How AD Mortgage Changed the Way I Do Business
If you had asked me 10 years ago what I thought about Non-QM lending, my answer would not have been flattering. If you had asked me three years ago, it would have probably sounded the same.
My name is Giovanni Acosta, and like many loan officers who started their careers at a direct lender, I viewed Non-QM as a niche product reserved for borrowers who simply couldn’t qualify for conventional financing. I assumed the loans were a risky last resort for someone who heard ‘no’ from everyone else. For those 10+ years in retail, I had the ability to offer DSCR and a couple of other programs, but I rarely gave them much thought. In fact, Non-QM loans represented less than 0.5% of my production.
Today, that number is quickly approaching 30%, and I’m looking to dive in even deeper! The difference isn’t that my clients have changed very much – the difference is that my perspective has. Let’s just say that I’ve done a complete 180.
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From More Lenders to the Right Lender
Becoming a broker changed everything for me. Becoming an AD Mortgage partner changed everything for my business. When I moved from working at a direct lender to becoming a broker, I knew that I was expanding my product offerings. What I didn’t realize was that I was completely changing how I used those products to serve my clients.
The perks of being a broker and the freedom to partner with what seemed like endless lenders came with a steep learning curve. Like many new brokers, I quickly discovered that having access to dozens of lenders wasn’t always an advantage. Every lender had different overlays, underwriting expectations, technology platforms, and communication practices.
I found myself spreading my business across so many lenders that I never became truly proficient with any of them. When my back was against the wall and I needed help with a file, I didn’t have any real lender relationships though I was productive and closing loans. The results weren’t just frustrating for me – they also weren’t the experience I wanted for my support staff or clients.
I am embarrassed to say that it took more than a year until I realized that success as a broker wasn’t about knowing every lender. It was about knowing the right lenders. As I made up my mind to narrow and deepen the relationships, I quickly made a list of the top five lenders I had in price, speed, communication, AE support, and tech stack.
There was only one lender that was in the top five on each list, and the next day I was on the phone with my AE at AD Mortgage, letting him know of the change I was going to make in my business.
New Perspective on Non-QM Lending
At the same time, with the help of my AD Mortgage AE, I started looking at Non-QM through an entirely different lens. These weren’t loans for ‘unqualified’ borrowers. The more educated I became, the more I found myself thinking ‘I would give this person my money’.
In fact, it was more than I had ever thought that for a Conventional or FHA mortgage. Nearly all of the Non-QM clients were successful entrepreneurs, real estate investors, self-employed business owners, retirees, or high-net-worth individuals whose financial profiles simply didn’t fit inside conventional agency guidelines. They had good scores, large down payments, and unique scenarios that just made sense. However, they were neither understood nor adequately served by traditional programs. I was part of the problem, and once I understood, everything changed.
Today, Non-QM lending allows me to help clients I once would have had to turn away. Whether it’s a bank statement borrower with strong cash flow, a real estate investor using DSCR financing, a client qualifying with assets, or someone with a unique income structure, I now have solutions that I didn’t feel comfortable accessing earlier in my career.
Evolving with Borrowers, Growing as a Broker
Looking ahead, as the mortgage industry continues to evolve, and so do borrowers. The traditional W-2 employee is no longer the only profile walking through our doors. Self-employment continues to grow, investment portfolios are becoming more common, and income streams are increasingly diverse.
Non-QM is expanding my business, not replacing my old business. It is complementing the Conventional and Government loans and has made me into a better and more well-rounded professional. As Non-QM becomes an essential part of the mortgage landscape, I feel like AD Mortgage has prepared my team to be ahead of the curve.
I’m grateful that becoming a broker challenged many of the assumptions I held early in my career. It forced me to learn, adapt, and rethink what it really means to qualify a borrower.
For me, the last couple of years have been the most meaningful of my career, and I look forward to growing HomePlus Capital alongside AD Mortgage.
The article was written by Giovanni Acosta, Loan Officer, NMLS #1079868, at HomePlus Capital, NMLS #2436151.
