Texas broker shares conditions in the Metroplex that may be impacting your market
Mortgage brokers have had to weather significant headwinds during 2025, as rates remained elevated most of the year. Now that rates have fallen and stabilized, it allows brokers to turn their focus to other challenges to overcome.
Bradley Niles (pictured top), mortgage broker with Niles Funding Group, has seen things improve in his hometown of Arlington, Texas. While market conditions are improving in the Metroplex, there are some other challenges he is working through.
One piece of advice he told Mortgage Professional America revolves around the timing of the appraisal, especially on VA loans. He said a late appraisal can cause problems at the end of a loan.
“I would definitely as soon as possible get that appraisal started so you know how to take care of the situation,” Niles said. “Because if you're running up to the last few days of your contract and you have an appraisal come in, that's going to be a problem, especially on a VA loan. Some of those VA loans, it could take a full two weeks or more to get those appraisals.
“You want to start that appraisal process and get the client to pay for it. Order it for them, and know what you're up against. It helps the realtor be able to pull comps, know the market, and know what the offer should be. There's a disconnect there on the agent side, on the listing price.”
Limited foreclosures
Part of that disconnect involves homeowners who are holding onto higher home values when they try to put their homes on the market. Home prices in many markets have fallen in recent weeks, but some sellers' asking prices no longer align with the current market conditions.
“You run into issues because the appraisal is not coming in as high,” Niles said. “So you've got to renegotiate. You have owners who are in the homes and want to hold the price. There aren't many, if any, foreclosures on the market. They're all getting gobbled up. They're not showing on the market.”
Even though market conditions have improved, Niles said the market is still incredibly competitive. On top of a competitive market, sellers know they have built up equity in their homes, which they may choose to tap into rather than sell and move.
“They've got a lot of equity in the home,” he said. “They're able to find another job locally and keep going. The market has stabilized, but this is probably the most competitive market I've seen in my career. Everyone's out there trying to help everyone and be very competitive online.”
Challenge finding staff
One thing Niles hopes to do is continue adding staff members to the company. By doing more than just brokering the loan, he said he can help people in ways other organizations might not be able to. His goal heading into 2026 is to continue adding to the staff.
“We own our own lending company, title company and agencies,” he said. “So we’re able to help the customer locally and get them into a home that they may not be able to do with a different group. We do need more agents, lenders, and extra title agents. More staff would be nice. We want to be current with the market. Have meetings, just normal business procedure.
“You've got to have systems and processes in place and try to hold to those and have your goals for the year, and know where you're going. You've got to know where you need to go.”
Kristi Hardy of Atlantic Coast Mortgage says uncertainty around federal job security could cause buyers to pause, but DC’s housing shortage and resilience remain steady. Her message: stay calm, guide clients, and remind them this too shall pass.https://t.co/ZP5HnL874f
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) October 2, 2025
One challenge that many companies face is finding the right candidates for their openings and ensuring they have early success, so they stay. This is especially critical for smaller companies like Niles Funding Group if they are to compete with larger mortgage companies.
“I have not been able to have anybody come on board and be successful,” Niles said. “A lot of them are coming on and not doing any volume, or maybe they have another job, or they're getting out of the industry. It's very hard to compete. We're very small and niche. We're local and more relationship-based than these much bigger companies are. They've got 1,000 or 2,000 loan officers, or 15,000 loan officers, so we're very relational in our process.”
Stay updated with the freshest mortgage news. Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox, and always be the first to know by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter.
