We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jeremy Wassink. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jeremy below.
Jeremy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.
Loan Officer to me is a term that is outdated. However, when you look at the way a vast majority of loan officers operate these days, it makes sense why that term still sticks. Many mortgage professionals are still utilizing the old ways of communication and information sharing: email, rate sheets, and phone calls.
While these methods are industry standard, there is a far better way to operate in this business. I prefer the title Modern Mortgage Advisor as opposed to Loan Officer. 2 of the main reasons I prefer this title is because I leverage technology to communicate and simplify the process, and I truly advise my clients on their financial position, rather than just “take their mortgage order.”
Leveraging technology does not diminish my personal connection with people, it enhances it. Using zoom rather than a phone call to walk my clients through a mortgage consultation strengthens our personal connection and drastically changes their confidence and attitude going into the loan process.
While many loan officers will share a PDF pre-approval letter in order to MAKE an offer, I like to provide more information to help us WIN the offer. When my clients or their agent submit an offer to a listing agent, I create a personalized, formal presentation that the listing agent gets to have access to at all times. Not only is this communicated by phone, it can also be shared via text. Imagine being a listing agent, and your job is to advise your seller on which offer seems like the best option, and you receive a link from me that has
– a personalized video stating the agent by name
– the pre-approval letter attached
– a video/graphic presentation on how we are structuring the buyers financing options
– our $5k guarantee
– details and emphasis points on our offer
– the buyers agent’s contact info
– and reviews from past clients.
Imagine having all of that on your cell phone, or on you computer in an easy to read, modern format. If you had multiple offers on the table, and most of them had a PDF pre-approval letter, and then you saw my offer….which one would stand out to you?
I use multiple other platforms in my business but that one is always a big hit. Using technology to communicate and to bring the loan process into the modern age is something I am very passionate about. Especially with the new wave of homebuyers being Gen Z and people who grew up with a phone in their hands at a young age.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Jeremy Wassink and I am a Modern Mortgage Advisor. After serving in the Marine Corps for 8 years, I spent the majority of my career in some sort of a sales roll, weaving my way through the industry until I found my true landing spot in mortgage. I spent 4+ years in a hybrid sales/coaching role teaching people real estate investing strategies, debt management, business development and mindset. I believe that background is something I constantly leverage in my mortgage business to help homebuyers and partners advance their personal and financial lives.
As a Modern Mortgage Advisor, clients come to me for my financial background and cutting edge technology to help people change their financial future, one mortgage at a time.
Some of the main areas I specialize in are working with Veterans and First Time Homebuyers. My clients often come to me when they are tired of throwing their money away at rent every month, and want to start building equity, but aren’t quite sure how to get started. Or perhaps they are nervous with everything going on in the economy, and don’t know how to navigate through this high interest rate market and need a solution around it. Others are active duty/retired Veterans and want to learn how they can purchase a house with no money down.
A lot of people can look at a Mortgage Advisor and think our job is just to loan people money. While that is technically true, there is so much beyond that basic duty. Helping a single mom with 4 kids buy her dream home after a lifetime of renting, or helping a Veteran buy a home with no money down to start their investment journey, or helping a struggling family pay off all of their debt and start fresh is a calling far beyond “loaning money.”
We should be taking this position even more seriously than the people taking out the loan, because on a daily basis we have the ability and responsibility to change people’s lives for the better.
Helping a mother of 4, who has been renting her whole life, finally buy a home for her children to grow up in and creating an asset she can pass down to them later on, or showing a Veteran how they can buy 4 unit investment property, with no money down that can set up their retirement is one of the greatest honors I could ask for. As a fello
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Transparency, education and communication.
It sounds pretty basic but the reality is this industry lacks heavily in all these areas.
Transparency – The reality is that the mortgage industry is not perfect; not even close. The worst thing a Mortgage Advisor can do is lie or not be up front about something. Whether that’s the ability for the borrower to qualify at this time, or if there is something wrong during the Underwriting phase that may hold up closing. Being able to deliver both good and bad news is something we all have to do on regular basis. It’s much easier to deliver good news than bad news. But there is also a lot of rules/regulations that we are required to follow in mortgage. Most homebuyers aren’t familiar with those rules and have to take our word for it. UNLESS, the Mortgage Advisor delivers a level of transparency that raises the bar. I do all my follow up loan consultations over zoom so I can show the required information to my clients right away, and walk them through everything A-Z. I find that personal touch goes a long way in developing a trusting relationship.
Education – Most people (especially first time homebuyers) have little to no clue about the mortgage process. In addition, as big of an investment this is, they often overlook just how valuable homeownership can be to their financial future. As Mortgage Advisors our job is to educate and advise our clients on the best approach. Being a good professional in this industry goes far beyond what they qualify for on a loan. We should be taking a closer look at their overall financial picture and helping them plan for the short and long term. Many Loan Officers these days I like to call “order takers.” Meaning they just do the basics of asking what the client is looking for, and pre-approving them for that and moving on. There is so much more value we can provide.
Communication – When I ask real estate agents “What is the #1 issue you have had with your previous lenders?” – the answer I get 9/10 times is communication. You would think a simple text/phone call or email here and there would be pretty easy for most Loan Officers to send out. Sorry to say but it’s not. My doors don’t close at 5pm every day and they don’t shut on Friday afternoon until Monday. My partners and clients know they can always reach out to me and know they will get a response. Plus the entire loan process can be complex and sometimes take a while. Letting everyone know where we are at in the process on a consistant basis will usually eliminate 95% of all problems. I pride myself on being the Mortgage Advisor that “picks up his phone when I call him.”
How did you build your audience on social media?
Social media is a game that is constantly changing the rules. You have to know what the rules are in order to win.
The biggest rule is the algorithm. I’m not going to get into the weeds but, in order for you to be “seen” on social media, you have to be….social.
Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tok and whatever else is relevant these days “rewards” you when you are more active on social media. This means engaging with posts, liking, commenting, sending messages and sharing. You also want to be posting on a consistent basis in order for the algorithm to pick up on your activity. If you do that daily, on a consistent basis, you will start seeing more engagement on your posts.
Also, remember that people’s attention span is almost non-existent. You have to catch their attention immediately. The worst posts I see are something like “Hey guys, its Jeremy and I wanted to share something with you…..” Aaaaaand their gone. That was not attention grabbing and I have 200 other posts to look at before my bathroom break is over.
– What if you said “You’re New Year’s Resolution SUCKS” — That to me is far more intriguing and might cause to me pause and see what else you have to say.
Daily activities, engagement and attention grabbing. Also if you are trying to push a product or business, make sure you are showing a lot of who YOU are as well, not just your business. People want to see the real you and also might be interested in your business. Don’t just spam them with business all the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.usamortgage.com/mortgage-loan-originator/jeremy-wassink
- Instagram: @LenderJeremy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.wassink
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremywassink/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/LenderJeremy