Written By: Daniel Garcia
The holiday season is upon us. Many are now taking their vacations yet at the same time, mortgage applications have increased. The end of the year is approaching and those wanting to purchase are either pushing to have Christmas in their new homes or even bring in the New Year there. That usually means more pressure on all of us to make a deal happen. Here are a few things to remember when it comes time management that can make your job a little easier.
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1. Keep an Up-To-Date To-Do List:
For a To-Do list to actually work, you need to prioritize your tasks. To do this, take your tasks by the most difficult or time consuming and then start with those. This will leave the rest of your time available for the many little things you have to accomplish. Examples of these time consuming tasks would be, making phone calls, file open/setup or working your files through the automated underwriting system, etc. There are many ways to setup a To-Do list. Some have used a simple numbering system (1-5) or lettering (A-D), the most pressing tasks on top. One thing to remember though is details. You might find yourself prioritizing the files by name but fail to list what you need to do on each file. Then when it comes time to work the file you have to go through it to remind yourself what it is exactly you need to do. This can be frustrating especially if you have 10 -15 files at once. Ultimately, this defeats the purpose of the To-Do list in the first place. So, be detailed.
2. Manage Distractions:
Distractions come in many forms: emails, colleagues, calls from clients. All of these things can easily siphon our time away. Now, it’s understandable that you will have to take that pressing phone call or return that email immediately especially if it has to do with your high priority files. The point is to manage your distractions. Set specific times to respond to emails and phone calls. Minimize in-office social chat with colleagues. All of these things take away your focus and time. Since our whole job is driven by deadlines, time is our best friend. Let’s not take it for granted.
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3. Keep Everyone Updated
Give regular loan status updates to the LO, realtor, or borrower BEFORE you are asked. This is just good customer service. In my shop, we have Tuesday Status Updates. That means every borrower and their realtor in our pipeline will receive a call, giving everyone a status update of the file. Get the loan officers involved too. Have one-on-one meetings with them every week to make sure that everyone is on the same page. Again this is good customer service and I’m sure they will appreciate your assertiveness.
These all are things that were mentioned in previous articles but reminders are always good. So, happy processing and make it a great week!
About The Author
Daniel Garcia - As an NAMP® staff writer, Daniel Garcia is a loan processing instructor for Loan Processor University (www.LoanProcessorTraining.org). Daniel also currently works for a non-profit housing and community development corporation where he serves as a senior loan officer and heads up the organization’s homebuyer education program. Daniel provides consultation services to other non-profit housing organizations nationwide, training in the areas of mortgage qualification and processing, state and federal laws, adult education training methods, and credit/foreclosure intervention counseling and program setup. He has gained a variety of experience, from mortgage processing and loan originating to loan servicing and loss mitigation. If you're interested in becoming a writer for NAMP®, please email us at: contact@mortgageprocessor.org.
