NMN's Producer Profile series highlights career anecdotes and insights into the success of the loan officers from the
This week's edition highlights Jamie Tyndall of Mortgage Master, who works out of the company's Greenwich, Conn. office. She ranked No. 69 on the
Tell us about your most creative or successful marketing strategy. How did you come up with the idea? What were the results?
I do monthly mixers on the last Thursday of every month. I invite a select group of top real estate agents from different firms to visit local businesses, like a new wine or jewelry store that just opened. That setting allows the real estate agents to talk freely about what's going on in their business and their company. It has opened up some great conversations.
It's been very successful in bringing people together and has resulted in a lot of goodwill and more business for me. Plus, I'm supporting local businesses.
What's unique about the local market that you serve and what do you do to address those needs?
My market is almost purely super-jumbo. The average home price is well over $1 million, with many homes selling for over $5 million. Many of my clients have very complex income and tax structures. Most loan officers are not familiar with dealing with tax returns that are 500 pages long. I am. I always stay on top of the most recent tax code changes. My own accountant jokes that I know more about taxes than he does and he has called me in the past with questions about taxes.
Being in a super-jumbo market with clients like these also allows me to have a level of professionalism that a lot of other folks don't have. I used to work on Wall Street and I think a lot of my clients trust me because of that.
Tell us about an unusual or difficult loan scenario and what you did to ensure a successful closing.
Before I came to Mortgage Master I had a client who was adopting a baby from Russia and they got the call that their baby was ready just when they were closing on their home. The bank would not allow a power of attorney to sign the papers. So we had to send the papers to Russia but there was no FedEx or one-day delivery service there. I reached out to the embassy here to find a courier service and we were able to get the papers to the embassy in Russia where the buyers could sign the papers and get them back here in a timely fashion.
What do you know about the mortgage business now that you wished you knew when you started out?
No matter how wealthy you are or how much you think you know about mortgages, everyone who gets a mortgage becomes insecure. Everyone is nervous. Their responses to simple questions often get very defensive. I've learned that I need to put people at ease, every single client. I tell them, even though you are the CEO of a major corporation, I am assuming you know nothing about mortgages and no question is dumb. That puts them at ease.
Who is someone in your life, personally or professionally, who helps contribute to your success?
For me, it's every single client who has said thank you to me and has sent me a Christmas card with a picture of their new baby that was born in the house that I got them. It's nice to look at a photo array in your office of a bunch of cute babies or the family dog or the happy couple holding an engagement ring. It's a little thing like a thank you card that means the most to me, not the big awards and the accolades. That's how I run my business.
