Wholesale Rates
What if a consumer could log on to an agent’s website, enter their anonymous financial credit and property information and instantly obtain their wholesale direct interest rates?
Hidden Lender Commissions
What if in the same process of obtaining that wholesale interest rate, the buyer also learned about the incentive lenders have to charge them a higher interest rate?
What the Lender Makes on the Backend
What if immediately beside the interest rate, the buyer learned the reality of what the lender will make on the backend of the loan?
True Costs of the Loan
What if your buyer knew exactly the true cost to close their loan in an easy to understand flat fee, and knew the lender had done all they could to absolutely squash those costs?
The Type of Loan That is Best for Them and Why?
What if the details were presented to the buyer in black and white for them to understand and select which loan was best for them, rather than best for their lender?
Crazy? No. It’s here and it’s Right Now
What I’m talking about is Rate Speed, by Jeff Corbett, the XBroker. Many of you know Jeff and his passion for transparency in lending. Jeff has committed not only his business, but his life to shining light on the mortgage industry and exposing consumers to the truth.
I’m Absolutely Convinced
I’ve spent hours on the phone with Jeff and working with Rate Speed personally, and I am absolutely convinced that this product will change lending forever. Any agent that professes to have their buyers’ best interests at heart owes their client this option when beginning the buying process.
I do not say this lightly because if your buyers are asking for your advice, and there is a product that you can point to that based on their most accurate information they convey, will provide them with the accurate wholesale rate- your ethics say you must point them to Rate Speed.
Why? (if your ethics aren’t enough…)
Because in doing this, you’re arming them for their meeting with their lenders, and we’re not talking about saving pennies here- we’re talking about thousands of dollars over the life of the loan in rates, closing costs, fees, commissions- seriously, this is no joke!
Yes, it’s in Beta
But don’t let the Beta deter you. The information is absolutely accurate and untainted, and it works by your Preferred Lender signing up with Rate Speed. Your Lender then supplies you with a site widget that installs into your own website. Your client simply hops on and enters a series of data points (the more accurate the better) and Rate Speed presents them with everything I’ve mentioned here and more. The buyer will also understand by changing the data points why their rate might increase or decrease. For example, if a buyer adjusts his FICO ‘downward’, obviously their risk increases and the cost of the loan changes. It cannot be manipulated; it’s absolutely transparent and based on their personal (yet anonymous) financial, property and credit information. The buyer can then email themselves their rates and loans with the data points they’ve entered and know that the Preferred Lender providing your widget credits them all money available on the backside of the loan, insures the lowest possible rate, and has no incentive to do otherwise.
What’s Next for Rate Speed?
In the coming weeks, users will soon see a fantastic 2.0 interface that guides the buyer through the process to ensure they absolutely understand what they’re reading and why.
Lenders are already entering into beta testing, including national lenders, and are aggressively seeking to improve the success of Rate Speed for your buyers.
Agent input is also important as Jeff Corbett, CEO of Rate Speed believes that the power of this product is and will be fueled by Agents’ passions for their clients.
Want to Get Involved?
Talk to your lender about joining in and beta testing Rate Speed with you. There are only five beta licenses available exclusively for Agent Genius readers. Get the widget, and put it on your site- why? Because the conversion from lead to active client is 70+%! What does that mean to you? SALES! What does that mean to your Lender? LOANS! What does that mean to your buyer? Absolute faith in you, your motives, your ethics, and your passion for their best interest… because YOU made this happen.
How Else Can You Get Involved?
- First off, by commenting here your feedback and suggestions after trying the product. Jeff is also inviting lenders and agents to email info[@]ratespeed.com if you as a lender are interested in learning more about Rate Speed.
- Also, I’ll be placing a banner on our sidebar for you to steal and place on your blog or website to call more attention and action to this kick ass new consumer product.
- Blog about Rate Speed!
- Most importantly- tell every lender you know that lending as they know it has changed and this is a train they’ll absolutely need to catch.
Will your Lender Freak Out?
Probably! But I assure you, after about five minutes on the phone with Jeff and his team, your Lender will thank you for showing them Rate Speed.
How Serious Am I?
I am so passionate about Rate Speed that I am and will be doing everything in my power to get the word out. I’m even asking the same of you. Go to Rate Speed, try it out on your most recent transaction (remember, the user interface is raw and will improve in the coming weeks) and learn what your lender is really pulling down on the loan and tell me that you don’t have serious questions for the lender. Better yet, present these new facts you’ve learned to your buyers and ask them if they knew- I bet they had no idea, and that is the power of Rate Speed.
One Last Reason (as if you really needed one to check it out)
Consumers need this. Let’s make it happen.
I want one of the licenses!!!!!!!
It owuld be great if agent/brokers could be able to have this widget on our blogs.
Hey Bob, hit Jeff up by emailing info at ratespeed dot com!
Matt, have your lender contact Rate Speed!
Thanks Benn that’s what I thought. Hopefully I can use this to try and push my lender into the web 2.0 world.
Wow Benn, if you put it that way I guess I will HAVE to go check out @JeffX’s product (I’ve been waiting for him to come up with something that would blow our hats off)
Oh my! Rate Speed is going to kick some serious ass.
Any idea if it applies in Canada???
Matt, talk about diving right in to the deep end!!!
Ines, this is major. Really major. We probably need to get security detail for him at Inman…….
I’m curious to see what lenders will play ball. There is going to be some serious grinding.
This is like new car shopping now – all the info is out there.
Is there any way to get a quote without property information – like a prequal/preapproval? I would love to be able to offer that as well.
excuse my devilish nature here – but what’s in it for Jeff? OK he achieves transparency for the consumer, but how does this benefit him? I’m trying to understand the motive to be able to engulf myself in the concept (and this is with all due respect to jeffX who I know is a stand up guy)
@Ines Jeff makes no points on any transaction. He is simply selling licensing in the form of setup and monthly hosting. Honestly, it’s dirt cheap- I told him he should charge more, but he said no…
RateSpeed is awesome! I’ve already priced out a ton of scenarios over the last couple weeks and it’s so fascinating to see how rates change on a daily basis. You’re right, consumers do need this.
((((NOTE))))
This article has been dug, if you’re behind Rate Speed and what it represents, click the sharethis button and dig it!
OK – now it’s getting clear and it’s making sense – and with his SEO smarts and great connections, he will have a high ranking site in no time and well worth it for everyone involved…..very clever! win win for everyone
I’m getting tons of emails about not having a preferred lender in your market- Maybe Jeff can shed some light on the national Lenders cooperating, or those national lenders might make themselves known. We may be able to supply some local needs in the short term, but remember, the demand will be created by us and us alone- consumers really don’t know this exist yet in order to demand it…
Dig the story
Blog on your own blog
retwit the article
the badge will be up in 24 hours for you to steal for your own use
Thanks for the emails, keep them coming… benn[@]agentgenius.com or info[@]ratespeed.com
Well, I’m not quite at the point where I’m ready to be getting a mortgage, but this sounds pretty cool to me. Most of this stuff is Greek to me anyways, but fully disclosed Greek is better than hidden Greek. I think that if everyone puts their cards on the table, it can only be a good thing at the end of the day.
This is AWESOME!
@ Benn and Lani…thx for being such gracious hosts
@Larry: you are the 3rd person to ask about a Canadian version…we’re looking into it, but probably wont happen for at least a few months.
@Bob: Here’s a link to a list of lenders we can configure on behalf of the licensed mortgage professional: http://ratespeed.com/2008/06/1.....er-stable/
RateSpeed is a licenseable piece of software (an embeddable script actually) that aggregates a broker/bankers wholesale lender raw rate and pricing feeds…it redisplays the proper results based on proper input…very similar to a conventional search engine, just dialed into the very tight niche of mortgage rates and their risk based pricing variables.
It’s important to understand that RateSpeed runs on a mortgage professionals (broker or banker) website, although there is a current rendition running at ratespeed.com, once we come out of beta we’ll shut this live version down and push all traffic to the mortgage pro licensing their personally branded version of RateSpeed with their lenders configured into the application…
So, what you get are real wholesale rates in real time with a qualified mortgage professional ready and waiting to further advise and close the transaction.
RateSpeed licensed mortgage professionals may also give their real estate agents a ‘copy’ of the application to run on their sites as well. (If you’re an agent, tell your mortgage pro you want one)
@Ines, yes there is something (very small:)) in it for me, we charge a one time set-up and a monthly hosting fee…and the only thing I really know about SEO is that if you write about something long enough, even Google will find you…and I do have great connections, I know you don’t I?
The set-up is waved for our beta testers and the 1st month of hosting is free.
@Holli Every piece of information RateSpeed asks for is vital to properly ‘pre-qualing’ a potential client. Factors like property type, use and location play a big part in what interest rates and at what price are available.
“THE” JeffX made me blush…..rare things my friends. I can’t wait to see how system pans out – nothing like empowering the consumer.
Whoops…Our core value proposition as a company:
We quite simply maintain the integrity and purity of information flow between the wholesale market to the consumers eyeballs, while keeping the qualified mortgage pro in the middle of the transaction.
We can safely guarantee the information is pure, untainted and uninflated because we are compensated to do just that…which is quite the opposite of how the industry has worked for eons.
A mortgage pro licensing RateSpeed isn’t just talking ‘it’ they’re walking ‘it’. Since they’re effectively taking their hands off the wheel and are allowing anyone unabated access to their products and pricing, they should be recognized, respected and rewarded as progressive pioneers in ethical lending.
full disclosure in lending? Amazing concept! You are absolutely right, this could completely change the way lenders do business. Consumers should have the full picture so they can make informed choices. I can’t wait to learn more.
Benn – Thanks for sharing.
JeffX – Thanks for doing.
I am talking to my lenders and sending them a link to the site. I hope one will get on board. Oh yeah, the consumer needs to know – can’t wait to see this in action! I will blog it
5+9 is to make sure I’m human? humm…
this is what Pat Kitano has been talking about….how do I show it to some lenders..
how can they get it? how can we get it?
I’m in! Already submitted info for my lender to get on board with this. This tool is just what we need in these times of uncertainty in the mortgage industry.
Interesting. Think my lender will like this a lot as he without fail has better pricing then the competition. Will be forwarding the the link to him.
Love the system, Love the back end, Love everything about the system.
If you are a Mortgage Broker and don’t contact Jeff – you are making a mistake!
Thanks for the info Benn. We can always count on you to have the latest and greatest info!
Thanks for clarifying this Jeff. I have moved away from “preferred lenders” as the mortgage meltdown has progressed and wholesale options for my brokers have diminished.
If I ask a WF rep for this, he isn’t likely to show the competition’s rates. It would be great if i could just display the rates of 10 lenders and allow my users to go to battle well armed. Similar to the sites that give you all the new car info that discloses the dealer’s costs, rebates, marketing dollars, etc.
WOW – this is truly a great idea. Too bad it is not available to individual agents. Would sure cut down on issues of real estate agents pushing certain mortgage brokers.
Wow, if only we could open the MLS like this…
I love the concept. This is absolutely the direction lending needs to go. I applaud @Jeffx for a great idea.
Great find Benn…
I will be looking into this big time…so far, this is the first post in a while where i have yet to see many (read: any) red flags…wow.
JeffX- I don’t think I know you, but you have created an intriguing product! Kudos.
Best;
Eric
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