Samantha Shelton (pictured top), founder at Align Lending, told Mortgage Professional America that the industry had been viewed as an appealing one to enter during the pandemic because of the promise of big volume and booming business.
Some who entered during that period may have become disenchanted and exited the space – but most of those left are in it for the long haul, according to Shelton, and weathering the storm has primed them well for future success. “The market itself has shifted with the type of professionals that we have,” she said.
“If you paid attention from last year to this year [on] how many originators and even real estate agents left the market or got rid of licenses or maybe condensed and instead of having five states, they have two – what we’re seeing as a professional industry is that the ones that stuck it out and have gone through these tough times have really mastered that craft.”
Industry professionalism evident even amid challenging times
Higher mortgage rates and borrowing costs have served to squeeze many prospective buyers’ budgets and weighed heavily against refinance activity since the sizzling market of the pandemic. Still, Shelton said interactions with other brokers and referral partners had proven extremely productive even amidst those challenging times.
That’s been the case when dealing with real estate agents as well as originators. “I’m finding myself communicating at a higher level with industry professionals,” she said, “because we saw the market from before, through COVID, and now in a more difficult time to where we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
