We were lucky to catch up with Alix Clowser recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alix, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

You can throw a stone and hit 100 mortgage finance professionals, although we are not all created equal. With the everchanging market, and difficult times the industry has faced over the last handful of years, this is impacting not only the experience of homebuyers, but largely their opportunity to become homeowners.

Traditionally, the mortgage industry considers homebuying and consumers a “numbers game”. Quantity over quality, and time and time again putting production over people. Myself and my team have always thought the opposite and are single-handedly trying to change the way this process is conducted by promoting transparency, financial literacy and strategy.

Through uniquely tailored Zoom Pre Approval Meetings for each up and coming homebuyer, to Total Cost Analysis finance presentations, as well as creative and competitive finance strategy when offering on their dream home, we are setting the stage for a mortgage experience that is equivalent to dining at a seven-star Michelin restaurant.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a former nursing student wanting to specialize in wound care and infectious disease, I tripped and fell into finance in 2015. Shortly after a less than exemplary experience of getting pre-approved to purchase my first home, I made a drastic change in my career. The medical field appealed to me as a way to serve people, which is something I am passionate about- however, after my experience applying for a mortgage loan I felt there was a greater need to serve those like me who were craving education, and guidance through a six-figure purchase, and one of the largest milestones in their life.

Since then, I have worked for four different mortgage companies spanning coast to coast and have worn nearly every hat in the mortgage space with the exception of being an underwriter. Ten years later, to the best of my ability I have boiled this process down to a science. Everything about finance is strategic and intimate to those obtaining the financing, which is why it never sat well with me that 95% of loan officers give blanketed “pre-qualifications” and don’t take the time to ask their client about what their goals and objectives are.

As a Mortgage Strategist/Senior Loan Originator, who specializes in financial literacy, as well as creative and competitive finance, I am dedicated to providing my clients with tailored plans that enable them to build wealth through owning real estate, and white-glove service for an unparalleled mortgage experience.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

“The customer is always right”.

An archaic saying that has been used for decades in most entrepreneurial spaces which in my opinion was based off of a fear of losing business. If the customer is always right and we give them exactly what they ask for, we have “earned business”- but have we, really?

At the early stages of my career, I was apprehensive to challenge clients on their thought process’ and why they are asking me for a very specific type of loan, or structure of financing. Like most, I was fearful that if I did not immediately give the client what they wanted (despite my professional opinion being in opposition), they would go to someone else who would give them exactly what they asked for instead.

What I have found is that people appreciate, and enjoy a respectful challenge. As consumers, most of us research what we want online, find a professional who provides that service and then ask the professional for what we want-even though we may not be a subject matter expert. We often forget to leave room for the opinion of the professional that may be able to provide more value, options, and education that may lead us to something even better than what we ourselves could have come up with.

“Why do you want to put 20% down? Why do you want to buy the lowest interest rate possible? Why do you want this particular loan over another?”

The answers to these questions (and many more) are very interesting and typically lead me to an opportunity to educate my clients on what else is possible, and why their original thoughts may or may not coincide with the financial objectives they have. In respectfully challenging what my client is asking me for, they realize I am their advocate, I have more value than just being able to perform the job, and that I genuinely want to understand their needs so that they can be met in the savviest way possible.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Unequivocally putting people over production, being mindful that “you are the company you keep” and everyone in your network is a reflection and extension of you and your team, and never committing to or promising something I am not 100% certain I can deliver on.

Simply put, always operating with a very high level of integrity. This may be the “slow grow” way of conducting business, but it ensures a solid foundation from the start and other likeminded professionals take notice.

Contact Info:

• Website: TikTok @helpingyouhome
• Instagram: @helping.you.home
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alix.Clowser.NFM/
• Other: Client review platform: https://www.experience.com/reviews/alix-clowser-172829

  [email protected]
  619-860-6639

Image Credits

Colin Key, VPAR