Newsletter October 2017

NW REGIONAL NEWSLETTER HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER You all deserve huge kudo’s for a job well done in October! The Northwest Region saw an increase in leads, applications, locked pipeline, and closings over September, great way to start the 4 quarter! Last month we talked about not Falling into fall, th your focus was amazing, we need to continue through the end of the year and take advantage of our competition who are full of candy from Halloween, ordering turkeys, and starting to Christmas shop. If the early bird gets the worm, then the sales team increasing their activity during the holidays gets the deal, help someone spend the holidays in their new home, best gift ever. Christmas can be a blur for many of us, lots going on in a short period of time, you blink and it’s New Year’s. November is the perfect month to let your past clients, sphere of influence, realtors, and builders know how thankful you are to work with them, whether it is Thanksgiving cards, broadcast email, delivered pumpkin pie, or centerpiece what a wonderful time to stand out above the crowd and truly offer your thanks. This also goes for our team mates who support us throughout the year, both in the hubs, branches, and home office. It’s not happy people who are thankful, its thankful people who are happy. The most consistent aspect of the mortgage business is there is always change. We wish Aaron Nemec well and thank him for his accomplishments over the last year and a half. Having worked directly for Adam Kessler in years past I am excited to have Adam back in the saddle guiding the production team. We are truly a flattened down organization. Which makes us incredibly nimble and intentional. I would like to give a shout out to Leon McKean who qualified in October for President’s Club, great job! I am truly THANKFUL for the opportunity to work with all of you and want the best always for you and your family! -Dave Schile

Evelyn Cox I don’t watch a lot of sports, unless it’s college football. The one exception to that is that I love the World Series whether it’s professional or college or little league, I love to watch the com- petitiveness of the players/teams. In a lot of ways, I see that amongst our team members; who is going to underwrite the most? Close the most? Fund the most…. Competition is what makes us all good at what we do! We all know that I am competitive and hate being wrong!  I want to say thank you to all that helped us raise money for Boys Scout Troup 92, the funds are going to help by equipment and summer camp. I know that we are all struggling with the challenges of Encompass lately, but please know our IT/LOS people are working diligently to get it all back to normal, so remember to be patient with them, they are an awesome group of people. “Know when to keep silent” “Know when to speak up” “Every day look for some small way to improve your marriage/relationship” “Every day look for some small way to improve the way you do your job? SUSAN HOLMES It’s hard to believe October is over already. I thank each one of you for the excellent work completed. I enjoyed the leaves changing, crisper weather and the Halloween festivities. There were some great costumes. And the food… I’m still full! I’m looking forward to November’s extra days off. Let’s honor our Veterans. And take time for our families at Thanksgiving. But those days off mean that we have to focus more intently on the work days we have. Let’s support each other as always, and jump in wherever needed to get the job done. Then we can completely enjoy the days off. We all need to refresh and recharge. Take a moment to think about the things you are thankful for. I am grateful for family, friends and the wonderful people I work with. Thank you!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: Laugh a little!!

CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE: Laugh a little!! NOT FUNNY! Leon McKean broke his nose playing basketball.

“THANK YOU!” to RYAN SHELBY, for playing Disney’s Mickey Mouse Club House song – “Hot-diggity-Dog!” Every Day!.... which makes us all laugh & keeps us in a good mood. ~Laura Alexander A shout out to Laurie Funston who is always “on call” and has helped us on nu- merous occasions when we didn’t know how to structure a loan. Your dedication is much appreciated!!!! ~Lynn Hergenreder Tina Helm – Thank you for having my back for the last few months! I can’t tell you how much I appreciated your help and support! THANK YOU! Evelyn Cox – Thank you for all of your support and flexibility for the last few months! It’s nice to be part of a TEAM! ~Laurie Funston I would like to thank Pearl Smith for spending countless amounts of time with me as a new employee. She is a wealth of knowledge and has been so kind and patient while training me to be a processor! I can’t thank her enough  ~Jen Ploetz SHOUT OUT to Laura Elkins and Laura Alexander for helping me with the Christmas mailings. You are very much appreciated. Thank you! ~Angela Bowden SHOUT OUT TO Melanie Baldwin “I know I’m biased, but my wife has been working really hard to become fast and accurate at Underwriting and I think her production numbers reflect that. I think the Underwriters get criticized a lot and don’t hear many compliments, but they have a really tough and stressful job.” ~Dave Baldwin I second that Dave! ~Angela Bowden

Shout out to Maureen Miller and Georgia Lipinski…for processing their own loans that are flawless, thanks for being awesome. ~Christy Milliren A shout out to Laurie Funston! I have been so impressed with Laurie’s communica- tion, work ethic and her willingness to help. This on top of what she’s had to go through per- sonally is truly amazing. She is my new hero  Also a special thanks to Dave Schile for all of the assistance he’s provided to the FMC employees during our transition. Dave has been a priceless asset to have in our corner and I am so very thankful for everything he’s done to make the transition as smooth as possible. Last but not least  Many thanks to Dave Perry and Jason Oswald for all they have done and continue to do to help our branch. We former FMC employees are blessed to have landed with an awesome company with top notch colleagues. ~John Spiker That Evelyn Cox…what can you say about her? My experience since being with Acade- my Mortgage is that Ev is willing, helpful, and available to resolve scenarios and get loans ready to close. I’m grateful for her efforts on my loans, and know that we’re in a better place because of Ev and many others who have a heart of service at Academy Mortgage! ~Leon Baker Shout out to Laura Alexander, thanks for helping me with Expensify! ~Susan Holmes “Thank you all for your continued support, especially those who cover me when I’m out. There is an end in sight! Much love!!” ~Casja Law

Shout out to Pearl Smith, Thanks for another killer month! I couldn't do it without you!! You are the best of the best! ❤ To the Underwriters!! Thank you for helping me through another great month.. your willingness to guide and help is appreciated.. thank you for jumping in files and getting things done fast if need be.. I couldn't do it without you all!! ~Vicki Leavitt I just wanted to say a quick thank you to every member of the Academy team. It takes all of us working together to get our borrow- ers into their home quickly and smoothly. Thank you everyone! Thanks again! ~Jennifer Bender Meridian Closing/Funding Team – I would like to thank the entire closing department for their dedication and hard work. They are always happy to jump right in and help get all those rushes out for signing and/or funding. We really appreciate your great attitudes and all your help. You all are the BEST!!! Laura Alexander Thank you for all you do to insure our entire office runs smoothly. You always keep us stocked on fresh coffee, sodas and candy. You work hard and always perform in such a professional manner. We appreciate your smile!!! Kelly Beebe- Thank you for being AMAZING!!!! ~Paulette Martinez

COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT AND CHARITY The weekend of Oct. 20th-22nd Tera Davis and Janessa Goodson of the Walla Walla branch spent the weekend volunteering for the Realtors Annual Care and Share Food Drive. Friday night was spent hanging orange bags on every door in Walla Walla to collecting them all Sunday Morning. Rathdrum Idaho BranchTeresa Metz and the Post Falls Women in Busi- ness group volunteered today at the nonprofit newby-ginings fill the Helpers for Care & Share Food Drive truck event. Left to right: Bree (friend of the family) Carter, Colton and Sam—Tera Davis’s Children Meridian Main Branch and Nampa Branches participated in “Empty Bowls” program. Donating time and money for the Idaho Food Bank. Left to right: Stacy Irish, Evelyn Cox..way back there, AliceThomas, Sydney Alexander, Susan Holmes, Kody McClurg, Marilyn McClurg and Jaycee Crow. Laura Alexander and Ang. B. not shown.

COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT AND CHARITY Georgea and Mike Lipinski making the most of a tailgate party on a beautiful day at The College of Idaho—Yotes Football Game in Caldwell, ID. Honoring Retired & Senior Volun- teers partially funded by Academy Mortgage Rathdrum, Idaho Branch. GO RATHDRUM! Great job this month. Meridian, ID Evelyn Cox put together some support for Boy Scout Troop 92’s Potato Fundraiser. Ev raised $320 for a donation. Thank you to all those that donated to the cause!

MEET OUR NEW EMPLOYEES FOR OCTOBER Dan Ohlman - Loan Officer with the Coeur D’ Alene office. Start date 10/31. I have been an active Realtor/Managing Broker/ Designated Broker for the last 4 years managing over 170 Realtors and have connected with both the public and the professionals for sometime. I found that I enjoy Janessa Goodson—Administrative Assistant working with the Realtor community more than I enjoy with the Walla Walla team. Start Date 10/10. working with buyers and sellers. Over the years I heard that Lenders fail to call people back and I like to call Janessa was a banker at Chase for the last two years, people back and enjoy being a part of their success she has two boys, ages 6 & 10 and has been married to and… solving problems. We all know that problem solv- her high school sweetheart for over 11 years. Janessa ing is a big part of the puzzle when it comes to Real Es- enjoys camping and spending time with her boys at tate and People. I grew up in Hawaii, attended Seattle their sporting events. Pacific University and studied Business and Marketing and was a cheerleader and Mascot, I have 2 great daughters and I snowboard and deep sea fish when ever I can.

OCTOBER NUMBERS TOP FIVE BRANCHES IN THE NORTHWEST REGION LEGACY MERIDIAN 12,522,464 MERIDIAN 12,056,084 MERIDIAN — OVERLAND 8,575,659 NAMPA 12TH AVENUE 4,219,281 NAMPA 4,096,372 TOP TEN IN VOLUME TOP TEN IN PURCHASE VOLUME Jason Oswald 10,056,616 Jason Oswald 9,074,904 Leon Baker 3,356,361 Leon McKean 2,955,139 Leon McKean 3,284,139 Whittney Curran 2,357,321 Mike Lipinski 2,914,010 Tera Davis 2,161,550 Whittney Curran 2,743,768 Jennifer Bender 1,870,185 Tera Davis 2,353,550 Mike Lipinski 1,845,559 Vicki Leavitt 2,335,593 David Perry 1,824,898 Jennifer Bender 2.287,185 Ryan Shelby 1,818,743 John Spiker 2,273,740 David Moberly 1,778,830 Scott Petersen 2,260,481 Robert Beisly 1,644,068 “Success usually comes o those who are too busy to be looking for it” ~Henry David Thoreau “Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better” ~ Jim Rohn

NORTHWEST LOAN OFFICERS 20. Cheryl Lipp $1,061,237 1. Jason Oswald $10,056,616 21. Carolyn Summerton $862,920 2. Leon Baker $3,356,361 22. Kristi Lacroix $790,028 3. Leon McKean $3,284,139 23. Craig Soelberg $770,930 4. Whittney Curran $2,743,768 24. Mike Lipinski $767,121 5. Tera Davis $2,353,550 25. Alice Thomas $704,362 6. Vicki Leavitt $2,335,593 26. Maureen Miller $656,000 7. Jennifer Bender $2,287,185 27. Heidi Bateman $584,235 8. John Spiker $2,273,740 28. Craig Ballhagen $545,320 9. Scott Petersen $2,260,481 29. Dean Gillmore $500,964 10. Ryan Shelby $2,151,443 30. Tina Ellis $478,000 11. Georgea Lipinski $2,146,889 31. Anissa Franklin $396,398 12. David Perry $2,139,148 32. Sydney Warner $361,658 13. David Moberly $2,138,830 33. Lynn Hergenreder $334,203 14. Robert Beisly $2,045,868 34. Adam Zachary $326,700 15. Dalton Clark $1,899,621 35. Kelly Beebe $206,138 16. Lance Sweet $1,840,000 36. Anne Erickson $188,030 17. Susie Manweller $1,563,508 37. Steve Linnenkamp $159,000 18. Teresa Metz $1,386,968 38. Nichole Thueson $4,000 19. Terry Anderson $1,130,637 Total $59,091,589

MOVING MILLENNIALS OFF THE WALL According to Realtor.com, 52 percent of mortgage borrowers in 2017 will be first-time homebuyers, and 61 per- cent of those will be under the age of 35. This is exciting news about millennial homebuyers­­ — who have been delaying purchasing — which will provide great opportunities for those originators who can understand and reach this expanding market. The first step to reaching the millennial market is to understand the challenges, questions and needs that have kept them standing on the sidelines. Only then can you design an action plan to help educate them and move them off that wall. A JD Powers Mortgage Satisfaction Survey revealed that millennials seek guidance. In fact, 37 percent of millen- nial borrowers indicated the origination process was not completely explained to them, and 58 percent indicat- ed their options, terms and fees were not completely explained. Providing videos, information, how-to guides and online education can help provide millennials the guidance they seek. According to the National Association of Realtors, 94 percent of millennial homebuyers start their home search online. So, why not provide education online on how to qualify, save, plan and go through the homebuying pro- cess? This information will help millennials conduct their research, and can place your branding and marketing in front of potential clients who are actively searching to purchase a home. Begin by determining your message. Millennials want information and education. Consider what you know that will help them through the process. You can use education to market your expertise as well as educate borrow- ers throughout the process. It is best to divide your plan into segments that include establishing yourself as an expert and providing answers to questions, explaining the process and sharing stories. SHOW YOUR EXPERTISE Millennials are searching for information, so why not position yourself as an expert? You can provide education on loan programs, downpayment assistance plans, saving for a first home, finding the best Realtor, mortgage insurance, home insurance, appraisals and more. The topics are endless. Establishing yourself as an expert is one of the most effective ways to utilize education and build your brand. To broadcast your expertise, consider including videos, blog posts, articles, podcasts, radio shows, webinars and online courses within your expertise as part of your lending plan. Once you establish your expertise, why not include Q&A webinar segments on your blog or website as a way to answer questions posed by millennials? You can even partner with local real estate agents to hold online Q&A forums. Set it up as a webinar where you interview agents who can invite potential homebuyers, who are al- lowed to ask questions upon registration. “ You can use education to market your expertise as well as educate borrowers throughout the process. ” Page 1 of 3

You can start a Q&A segment with as few as five to seven questions and build from there. Make your blog searchable with key words and include a recording of your webinars. You can build on your Q&As by holding a monthly webinar and inviting real estate agents to invite their guests as well. Millennials want answers, so provide them a means to ask questions, and then utilize the opportunity to establish yourself as the expert and build your business. EXPLAIN THE PROCESS Mortgage processing is where most millennials get lost and an area that few originators focus on. Think about it: When you meet a borrower to take an application, you go through a laundry list of infor- mation. You may shoot them an e-mail afterward that explains some of the process, but that can get lost in translation. The best way to explain the process is by creating a series of how-to videos that provide step-by-step instructions borrowers can review. Go through the timelines; documents they will need; how to submit information; what happens in underwriting; and information to help them understand disclosures, mort- gage insurance, downpayments and debt-to-income calculations. Just like establishing yourself as an expert, explaining the lending process has limitless topics. Keep your information flowing in a way that makes sense, however, and deliver it in a way borrowers can ac- cess on their own time. You can deliver videos in an online university or blog, for example, organized chronologically from application to closing. SHARE STORIES Millennials want stories about others who have been able to save to buy a home. They want to hear about homes in their neighborhoods. This is the last piece of your millennial education plan. To build a collection of stories, always ask your clients for testimonials and successes. See if your new homebuyers will let you join them as they cross the door into their first home, then record the event for them. Create a cool emotional video set to music and call it your “Coming Home” series. Be sure to have your clients release the video to you and allow you to post it on your website, social media channels and YouTube. Add a header, and your branding and contact information, in the footer of the video. The great thing about video is that it gets watched and shared. Be sure to share the video with your new homeowners and watch how often the video is shared. Now that you have a plan, let’s look at some technology tools you can use to create that millennial homebuying education program. VIDEO IS KING If you are not using video content you won’t reach the millennial market. According to online marketing site WordStream, marketers who use video grow revenue 49 percent faster than nonvideo users, and social video generates 1,200 percent more shares than text and images combined. There are several options for shooting good video today, including digital cameras, mobile phones, tab- lets and even computers. When shooting, be aware of noise that may decrease your audio quality, and keep your background uncluttered and relevant. You may even want to purchase a green screen or white screen to provide a clean slate for including your logo and call-outs. Page 2 of 3

“ If you want to truly position yourself as an expert … you must create an online knowledge center. ” Once you shoot some footage, you will need video-editing software to put it all together. Camtasia is easy to use, rea- sonably priced and includes easy-to-follow instructions. Adobe Premier offers more editing capabilities, but has a longer learning curve and options you may not need. You can get audio music to add to your videos at sites like Audi- oBlocks, as well as stock photos at iStock, Getty Images, etc. Keep your videos about three to five minutes long, and add an introductory header and ending. Don’t go for a long intro. Keep it short and sweet, and get to your content in order to hold your audience’s attention. DELIVERY METHODS Once you have your content, you need to get eyes on it. YouTube, webinars and knowledge centers are all excellent delivery methods. Use YouTube for all of your “Establishing Yourself as the Expert” and “Sharing Stories” videos. Basically, use YouTube for any videos you want found by potential clients. Your YouTube plan should be for your business-building activity and social media strategy. Begin by creating a YouTube page and categories where you will post your videos. Get on a regular schedule for post- ing every week. You can embed your videos onto your blog if you have one and, of course, include them in your social media strategy. You can increase your search ranking on YouTube by adding closed captioning to your videos. YouTube is focusing on this area, so when you add this free option to your videos, you can increase your likelihood of showing up in a search. There are several webinar-hosting sites. The best-known may be GoToWebinar, but consider using some newer tech- nologies like WebinarJam, Zoom and Tovuti. WebinarJam offers software where you simply upload a recorded video and it becomes an automated webinar. This is cool technology but it needs someone who knows how to save an MP4 file onto Amazon Drive and embed HTML code. If you want to truly position yourself as the expert and build your business in the millennial market, however, you must create an online knowledge center. Millennials like learning and they have probably completed a course or two online, so offering them a place where they go to find information on loan programs, processes and more will show- case you as the true expert. There are many options out there for creating your own knowledge center, including LearnDash, which is a WordPress plug-in; Kajabi, which is an online course-management system; and Tovuti, which offers a complete social-learning platform to truly build an online presence and house all of your training. • • • Creating education for millennials does not have to be complicated. Those originators who embrace using education as a part of their marketing and branding plan will see results in a relatively short period of time. It’s worth an invest- ment of your time to create your plan and help educate the millennial market on the benefits of homeownership. Page 3 of 3