When it comes to finding mortgage leads, your lowest-hanging fruit is your existing book of people you’ve arranged financing for in the past. Why? They know and trust you and you have extra insight into their personal information.
But how can you identify new mortgage lead opportunities through the file?
- If the client purchased a home, look at their last credit report — was there debt?
- Look at the age of the property — it may be time for renovations.
- Look at the current property value — is there new equity that warrants pitching a refinance?
- What’s happening with interest rates – could it be time to look at locking in?
In the current Canadian real estate market, talking to your clients about refinancing could be a smart decision.
You can also look at the time of year. Pre and post holidays, many clients may be more inclined to make a priority of refinancing so that they can consolidate holiday credit card bills and start the new year fresh with a single mortgage payment and no debt. Or if you know a home is older and in need of upgrades, springtime may be when you want to broach refinancing so clients could access equity for home renovations. If a client has children going off to post-secondary education, September or a few months beforehand may be the time to talk about refinancing.
But how can you quickly and easily determine the age of the property or the current property value to assess your prospects’ equity positioning? The simplest and most accessible way is by using an automated valuation model (AVM).
An AVM is a mathematically based computer program that produces an estimate of the market value of a residential property based on the analysis of public record data, property location, market conditions and real estate characteristics at a specified date.
AVMs eliminate human error and focus on the data — which is what you want in this case. By combining an AVM with your Purview report, you’ll have a complete overview of a property and your clients’ profiles, allowing you to identify the most promising mortgage leads for refinancing opportunities.
Purview can help you access AVM data and more. Call Purview today at 1.855.787.8439 or visit www.purview.ca.
