Ep #30: Are You a Modern Mortgage Originator?

Dave Savage unpacks what it means to be a 'modern mortgage professional' — shifting from rate-quoting loan officer to trusted advisor using visual, mobile-friendly total cost analysis presentations. He shares the three traits he's observed in every top producer over 20 years, and how to use Mortgage Coach to attract real estate agents. Best for LOs who still rely on fee sheets and PDFs to present loan options.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Replace fee sheets and PDF printouts with a one-page visual Total Cost Analysis showing 2-3 loan options, cost over time, and prepayment impact — then deliver it as a mobile-accessible link, not an email attachment.
• Use these two questions to open every advice conversation: 'How old do you want to be when this is paid off?' and 'How long do you think you'll have this loan?' — then feed the answers back visually in the Total Cost Analysis.
• When meeting a realtor for the first time, demo Mortgage Coach live on your phone: explain your 15-30 second strategy for creating urgency (rent-vs-own, move-up buyer, etc.), then pull up the app and walk them through a sample analysis so they see it as an extension of their own sales process.
• Search 'Mortgage Coach' on YouTube to find recorded scripts from top producers like Josh Mettle and Jeremy Forcier on handling rate objections using the Total Cost Analysis — watch at least two before your next client call.
• Attend Dave Savage's free Tuesday calls at mortgagecoach.com/calendar — the format is a weekly interview with a mega-producer or top business author (past guests include Simon Sinek and Darren Hardy) focused on advisor mindset.
• Read 'Tools of Titans' by Tim Ferriss and 'Extreme Ownership' by Jocko Willink — both cited by Savage as current reads he recommends to LOs who want to operate at a higher level.

The playbook

1. 1. Ask discovery questions: 'How long will you have this loan?' and 'How old do you want to be when it's paid off?'
2. 2. Repeat their goals back to them out loud before presenting options.
3. 3. Build a Total Cost Analysis showing 2-3 loan options aligned to their stated timeline (e.g., 5-year move-up window + 18-year payoff goal).
4. 4. Deliver it as a live mobile link — not a PDF — so it can be updated as they shop different homes.
5. 5. Notify the referring agent each time the buyer opens the link, creating real-time visibility and demonstrating you're an extension of the agent's sales process.

Worth quoting

“Good is the enemy of great — but great is not good enough anymore. You've got to be exceptional.”

“When people think you're smart and they trust you and that all happens at the same time, good things happen.”

Best for

LOs who still present loan options via fee sheets or PDFs and want a repeatable, visual framework to convert more clients and impress referral agents.