Episode 25 - It's Time for Mortgage Acclimation

I just had an incredible conversation with Coby Hakalir, VP of Mortgage and Ancillary Services at T360, and this episode of Minds of Mortgage is packed with insights you need to hear.

Coby brings a unique perspective – he's been in the mortgage industry since he was 19, back in 1997, so he's witnessed the entire evolution from traditional practices to today's tech-driven landscape. What he shared about the future of integrated housing services will change how you think about our business.

Here's what hit me hardest: Coby called our industry's failure with younger buyers "abominable," and the stats back him up. The median age of first-time homebuyers has jumped from 27 in 1975 to 38 today. That's not just a trend – it's a wake-up call about how we've completely missed the mark with an entire generation.

We delved deeply into why seamless integration between mortgage and real estate is crucial, drawing fascinating parallels to healthcare models where collaborative care consistently outperforms fragmented services. However, here's the thing – when this one-stop-shop approach is executed poorly, it actually damages relationships and hinders future business.

The conversation got fascinating when Coby described our industry's refinance dependence as "the crack cocaine of the refinance." While we've been reaping the benefits of refi booms, we've forgotten how to build sustainable, customer-focused business models. Meanwhile, real estate has been forced to innovate without that safety net.

And about AI? Coby nailed it: "AI won't replace loan officers, but loan officers who use AI will replace those who don't." We explored how technology isn't the enemy – it's a tool that empowers both more informed customers and more efficient loan officers.

This episode tackles the generational divide that's killing our customer acquisition, the technology resistance that's holding us back, and the mentorship gap that's threatening our industry's future knowledge transfer.

If you want to understand where mortgage is headed and what you need to do to stay relevant, this conversation with Coby is absolutely essential listening.

Episode 24 - The Future of Mortgage Technology and Marketing: A Personal Conversation with Jake Vermillion

I've been doing this podcast for a while now, and every so often I get to sit down with someone who just gets it. That's exactly what happened when I had my friend Jake Vermillion on the show.

Jake is the CMO at Mortgage Champions, but what makes him really interesting is his story. He grew up in this business - literally. His dad spent three decades climbing from construction worker to mortgage executive, and now they're working together. It's this beautiful blend of old-school industry wisdom and fresh, next-generation thinking that I find so compelling.

What struck me most about our conversation was how Jake approaches the alignment problem that's killing so many mortgage companies right now. Sales, marketing, and technology teams all operating in their own silos, creating fragmented customer experiences. Jake's been working with enterprise-level clients, and he's figured out something crucial: you have to start from the top down. You can't just throw technology at organizational problems and hope they fix themselves.

We spent a lot of time talking about how the traditional marketing funnel is basically dead. Jake pointed out that the median age of first-time homebuyers is now 38, and these aren't people who wake up one morning and decide to buy a house. They're thinking about homeownership 24 to 36 months before they're ready to actually transact. That changes everything about how we need to approach marketing.

Then we got into something that really fascinated me - the dramatic changes happening in marketing team structures. I shared a case study with Jake about a company that went from 38 people in their marketing department down to just 10. At first, that sounds terrifying, right? But when we dug into it, we realized this might actually be the future. With AI and advanced marketing tools, strategic vision and leadership are becoming way more valuable than having huge teams.

Jake and I also dove deep into something that keeps me up at night - how AI is going to completely reshape how customers find mortgage professionals. Jake had some really tactical insights about what's happening between OpenAI and Google right now, but we both agreed that nobody really knows how this is all going to shake out. The key is positioning yourself for the long term rather than trying to optimize for whatever algorithm is trending this month.

One of the most exciting parts of our conversation was when I told Jake about this revolutionary business intelligence platform I've been working with that's entering the mortgage space. We're talking about technology that can answer any business question instantly. Jake immediately understood the implications - we're moving from this "wild west" approach to mortgage management toward something much more strategic and data-driven.

But here's what I really appreciated about Jake's perspective: he has this vision of where the industry is heading - unified technology platforms that eliminate all these disconnected systems that drive us crazy. Companies that embrace data-driven strategies and invest in unified customer experiences aren't just going to survive the challenges we're facing - they're going to dominate.

This conversation with Jake wasn't just another podcast episode for me. It was a roadmap for where we need to be heading and a reminder that the future of mortgage isn't something that's happening to us - it's something we're actively building. And with friends like Jake leading the charge, I'm more excited than ever to see what comes next.

E23 - Platform Integrations & Advanced Data

I had such a great time chatting with Kortney Lane-Schafers from MMI (Mobility Market Intelligence) on this tech-focused episode of Minds of Mortgage. Kortney has a fantastic background in mortgage technology, starting with her days at SureFire CRM and stumbling into the mortgage world through a friendship, before becoming a total tech guru.

We discussed how MMI evolved from Mobility RE into what Kortney refers to as “the ultimate lead to loan growth platform.” Through smart acquisitions like Bonzo CRM and MonitorBase, they’ve created an integrated system that solves the annoying problem we all have - juggling a multitude of different platforms that don’t communicate with each other.

The fascinating part was diving into their behavioral data and predictive analytics. Get this - their technology can spot potential opportunities up to 90 days before customers are even ready to make a move. It completely changes how loan officers can nurture relationships and determine who is prepared to do business.

Kortney and I got into some practical stuff about using data to build better relationships. She showed me how loan officers can instantly pull up everything about real estate agents, including their transaction history, current partnerships, and production levels. It’s like having a crystal ball for building strategic partnerships.

Looking ahead to 2025, Kortney’s pumped about mobile-first innovations coming down the pipeline. Her take on surviving tough markets really hit home: double down on the basics, such as meeting people, building your database, and using technology to add real value. We wrapped up discussing how the pros who will thrive are the ones who understand that you’ve to be both high-tech and high-touch.