What is the truth? Is it click bait? Is it flashy? Does it grab your attention?

Well – truth be told – no! AND yes! Let’s face some hard facts about the truth.

1 – The truth isn’t always popular.

2 – The truth will not always get the top headline or get you to click on the link.

3 – The truth is not always trending!

4 – The truth may not always seem like the truth.

5 – The truth is the truth whether we believe it or not!

Now you may ask – How does this relate to mortgages and the real estate industry? Good question!  Here goes…

This may hurt my fellow mortgage professionals, but a lot of what we do another mortgage pro can do! I know – I know…it hurts. That is not to say that service and communication do not vary, they do. However, when it comes to rates, laws, required documents, and deadlines…most of us play by the same rules. There are ways to position things, but trust me. They are the same. They do not let us just change the requirements because we want to. It does not matter how big or small the company or the loan amount.

A great example is rate quote. A lot of times you will see a super low rate quoted online, as a paid link, or you fill out a few questions and get a rate quote back. Without the documents and the time there is no way that those quotes are accurate. Most of the time the rate you were promised can only be achieved through a larger down payment. This is conveniently left out.

It’s not wrong – it’s just not the full truth. Mortgage companies do not set rates, we do not implement timelines, and we do not dictate the required documents.

So – after all of that – a better question may be what DO we do and what exactly can we control?

Mortgages do not happen in a vacuum. They are not a transaction between inanimate objects. Yes it involves money, numbers, paperwork, and legalize. However, when it’s all said and done a mortgage is about and between – people! So…we see the job of a mortgage professional being about the people involved. The home buyer, the seller, and the Realtor! How terrible would jobs be if we never really cared about the other people we impacted!

We can control the communication process, we can control our training and development so we know the very latest do’s and don’ts, we can help set expectations, and more importantly we can help the home buying process is an enjoyable one.

Being well trained counts for nothing if you don’t communicate effectively and being a great communicator is worthless if you don’t know the industry. And none of that matters if your expectations are realistic and met.

So when it comes to rates and how to get the best one for your situation – if you get a competent loan officer you may be ok. If being ‘ok’ doesn’t sound super inviting and you want to actually be taken care of – consider the truth.

The truth is – a good mortgage professional uses the training and their skill of the industry to help Realtors and home buyers pursue the American Dream! They control all the things that make the home buying experience an enjoyable one. Buying a good rate is something most of us can do – making it an enjoyable experience is about focusing on the people not loan pipeline or dashboard.