Helping Families Pursue Their Dreams of Homeownership
Founded on more than thirty years of industry experience, AmeriFirst Financial helps families realize their dreams and goals of homeownership. David McMillan, a loan officer with AmeriFirst in Austin, takes his role and AmeriFirst’s responsibility very seriously, saying, “It is a great company, doing good production, especially in the challenging market we are in right now.” Although he has been in the mortgage industry for more than 32 years himself and has seen many challenging markets, and while they always turn around, he believes “this one is right up there at the top of the most challenging.” Yet, he believes in the products that founder Eric Bowlby has developed for him and the rest of the team.
As McMillan shares, “the products offered by AmeriFirst Financial are homegrown, providing loan officers with products to sell and the ability to partner with real estate agents, especially in a challenging market.” Modeled after Keller Williams and ExP’s profit and revenue sharing model, Eric Bowlby developed a product that assists real estate agents in obtaining their mortgage license and pays them to originate a loan. They are then incentivized to recruit other agents and loan officers, creating a downline of residual income. This product, RELO Funding, is appealing because it creates partnerships with influencers in various areas, including individual real estate agents, title companies, etc., connecting people across the industry.
It is this out-of-the-box thinking that continues to bring value to clients, agents, and loan officers. As the regional manager for the Austin Branch, McMillan understands how rising interest rates impact the housing market, especially in an area like Austin, which has long been one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. With large corporations building and thriving in the area, the onslaught of new jobs sparked the need for housing and, more importantly, the means to pay for that housing. AmeriFirst’s unique approach to mortgage lending ensures affordability, especially when homebuyers are focused on their monthly payments as interest rates continue to rise.
But, AmeriFirst is not just focused on clients; their team of loan officers plays a critical role in their business, and taking that same approach of thinking outside the box, management ensures their employees can attain the financial freedom and success they desire. As McMillan explains, “historically in this industry, loan officers have gotten almost all their business from real estate agents. They get into partnerships with real estate agents, they market to real estate agents, and when a realtor has a buyer, they refer them to the loan officer. That’s how we (loan officers) get our business. Well, if they can lead generate, so can we. We’ve partnered up with some of the country’s top lead generators to find borrowers for our loan officers and buyers and sellers for our real estate agent partners and give them leads as well.” Because AmeriFirst takes care of its employees, there is a sense of family and a tight-knit group, many of whom have been together for a long time. McMillan’s group alone has been together for 15 to 20 to even 30 years.
Another value add for AmeriFirst’s agents is the Austin Real Estate Podcast Network. David has partnered with Sandy McIlree (the old JB & Sandy Show, and now The Sandy Show on 25 stations through iHeart Media) to do video and audio podcasts talking to agents about their listings and the market at large. Useful tools for an agent’s marketing and social media.
Although the mortgage industry in Austin has typically remained and worked locally, the Austin branch is casting a wider net, generating leads and serving clients across the state and the country. To do this, the company sponsors a personal development program, Educate 2 Earn, encouraging employees and real estate professionals to continue learning, developing their skills, and trying new things, all while providing continuing education credits to REALTORS.
Lastly, while expanding its reach outside of Austin in the lending arena, AmeriFirst leadership has not forgotten the importance of nurturing the local community. The family-like culture of the organization encourages giving back as part of its foundation, with individuals participating in a variety of local activities and charitable events.
Relationship-building is paramount to growth and success in this highly competitive industry, especially in a booming real estate market. AmeriFirst prides itself on creating those opportunities for real estate agents, loan officers and processors, and others in the industry to engage, learn, grow, and develop. If you are interested in learning more and creating more lead-generating relationships, reach out to David and the AmeriFirst team at https://dmc.amerifirstloan.com/ or to learn more about RELO, visit www.relodmc.com.
