California broker explains why ‘no’ is sometimes the key to a long-term relationship
The best mortgage brokers consistently emphasize that they strive to establish long-term relationships with their customers. They don’t see customers as transactions, but as almost an extended family.
Part of building those relationships, as a trusted advisor, is encouraging clients to avoid the sensational headlines that are all over the internet. At other times, building trust involves telling a customer that now may not be the right time to get a loan.
It’s not an easy thing to balance for mortgage brokers, but one veteran broker said it’s an integral part of building trust.
Andrew Kunisawa (pictured top), senior loan officer with Accelerated Lending Group, said broker success must be grounded in reality. While he laments the “doom and gloom” headlines, he knows it’s not always positive news either, and his customers appreciate that.
There are times that I tell clients, ‘You shouldn't do this loan,’” Kunisawa told Mortgage Professional America. “I tell people, ‘Maybe this is not the loan for you. Maybe it's a better time for you to think about saving a little bit more money rather than buying right now. Maybe it's going to stretch you too far.’”
Being an advisor
While many people get caught up in the current mortgage rates, Kunisawa said he encourages his customers to focus on the loan payment. He reminds them that payment must fit into their budget, and if it doesn’t, maybe it’s best to hold off.
“One of the things that I also tell them is you've got to be comfortable with the payment that you're making,” Kunisawa said. “If you can't make that payment, you're not going to come to me and say, ‘Andy, I need help to make my payment,’ just because I did your loan. I want them to understand that they’ve got to feel that they can do that without having to eat ramen every day for the rest of their life.”
The hard part for these customers is that they know buying and owning a home is a great way to build generational wealth. However, if they can’t afford the payment, they’ll never reach the point where the home builds equity.
“The other part, too, is that I know that buying a home is a step to wealth,” he said. “But sometimes it just doesn't make sense. Maybe your job is not super steady, and you've got a place where you're renting that's pretty reasonable, even if it goes up every month. Trading a $2,000-a-month rent for a $4,500 mortgage, maybe that's not the best thing for you.”
He also takes the time to explain the costs of rate buydowns to customers. While most customers will jump at the chance to get a lower interest rate, Kunisawa shows them how long it will take to regain the money spent on that buydown and whether that makes sense in their short-term budget.
“I could get you a little bit better rate, but it's going to cost you $3,000 to $4,000,” he said. “Maybe that's a good thing, but being an advisor and giving them the facts of how long it's going to take them to recapture that money that they spent. How they can pay off bills and make it so that really is worthwhile.”
Honest headlines
Kunisawa said the refinances are starting to pick up as mortgage rates have dropped to some of the lowest levels in 2025. While there is an uptick in refinance talk, he said that home purchases remain at the top of customers’ minds.
“I definitely see more people talking about refinances right now, but home purchasing is still very much in the forefront of people's minds,” he said. “They've adjusted to having higher rates, which is good. They're hoping for lower rates to come in. I think our industry has done a good job of helping people realize we're not going to see 2% and 3% interest rates anymore, that that was a one-time, once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
Negative headlines sell in the media industry. They’re the stories that get the most clicks, which drives advertising dollars. Kunisawa said brokers must help customers avoid the extremes of those negative headlines and understand the reality of the situation.
“I think that helps us to be a steadying influence,” he said. “It's not a knee-jerk reaction. We’re not proclaiming doom and gloom. We're not trying to be super cheerful, but we're giving information with facts.”
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He said that one of the most challenging things brokers have had to contend with is the prediction that another housing crash, similar to the one in 2008, is imminent. He assures customers not to wait for something that isn’t going to happen.
“Every time they see something in the media, like ‘You know the market is crashing. There's going to be a crash,’” Kunisawa said. “Every year, the media has predicted a market crash, basically so that people will read the article. We work hard to educate people to say the sky isn't falling.
“We have access to the people who are the decision makers, the people who set interest rates for these companies. They're the ones that we listen to, not CNN, not all these other companies. We listen to the people who actually are in the know. And that definitely gives us an advantage.”
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