Brian McCauley Provides Three Rules to Success in the Mortgage Industry

Written in partnership with Maria Williams.

The real estate industry in the United States has never been “hotter.” The U.S. housing market is going yet again through a historic housing boom and the past two years have seen home prices go up 34%, with a 19.9% increase in the last 12 months. So, it’s no surprise that people are flocking to this industry. Many look to become realtors, as it’s fairly easy to become one, but there are plenty of ways to get involved. One great way is as a mortgage broker or mortgage loan officer.

As Brian McCauley, one of the top producing mortgage originators in Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, explains that the job of a mortgage broker or loan officer is, essentially, to set up homebuyers with the best mortgage rate possible. He adds that while a career as a mortgage broker can be challenging, it’s also incredibly rewarding, and quite profitable.

“At its core, the job is to find the best mortgage rate possible for your client. However, in doing so, you are helping your clients achieve financial freedom through homeownership,” says McCauley. “When you ensure your clients are getting a mortgage the right way, you are offering them a smart way to become a homeowner, and more importantly you are setting them up for a better life.”

During his extensive career, Brian McCauley received numerous awards for outstanding performance in sales and customer service. He is a CORE Level 3 graduate and Scotsman Guide’s top 1% mortgage originator for 2022 and 2021. With thirteen years of experience in the mortgage and real estate industry, McCauley knows ins and outs of the industry.

Here he shares three rules that helped him achieve this enormous success.

Pick a Side

Brian McCauley’s first rule to success is to pick a side of the industry to work in. As he explains, you can think of the mortgage business as split up into three teams: offense, defense, and special teams. Each one has its unique strengths and abilities, but no matter what you select, focus is key.

“The mortgage business has offense, defense, and special teams. So, you have to decide what type of person you are. And where you want to be on the field… An offensive person would be like a sales team. A defensive person would be like a processor, an underwriter [would]…kind of do paperwork behind the scenes…Special teams would be the marketing department, the compliance department, and the legal department…So, the first thing is, which team do you want to play for offense, defense, or special teams?”

Find a team that cares

The mortgage industry requires a lot of technical knowledge and skills, and someone who is just starting out will need help to succeed. Finding the right people will help speed this process up. “Get with a company that has a really good name, that has really good training, and cares a lot about the careers of their teammates, not the bottom line of the company,” shares Brian McCauley. A good team will help you grow and learn and flourish in the industry that you love.

Always be learning

“Increase your skills as much as you can,” shares Brian McCauley. Once you’ve found where you fit in the industry and have found a great team, get to learning. “Start to just learn and train from those around you. Increasing your skills increases your value and increasing your value normally increases your paycheck.”