SPONSORED EDITORIAL
Transparency & Knowledge Are the Keys to Success for this California-Based Broker By being honest and keeping his clients informed throughout the process, it helps them feel connected during a major financial transaction that can often be confusing and overwhelming.
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sually, mortgage brokers like to keep their commission close to their chest. However, Alex Ramirez, owner and mortgage loan advisor of HomeSmart Advisors in Garden Grove, California, freely discusses his compensation with clients. When asked why he is so open about the commission he earns, Alex’s answer was simple, “They always ask me! They say, ‘How can you get me such a good rate when I have talked to four or five different lenders?’ and I break it down for them.” This idea of transparency flows through the entire operation at HomeSmart. By being honest and keeping his clients informed throughout the process, it helps them feel connected during a major financial transaction that can often be confusing and overwhelming. Outside of being transparent, Alex is also incredibly knowledgeable about mortgages. Being in the industry for 15 years, and working in all channel types, taught him the ins and outs of the business. This wealth of experience gave him the knowledge needed to pursue his own ventures and build a brokerage from the ground up. “I became an account executive and loan officer at a mortgage company where I was really able to get familiar with the broker channel – not just the frontend but also the backend of the process. I started managing people and began to learn about the secondary market. From there, it turned me on to becoming a broker myself because I could use my experience to help clients get what is best for them,” Alex said. He founded HomeSmart Advisors in mid-October of
2019. Many of his clients are firefighters, police officers and nurses. This wasn’t necessarily intentional but after serving a few and receiving glowing referrals – in part due to his transparency and using his knowledge to take on an educational role with clients – more began to cascade in. After opening the business, he soon partnered with Quicken Loans Mortgage Services (QLMS). Alex had worked with the lender in the past – leading to a quick partner approval process – and knew them to be great partners who run a smooth operation. Now, not even a year after starting his brokerage, he hopes to soon become part of QLMS’ Pinnacle program – an elite group of partners who consistently achieve a high level of performance. “My partnership with QLMS has always been a really good relationship. It is one of those things where we mesh well – it’s almost perfect. From programs to what my clients need, the way the process works and even all the technology they have available, it fits well with my business,” Alex said. So, what is next for HomeSmart? Ramirez has already added a few loan officers after his business began to increase exponentially and is looking to hire more in the near future. “We’re up to five loan officers, we have an executive assistant and are thinking about bringing on another. The goal is to have 15 to 20 LOs but they have to fit the culture and match my transparency,” he said. Clearly, Alex understands how valuable his transparency is and that clients appreciate it. That will surely be the cornerstone of future success for HomeSmart going forward.
Alex Ramirez OWNER AND MORTGAGE LOAN ADVISOR OF HOMESMART ADVISORS
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| NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE
