THE ADVANTAGE
Your monthly recap of the most important
mortgage-related news, perspective, and advice
December 2022
It’s time to get ahead of your leads in 2023
5 minute read
With 2023 just around the corner, many in the mortgage business are waiting with bated breath. For good reason.
There’s no denying the industry-wide downward trend on mortgage leads. Consumers in general are wary of another real-estate collapse similar to what happened prior to the last recession. Rising interest rates and potential recession news are predictably elevating public fear surrounding home buying.
However, we believe our partners–and credit unions in general–offer great value to members, even in slow (for us) and uncertain (for them) times.
With that belief, we encourage you to focus your efforts in 2023 on what credit unions do best, and improve on them. Here are a few ideas to do just that:
Build relationships in new channels
Members and prospective members alike should feel comfortable coming to you for advice and education. It’s an area many credit unions excel at in person and in the community.
One consistent area of opportunity to build new relationships is digitally, where new generations of homebuyers are seeking their information.
We work with our partners to develop useful digital tools for members, which also generate leads. One tool is our Mortgage Payment Calculators, which help members get a real sense of their financial options without feeling pressured.
We’ve also recently launched all-in-one digital “Mortgage Hubs” for our partners, which centralize the mortgage experience for members. Mortgage-seeking members can educate themselves before submitting a mortgage application. These hubs also offer quick contact options to connect members with loan officers and opportunities to advertise special promotions.
Stay on the bright side
When it comes to actually educating and advising your membership when they come to you with concerns, it’s important to be a source of optimism and inspiration.
As mentioned earlier, there’s plenty of doom and gloom to be found in the mass media. Naturally, a common concern we’re hearing from our partners’ members is “Are we headed for a crash?”
While you can acknowledge their concerns as understandable, the conditions we have now are nowhere near the same as the early aughts.
There are a handful of factors at play here:
Inventory is low and new construction is low. Supply can’t keep up with demand, with The National Association of Realtors reporting only a 3.2-month supply of homes in August 2022. This alone is probably enough evidence that a crash is not likely. Coupled with the fact that foreclosures are steadily declining, it’s even less likely. The last crash was precipitated by foreclosures, high supply, and no one to buy. The exact opposite is happening currently.
In addition, stricter regulations ensure consumers and lenders do due diligence before signing. Because of these, homeowners can feel more confident in their ability to afford the loan they qualify for.
Finally, even with interest rates on the rise, home values on average are expected to increase. The biggest takeaway from this is that many homebuyers in mortgaged homes are quickly becoming “equity rich,” meaning loans were no more than half of homes’ market values. Data curator ATTOM announced that nearly half of all mortgaged homes were equity rich as Q3 2022.
Yes, there is uncertainty in the market. But there is also certainty. As credit unions, it’s our job to educate homebuyers to be patient but also understand that this market can present some unique opportunities for the right buyers.
If you’d like to add more channels to your relationship marketing or need help getting members off the fence, reach out. At Member Advantage Mortgage, we’ve helped numerous partners transform their capabilities and communications to set themselves up for success. The best way to start is with a conversation. Reach out at 704-995-9863.
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Who Is MAM?
Member Advantage Mortgage (MAM) is a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) that helps credit unions increase revenue by offering mortgage solutions to their members.
We achieve this by finding the mortgage solution that is in each individual member’s best financial interest.
What We Do
Since 2006, MAM has offered first and second mortgage origination and fulfillment services to credit unions. We also provide marketing tools (like our Mortgage Payment Calculator) to increase lead generation.
How We Can Help You
We’ll help you improve member satisfaction and deepen member relationships by offering or streamlining your mortgage delivery process. You’ll be able to serve current members so they don’t need to turn to the competition, all while increasing your mortgage revenue and generating non-interest income.
How You Can Learn More
This page goes into greater detail on exactly how we provide support and partner with credit unions.
You can also call Del Smith, our Senior VP of Business Development, to get answers to any questions about partnering with MAM.
Disclaimer:
This information is solely for credit union and mortgage professionals and should not be distributed or provided to consumers or the general public.
Member Advantage Mortgage LLC (MAM) is a subsidiary of CUSO Development Company (CDC), which is owned and operated by credit unions for the benefit of credit unions and their members. Member Advantage Mortgage, LLC NMLS #1557. Visit www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org for complete licensing information.