Providing training to Realtors pays off, says broker

Brokers can only help themselves by sharing the training and learning with Realtor partners, says one mortgage advisor

Brokers can only help themselves by sharing the training and learning with Realtor partners, says one west coast mortgage advisor.

“I've been a fan of providing training for my Realtor partners since day one,” says Ryan W. Smith, mortgage advisor with The Mortgage Centre, Mortgage West in Kamloops, B.C. “It adds value to the relationship and allows them to increase their abilities at the same time. I work hard to be considered an expert in my field, and I expect my referral partners to do the same.”

Smith and his Realtor partners get together every few weeks for what he calls a “lunch and learn.”

“It is either in my office or renting a conference room in a local hotel in town, providing them lunch and sharing with them what my clients are struggling with,” he told MBN.

Positioning himself as the “go to guy” for information on the industry naturally lends itself to a seasoned veteran – something that make Smith chuckle, as he admits that he himself is still learning about an industry that he is a newcomer to.

“From my own perspective, I’m still relatively new to the business – this is the beginning of month eight for me,” says Smith “I’m developing what is working for me, trying different approaches, developing and maintaining referral networks – at the end of the day, that is the trick in this business.”

At the other end of the country, one real estate professional in based in the Maritimes agrees that continuous learning can only help, especially when it comes to better understanding the loan application process.

“You definitely need to be knowledgeable about the financing side of things,” says Andrew Libby, the president and CEO of Modern Financial in Moncton, N.B. “If you aren’t able to answer the questions buyers have, Realtors are going to waste a lot of time and money working with buyers that they haven’t pre-qualified, or be able to ask the right questions.”