Shelton says borrowers armed with AI research are staying connected after closing and sending more business her way
Mortgage brokers are seeing a shift in how borrowers show up to their first conversation. They have already done research, running questions through an AI chatbot before even getting the mortgage process started.
The stats back up the trend. According to a NerdWallet survey conducted in late 2025, nearly half of Americans planning to buy a home say they will use AI tools during the homebuying process.
While there are always concerns about answers received from AI chat programs, there can be hidden benefits in the more educated borrower, according to one veteran broker.
Samantha Shelton, mortgage broker and president of Align Lending, believes these borrowers provide an opportunity for brokers. The educated borrower, she said, is making her relationships stronger and her referral network more productive.
"Our buyers nowadays are a lot more educated, and they move with more clarity than they once did in the past," Shelton told Mortgage Professional America. "Consumers are coming into the conversation with a lot of data that they've already done the research on themselves. So they're coming in like, ‘Hey, this is what we're seeing. Is this what you see as a trusted professional?’"
Working through misconceptions
The shift has a cost, Shelton said. The same borrower who arrives with confidence about market conditions sometimes arrives with misconceptions that take time to work through. The most common misconception is the relationship between the federal funds rate and mortgage rates.
"We have to have the conversation that the federal funds rate doesn't move directly with mortgage rates," she said. "So when we have consumers that come in, and while we can appreciate the data and the research that they do ahead of time, a lot of times there's a lot of re-educating around some of those conversations because we'll get phone calls saying, ‘Hey, the Fed dropped rates today.’"
Shelton said she has to explain to borrowers that what they see advertised might not align with their situation. Borrowers see posts promising rates in the 5s and arrive expecting that number without understanding the points or trade-offs involved.
"You can't believe everything you see in the headlines because that's not really what happens," Shelton said. "We see posts all day long. Rates in the 5s. Well, sure. Can we get you a rate in the fives? Yes. Are there going to be some points involved? Yes. There's a give and take in that."
The first-time homebuyer conversation is where she has seen the most change. Where those conversations once focused on explaining the purchase process from pre-approval through closing, they now start with borrowers who already know the steps.
"A lot of consumers are focused in on what's happening within the market," she said. "Consumers are uncertain, and they are doing their research. Those conversations now shift. They know the process and what that looks like, but they're more interested in, ‘Okay, so we get through this process. What happens with rates if they move halfway through?’"
Building deeper relationships
While it might be easy to assume that these more informed borrowers have less need for an expert broker after the loan is closed, Shelton said she’s actually found the opposite is true.
"What I've noticed that’s a plus for a mortgage broker is that it helps me stay connected with them,” she said. “Because while we're having those conversations during the process, after they close, they are more apt to come back to me and ask those questions."
The follow-up contact that once required a broker to reach out proactively is now coming from the client side, she said. Borrowers who trust her enough to bring AI-generated questions during the process return with new questions after closing.
"Retaining clients is becoming very strong just in that human-to-human connection," she said. "We are building really good rapport and building a solid foundation that even after the fact, after they've closed, they still feel trusted in coming to you with questions they have."
That trust is extending into adjacent conversations, Shelton said. When borrowers ask about homeowners insurance or condo documentation, she uses those moments to connect them with partners.
"They're coming to me and asking questions about homeowners insurance," she said. "And in that conversation I'm like, ‘Hey, I have some really great people you can reach out to.’ Which is then allowing me to generate additional business for my partners as well."
The broker who leans into those conversations rather than deflecting them, she said, ends up with something more valuable than a closed transaction.
"I’ve been finding having those foundational conversations from the get-go, where they feel comfortable asking you,” Shelton said. “All the questions they’re getting from ChatGPT or Google or wherever they’re going for that knowledge. Them feeling confident in asking me that has also allowed me to generate more referrals for the partners that I work with. So we are building really good rapport and building a solid foundation even after they closed.”
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.
