RE/MAX Holdings Inc., which operates the RE/MAX real estate service, is going headlong into mortgages with the launch of Motto Mortgage, a new mortgage brokerage franchise.
The firm reports that Motto Franchising LLC, based in Denver, is now actively selling franchises in certain markets. Each Motto Mortgage franchise will be independently owned and operated.
Each franchise will operate out of a RE/MAX real estate office. What’s more, the company will assist owners in providing their originators with the innovative tools and resources they need to be successful. Also aiding in brokers’ success is the fact that they will have direct access to RE/MAX agents.
Motto Mortgage loan originators will not be bound to the products of one specific lender but will have access to quality loan options from various sources.
In a release, Dave Liniger, CEO, chairman and co-founder of RE/MAX, says the goal in launching this new mortgage business is to offer more choice and a better experience for consumers.
“We obsess about ways to improve the real estate experience for the consumer,” Liniger says. “We know that independent mortgage brokers’ share of the mortgage origination market dropped significantly following the economic downturn, falling from a 15-year average of 22 percent – with a high of 35 percent in 2006 – to 10 percent in 2015. Mortgage brokers bring choice and service to the consumer, and Motto Mortgage will work to expand the market share of mortgage brokers and bring better mortgage choice and service to consumers as a result.”
“We look forward to the return of mortgage brokers and skilled loan originators to the market,” adds Motto Mortgage President Ward Morrison, who has been with RE/MAX for 11 years.
Morrison most recently served as vice president of region operations and business opportunities.
“Our priorities will be educating, training and supporting our franchisees so that they can provide exemplary customer service to their clients,” he adds.