COMPARE US

    and discover how we can help you grow your business like no other.  Join US

• Our MLOs Earn 26% more on average than at other Lenders
• Free up 30% of your time at the same production level.  Our process is simple and efficient.
• Client Relationship TEAM (CRM) to support your referral sources and find you loans 24/7
• Individual Web Page to Promote yourself & team (in compliance)
• 8-day close – No Hype we do it day in and day out
• 98% application to close pull through rate so you close more with our team
• 20 years of experience - Unique Innovation and Forward thinking allowed SEM to prosper through 3 Recessions. SEM's large liquid balance sheet provides a stable platform so you can focus on what matters, your clients.
• On site Builder opportunities available
• MLO friendly process that is remotely accessible

If you are a $1MM+ a month mortgage loan originator, take 10 minutes to meet with us to better understand how we can accelerate your career and income. 

Call 770-279-0222 and ask for Cal, JD, or Kathy

Read more about the SEM Difference (click)

www.southeastmortgage.com

 

Testimonial - CRM works 24 / 7 keeping MLOs in front of Clients - Another example how SEM helps MLOs get more loans

Email 8/12/2014

Cal,   I want to share with you that our CRM is working.   I closed the (omitted) loan 3 years ago and Steve (omitted) received a birthday card from me recently ( thanks to the CRM team ).   I have had no contact with him since their closing and he and his wife are now buying a lake house.   He called me yesterday and said because he received the b-day card  he remembered me and what a great job Southeast did on their refinance 3 years ago.   Long story short is he is bringing his docs to me today for a 250k lake house loan.  

Thank you Cal for providing this great service.

Sincerely,

John Young

Click here to learn more about the SEM Difference

Who we are Conversation - Cal Haupt, Jan Shell, Kathy Gyselinck, and JD Crowe

www.southeastmortgage.com
770-279-0222

2014 SEM Workout Shirt

First Preview of our Revised SEM Workout Shirts

Emily is modeling the sample shirt

www.southeastmortgage.com
770-279-0222

 

MLOs always filter the noise to a clear path - MLOs want a strong foundation that can weather recessions and grow their referrals

Recently I was meeting with a Mortgage Loan Originator, MLO, candidate from a local competitor and he was impressed with what he saw at our Club Drive Operations Center and the Senior Officers he met.  He looked at me and said "a guy at a competitors barbecue said you were a #$@%*^#".  I simply asked, did he ever meet me.  He said "no".  I told him this is exactly why every MLO should form their own opinion of career alternatives and form it from first hand knowledge.  He signed with Southeast Mortgage the next day along with his very talented Sales Assistant.

Grapevine and malicious statements, slander, not formed from first hand knowledge but fabricated in dark corners and or prefaced by "don't tell anyone I said this" should be put in perspective by MLOs.  In the industry, we all know the negative recruiters and characters that use defamation (usually verbal "slander" and not "libel" written form) due to the legal consequences that could result.  They do this to make themselves or their company appear better or they harbor personal resentment due to some perceived wrong.  People using slander are masking their respect for the company referenced.  When a person uses this tactic be assured the company in focus is strong and tangible weakness is not present.  MLOs should get more interested and interview the targeted company when this occurs.  People only slander companies that matter and present a formidable strength that is capturing market share.  MLO's opportunity to grow their client base, referral sources, and weather the next recession may be based in the noise.  Growing careers and supporting families is the priority.

If you talk to anyone who knows or has worked with me at the banks or at Southeast Mortgage of Georgia, Inc., SEM, they will tell you “Cal is not a politician.  He knows what he is doing, always does what he says, and always gets it done.  Most importantly he always keeps his word and you can trust him”.  The essence of a company generally incorporates its developer’s core beliefs.  The long tenure of my team is a testament to the trust and respect we have in each other.  The TEAM is SEM.

Back in 1993 when SEM began, you never heard about a 8-day close, “the street’s needs”, “MLO friendly”, great support for Realtors and MLOs, etc.  However, all were the basis for the formation and development of SEM processes before they were cool.  We understood in 1993 what clients and Realtors would demand and the facade around products would not last which ultimately was dismantled in 2009 along with many companies selling them.  Due to the financial crisis with its epicenter in the Mortgage industry, 80% of mortgage companies in Georgia closed their doors.  What we have today are companies formed less than 6 years ago and some less than that.  Most have operations in other states supporting a multi-state foot print. 

 

The 8-day close used to be a 7-day close at SEM prior to the law change in 2009.  Closing fast reduces rate fluctuation risk and reduces client uncertainty and stress. 

The Street’s Needs – Realtors and MLOs want to close more business.  SEM created the first vertically integrated Georgia Mortgage Client Relationship Management, CRM, TEAM which provides added value and visual marketing support to both Realtors and MLOs at no cost to them.  As a result, our CRM TEAM is like having your own marketing team for free and ensures your image stays in front of past clients and Realtors.  Networking Socials at our Max Centers at no cost ensures you connect on a personal level.  Closing fast and approving more deals is a given.

SEM Processing – Our process was developed based on efficiency and MLO need.  Although it is different than most companies who use the same processes, SEM’s process has a 98% pull through and frees up 30% of MLOs time while increasing their earnings by 26%.  This time savings can be applied to your family, hobbies, or generating more business.

Although there are many hard working good people in our industry, when you look around you will find the core beliefs of many stated on websites were part of SEM's DNA since 1993.  SEM created the most productive origination process in the industry by building an operations and origination process designed to close more faster which organically grows Realtor and Client relationships.  This earns our MLOs 26% more than their competition with the same effort.

From 2010 –2013, MLOs flocked to the internal bank refinance opportunity. 

Unfortunately, a 100% refinance strategy never lasts and just like the signs say at the marina “please do not feed the birds”, MLOs that are fed leads forget how to hunt in a normalized market.  In a typical 7 year economic cycle from recession to recovery top, only 2 years on average is related to rate dislocation and the other 71% or 5 years is Realtor or Life Cycle Client dependent. 

Which strategy has the better odds for an MLO?  Yes, Realtor and Repeat Client focus is 3 times as effective as refinance only.  An interesting data point, the current recession started in 2009, it is 2014 or 5 years down the road.  Also note the DOW is at 17,100 which is near an all-time high.  Can you sense the déjà vu?  Recession resistant companies with evolved strategies like SEM should be in the forefront of every MLOs mind considering the demographics of our Georgia MLO population.  Today, MLOs are now flocking from the banks to participate in the purchase recovery which started two years ago.  Recruiters and Company websites all pitch 8-day close, MLO friendly, “the street needs”, etc. 

 



Truck pictured Left - Pinto pictured Right

The only issue is you can put a Truck body on a Ford Pinto; however, it is still a Ford Pinto.  MLOs need to form their own opinion and meet future employers face to face. 

Due to our service focused team and security at Club Drive, seeing what we do requires MLO applicants visit us at Club Drive headquarters.  SEM built a large engine and truck to support our TEAM.  This engine absorbs volume fluctuations and efficiently creates organic referrals from Realtors and past Clients. This consistently great Realtor and Client experience is why we enjoy one of the highest growth rates among our peers and MLOs can have confidence that operations will be ready when their applications surge.  We simply underwrite more effectively, close faster, and support our MLOs with the best Realtor and client awareness programs.  This creates SEM’s organic growth and why we prospered through three recessions to become the largest local Georgia-based, Non-bank Lender.

I talk a lot about a Village, and I truly believe a TEAM is security and in today’s mortgage market every MLO needs a Village to support them.  The Village is proven and why MLOs make 26% more working with our team.  You owe it to yourself to better understand the companies that service the Georgia Mortgage Market.  When you run into that negative recruiter or the "green eyed monster" bashing a company, make a first hand opinion.  No matter who the company is that is being defamed, go visit them face to face and make your own opinion.  

If you are a professional MLO closing 3-4 deals a month and you want to create or grow your current Realtor and Client referrals, you owe it to yourself to hear directly from me why SEM is the most emulated company in Georgia.  I will guarantee confidentiality.  Meet with me for 10 minutes at my Club Drive Office and see first-hand why SEM can close faster.  See "Who we hire".

 

 

Cal Haupt

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
770-279-0222 (Just ask Admin to locate me and they will transfer you to my cell phone)

A Hunger for Authenticity in the World of Social Media - National Mortgage Professional Magazine July 2014

 http://issuu.com/nmpmag/docs/gamp_july14/69?e=1230807/8708599

June 2014 - Cal-Culator - Real Estate Index Hits Record High

Atlanta Residential Real Estate Index Hits Record High With Across the Board Housing Improvements

Amid the summer heat, real estate in Atlanta is sizzling. Last month, the Cal-Culator, Atlanta’s residential real estate index, reached the previous record of 6.0. This month, the June index has climbed to a record high of 6.2 due to across the board improvements in home sales, builder confidence, home prices, increased inventory, foreclosures and more.

The June Cal-Culator

Home Sales
Pending, new and existing home sales all   saw  strong improvements in May. Existing-home sales rose 4.9 percent, with attributions to rising inventory levels, the improving job market and declining mortgage rates. Pending home sales rose “sharply” 6.1 percent, the largest increase since April 2010 when first-time homebuyers scrambled to sign contracts before a lucrative popular tax credit ended, according to the National Association of Realtors.

New-home sales posted an even stronger rebound with a nearly 19 percent increase from last month, the highest rate since May 2008, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with the U.S. Census Bureau.  “These numbers are in line with our recent builder surveys, which indicate that more consumers are getting off the fence and coming back into the marketplace,” said Kevin Kelly, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.

Home prices
RealtyTrac reported that the median sales price of distressed and non-distressed U.S. residential properties rose 6 percent in May from the previous month and 13 percent from a year ago, the second consecutive month in a row with a double-digit annual increase and the biggest annual increase since prices bottomed out in March 2012.

Builder Confidence
New data from the NAHB and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index showed that builder confidence for new single-family homes rose to only one point shy of the threshold of what’s considered good building conditions. The index rose four points to a level of 49. Any number over 50 indicates the majority of homebuilders view conditions as “good” rather than “poor.”  “After several months of little fluctuation, a four-point uptick in builder sentiment is a welcome sign and shows some renewed confidence in the industry,” said Kelly.

Foreclosures
Foreclosure levels in Atlanta have continued the downward trend that has permeated the real estate industry in 2014. Foreclosures in June dropped to levels not seen since 2002. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on data from Kennesaw’s Equity Depot that 2,054 foreclosures were reported in June across 13 Atlanta counties, compared to 11,016 during the height of the housing crisis.  The Northeast and West aren’t faring as well, however, as foreclosure levels skyrocketed in May, according to Housing Wire. 

Stay tuned as we release the next Cal-Culator on August 5 to see if Atlanta’s residential real estate numbers continue on their current path of rebound.

www.southeastmortgage.com
770-279-0222