This interview is with Jason Sharon, Mortgage Broker Owner, Home Loans Inc.
How did your transition from Navy nuclear operations to founding your brokerage—and becoming a hands-on property investor—shape your approach to fast, personalized quotes and expert guidance?
The Navy takes kids right out of high school and sends them to about 16-18 months of specialized training. After that, they are allowed to operate nuclear reactors in war zones while the ship is being attacked. This is only possible due to grueling training and exact, specific, and repeatable procedures designed for maximum efficiency.
I adapted that same philosophy in my mortgage company. Every position in the pipeline, from lead to post-closing, has a checklist.
When a borrower wants a fast quote that will hold up at closing, what exact information do you need from them upfront to price accurately without delays?
I find that a person who wants a “fast quote” has no idea what they are asking. There are 17 different factors that go into a rate quote. If the client only receives a rate, then they only have half the answer, as there can be points and fees associated with that rate. They need to ask the whole question. However, at a minimum, I need the following information:
- Credit score
- Loan amount
- Property value
- Occupancy type
- Property type
- Zip code
- Length of loan
What is one prep step a borrower can take before clicking Apply Now that reliably shaves days off the timeline in your process?
I really dislike this question. Should someone who is making the largest investment of their life want to rush through that? Now, of course, you want the process to be as smooth and streamlined as possible.
First, do not lie; tell me everything. I would be willing to bet that at least half of clients intentionally leave out information that is actually important for me to know. During the first conversation, they need to be ready to discuss any and all possible speed bumps in the process.
Get all documents uploaded at the time of application, especially income documents.
Given your security-clearance background, what practical safeguard do you insist on to protect borrower data during a digital Apply Now experience?
The “need to know” adapts well in the civilian world. Although privacy laws are not much different from classified material controls, people who have never handled classified material tend to not fully comprehend the severity of a compromise of personal private information until it happens to them personally.
When rates are jumping on geopolitical or inflation news, how do you coach clients on whether to lock or float during the quote stage?
Coaching is the best term for this question, for sure. The loan officer must provide all the information to the client and allow them to make their own decision. An experienced loan officer has weathered significant market fluctuations in the past and can offer real-world experience.
To relate to the fluctuations during the Iran War, we saw similar volatility when Israel was invaded, when a top-level terrorist was assassinated, and during other political events. Rates jump up due to jitters in bond market confidence but tend to improve gradually on good news.
For VA borrowers or real estate investors, what makes your personalized quote approach different from pulling a generic rate sheet?
Without talking to the borrower, you do not know the full picture. True story just from yesterday. I missed a call from a potential client. He called me based on my 400+ 5-star Google reviews. We played phone tag all morning. When we finally connected, his first words were, “Don’t worry about me; I have been told no 6 times in the last 2 hours.” I empathized and asked why. He said, “I do not have enough equity.” Further questions confirmed that this was likely true.
However, I took it one step further and asked him what he would do with the $35,000 he was looking to borrow. He intended to renovate his house. The value of the home would improve by nearly $100,000 from the renovations. Therefore, a renovation loan is certainly feasible. We started his renovation loan right away.
His last comment in that conversation was, “Jason, thank you for listening to me. No one else cared enough to ask the questions you asked. If it were not for you, my pregnant wife and I would be raising our new baby in a home that is unsafe.”
As a coins and currency enthusiast, how do you translate rate, inflation, and bond-market dynamics into plain-English guidance that speeds confident decisions?
Two points that may not seem related, but they will come together.
1. The financial market is macroscopic. It is far bigger than anyone, even the smartest financial genius, can ever hope to fully comprehend.
2. When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Most loan officers only have loans as tools, just as financial advisors only have stock-type products. Accountants only have tax deductions, and insurance agents only have insurance policies.
Because I have extensive experience in multiple sectors, I can give more well-rounded advice and connect my clients with professionals in different industries if secured debt (a mortgage) is not the best tool to assist them in their financial goals. It all comes down to the highest and best use of your dollars—where will they make the most money for you?
Can you share a recent example where a fast, personalized quote plus your guidance saved a borrower meaningful money or time, highlighting the one repeatable step that made the difference?
The first step is listening. I played phone tag with a client recently. When we finally connected, his first words were, “Don’t bother, I was told no by six other people; I do not want to waste your time.” I asked him his goal with the loan, and he said he wanted to get cash out of his home. I inquired about the balance and the value. Given the amount of equity, the answer was absolutely no. However, I asked, “What are you going to do with that money?” He answered that he was going to renovate the home. After the renovations, the house value would support the loan. So we started a renovation loan instead of just telling him no. He and his wife, along with their three kids, had to continue living in their small two-bedroom, one-bath home.