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I realize this will make me sound like an “old man,” but it must be said: Today’s Easter egg hunts are soft. Kids barely have to take two steps and they’re tripping over multiple eggs. Back in my day, it might take hours to find all the eggs, and you might even find yourself stumbling upon a stray egg days later. They’d be buried in couch cushions, stuffed in cereal boxes, and maybe even duct-taped under a chair. Egg hunting was an arduous task, and when I finally cracked open the last one—a gold egg with a $10 bill inside—it didn’t feel like candy. It felt like victory. That’s the thing about scarcity: it makes discovery more meaningful. The mortgage market in 2025 feels a lot like an old-school egg hunt—only the stakes are higher, the eggs are fewer, and the gold ones are especially rare.
Our question this month: “How can lenders and loan officers find the golden eggs in a scarce mortgage market?”
Are you still hunting with a 2021 mindset in a 2025 market? Too many lenders are still navigating today’s complex landscape with a mental map from a different time. They believe:
But let’s reframe. Not because the old beliefs were wrong—but because the game has changed. The numbers speak for themselves. The 30-year fixed rate hovers above 6.8%. Refi activity is no longer a safety net—it’s a sliver. Inventory is still tight, especially in major metro areas, and affordability remains a top concern for first-time buyers. Even FHA and VA channels—once reliable—are experiencing friction due to changing regulatory scrutiny and shifting borrower profiles.
In short: business isn’t dead. It’s just different. And in this new world, we face a pressing strategic choice.
Imagine you’re holding three keys.
Most lenders reach for the first two. They feel tangible. Actionable. Safe.
But here’s the twist: both are resource-intensive and slow to pay off. Buying leads requires constant reinvestment. Hiring more producers often yields mixed results. You don’t just get their production—you get their processes, personalities, and baggage.
The third option? Replicate your top performers.
It’s not flashy. But it’s scalable. And sustainable. And it starts with asking why your best people succeed—not how.
Start with why. Why do certain loan officers thrive regardless of market conditions? Why do customers return to them, refer friends to them, and sing their praises in surveys?
It’s not just technical skill. It’s belief, clarity, and consistency.
Top performers believe in the customer experience. They see it as a craft. And they behave in ways that align with that belief:
Their habits form a blueprint—not of what they do, but why they do it. And that is what you can scale.
One of my favorite authors, Malcolm Gladwell, loves stories that bend the rules. Here’s one featuring Costco. In an era of e-commerce and convenience, Costco doubled down on something weird—bulk buying, annual memberships, and warehouse aesthetics. Why? Because they understood something deeper: people don’t just want cheap stuff. They want value they can feel.
That’s what your borrowers want too. They don’t want a loan. They want clarity. They want peace of mind. They want someone who will guide them across the finish line with confidence.
Top producers give that. The question is—can your whole team?
Here are three levers you can start pulling now to help your team thrive in a scarce market:
1) Capture the Blueprint
Interview your best LOs, not just about what they do—but how they think. Ask them to narrate the customer journey, from first call to closing table. Document everything. Tone of voice, email language, how they handle objections. Treat them like case studies in excellence.
2) Redesign Your Survey Engine
Are you asking questions that lead to action? Don’t just gather “Was your LO responsive?” data. Ask “When in the process did you feel most supported? Least supported?” The answers will show you where to coach—and where you’re winning.
3) Gamify with Purpose: Visibility creates accountability. Build scorecards that highlight more than volume—include borrower satisfaction, expectation-setting behaviors, and referral conversion rates. Celebrate those who delight, not just those who close.
What separates organizations that endure from those that fade? Its purpose. And in the mortgage world, your purpose isn’t “to close more loans.” It’s to make the process so trustworthy, so effortless, so human, that your clients can’t imagine going elsewhere.
When you align your systems with that purpose, performance follows.
So, the eggs may be harder to find. The hunt may take longer. But the reward? It’s deeper than dollars. It’s loyalty. Longevity. Reputation.
And in this market, that’s the golden egg.
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