up with AIME chief executive officer Jonathon Haddad to hear about an eventful first year on the job and get his thoughts on some of the top trends set to impact the mortgage market in 2025 – including the ever-contentious issue of trigger leads, an area where brokers are hoping to see reform in the 12 months ahead.
Deregulation appears to be the name of the game for the new federal administration in Washington, with Donald Trump and Elon Musk taking an ax to a whole host of agencies and watchdogs during the past several weeks.
But strict regulatory oversight in the banking space is among the factors that has fueled the growth of private lending in recent years – and that alternative financing is well poised for further progress down the line, according to National Private Lenders Association (NPLA) owner and founding member Jonathan L. Hornik, Esq. .
Question of the week: What’s the biggest advantage you’ve gained from diversifying your lender network?