How to Become a Divorce Mortgage Specialist

This episode makes the case for becoming a Divorce Mortgage Specialist (RCSD designation) as a hedge against the eventual refi market slowdown. Two loan officers share how they secured attorney referrals within weeks of completing Professor Kelly Murray's training. Best for LOs who want a defensible niche that generates rate-insensitive referrals from divorce attorneys.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Register for the free 90-minute intro webinar at mmi.divorcethishouse.com and identify 5 agents you want to invite — use the worksheet Wendy provides with talking points to frame the invite around 'a new niche we could pursue together in 2021.'
• Find your county bar association's Family Law subgroup, contact the co-chair, and ask about sponsoring their next CLE (continuing legal education) event — Don paid $350 for a 2-minute intro that generated 12 attorney Zoom meetings in 7 weeks.
• When approaching a divorce attorney, use Professor Murray's 5-point presentation verbatim — Don reports that in 12 attorney meetings, not one attorney asked about rates or programs; every conversation was about how to incorporate him into their client onboarding.
• Position yourself to attorneys using this exact phrase: 'Allow me to become an extension of your practice' — it reframes you as a colleague rather than a vendor and gives attorneys a way to 'punt' the property discovery portion of a case to you.
• To break into a real estate office that has a preferred lender, pitch the broker owner on hosting the divorce real estate webinar for their agents — Wendy's team provides a worksheet with talking points; Don got 25 of 40 agents to attend and 6 subsequently enrolled in the RCSD course.
• Target the 'house spouse' (the spouse staying in the home) as your primary divorce client — this person needs a refi specialist, not a purchase agent, giving you a referral angle that most Realtors ignore and making you indispensable before the listing ever happens.

The playbook

1. 1. Earn the RCSD (Real Estate Collaboration Specialist – Divorce) designation through DivorceThisHouse.com and study Professor Kelly Murray's 5-point attorney presentation.
2. 2. Find your county bar association's Family Law subgroup; contact the co-chair and sponsor a CLE event for a 2-minute introduction.
3. 3. Follow up with attending attorneys using the copy-paste email template provided in the DivorceThisHouse member portal — it speaks attorneys' language and prompts response.
4. 4. Secure one-on-one Zoom meetings with interested attorneys; deliver the 5-point presentation without mentioning rates or loan programs.
5. 5. Ask the attorney to become 'an extension of your practice' — goal is to be included in their client onboarding process.
6. 6. Let satisfied attorneys refer you to colleagues (Don's first Harvard Law attorney immediately sent a group email to her 10-attorney firm).
7. 7. Recruit an RCSD-trained Realtor partner so you can cover all three potential transactions: house-spouse refi, outspouse new purchase, and eventual home sale if refi is not feasible.

Worth quoting

“In 30 years, no one from your industry has approached me about what you can do and the value that you bring.”

“Not once in any of those presentations was I asked about my rates. What are your rates? Not once.”

Best for

LOs who are over-reliant on the refi boom and want to build a rate-recession-proof referral source before purchase volume tightens.