Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Wolf.
Hi Zach, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Funny story. So, it was the summer before my senior year at LSU, and I took an “internship” cold calling real estate agent all summer for another loan officer/branch manager. I would go into the morning meetings with the team and hear things like “clear to close,” “need these conditions,” and did not have any idea what it meant. Would leave that meeting and make calls all day (a lot of nos, hang-ups, and don’t call me again) but I learned a lot about talking people, how to take a “no”, and persistence. At the end of the summer the branch manager told me I had a job if I wanted to come back after my senior year, and I thought, “Why would I want to do that?!” lol
I graduate LSU the next year and actually took a job doing sales in the oil industry. I did that for a year and hated it. Learned a lot but hated it.
Next, I joined a buddy of mine who started a clothing company that was gaining a lot of popularity.
I was one of two people who basically traveled to college campuses throughout the country to get our brand licensed by universities. It was a great gig, I got to see a lot of cool places, but in the end, I knew it wasn’t a long-term thing for me. So, after about a year, I was onto the next thing, which would end up being my career.
I called the branch manager that I previously cold-called for and asked to get lunch so that he could explain to me what this whole “loan officer thing” was about. How he explained it really intrigued me; the ability to have freedom in the workplace, help people achieve their dreams of owning a home, and being able to build your own business had me hooked. That was back in 2016, and that’s when I decided to jump into this journey.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is maybe the last word I would think of to describe the journey haha, and maybe the industry in general.
It’s always a struggle when you start out in our industry, and that’s from the realtor side and the loan officer side, I think. You start from scratch, are not making or guaranteed a lot if any, money, yet there is a weird attraction to try and succeed.
When I first started in 2016, it was long long days. I would get in around 7:30 AM or so and would be at the office until about 7:30 PM or so. I would stay late just to hear the verbiage other loan officers/branch managers would use in their client meetings so that I could pick things up quicker (hopefully) and be better educated for my clients.
It all came full circle because, again, I was COLD CALLING ALL DAY (this time for myself, a brand-new loan officer, sounds easy to pitch, right?) haha so it was back to a lot of nos, don’t call me again, and meetings that were agreed upon but never came to fruition. But persistence prevailed, and I was lucky to meet with some great realtors that I still work with to this day.
Another speed bump, Hurricane Harvey happened pretty early on in my career, so that threw a big question into what was going to happen for a few months. While the whole city was coming together, rebuilding, and just trying to get back to normal, I think everyone is real estate was nervous during that time period and wondered when our industry would start to normalize.
Every year things happen that affect our business, whether it is good or bad. I just have to remember that some months will be great, other months not so great. But you take it month by month, and just continue to work hard.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business partner and opened the first branch of Revolution Mortgage in Houston back in November of 2020. We have an amazing team behind us, which allows us to give our clients and referral partners an amazing experience.
I have been very fortunate throughout my career by having the opportunity to help all kinds of clients get into homes, ranging from first-time home buyers to clients buying their retirement home. Whether it’s a client’s first home or last, I pride myself on educating my clients, taking the time to walk them through all the numbers so they know what to expect when that perfect house pops up and they know what they are paying for. It’s amazing to me how many times I get a client and they say “The last time I did this we did not even know what we were paying for!”. My goal is to build trust and a friendship so these clients become lifelong friends.
With the amazing team we have at our branch and our amazing team within Revolutions organization, we have the ability to do very fast closings if needed, which in some cases gives our clients an advantage in a multiple offer situation. And when I say fast, I mean fast. I have gotten clients clear to close before we even hit the 8-day mark.
One last thing I always take advantage of is our buyer-ready program, which allows us to put clients into underwriting before they go under contract. So, if someone has funky income, or anything unique with their situation, we can make sure we have everything squared away and no surprises will pop up. It also helps when clients put an offer in and I can call the listing agent to let them know the client has already been approved by an underwriter.
And lastly, I have been producing for a while now and have been lucky enough to deal with a lot of clients. So, I have seen a lot of different scenarios pop up and have had to figure out a lot of problems. In our industry, something new always comes up, and we are always learning. But at our branch we truly are problem solvers. So, when someone calls saying they were denied by another lender, we figure out a way to make it happen if possible.
When you combine everything above at our branch and our company, I truly believe we are one of the top mortgage teams to work with out there.
What matters most to you?
Three things:
Education – There are so many times clients just do not know what they are paying for or doing, especially when it’s their first home. I want to make sure my clients are well educated and informed throughout the process, so when we get to closing there are no surprises and just smiles for the new homeowners.
Getting people into a home. – I can’t tell you how good it feels when you get someone into their new home and you just see that excitement on their face at the closing table. They are starting a life here, whether it’s with a family, just themselves, with partner, this is new chapter in their life that we got to help them with. It’s the best feeling knowing that we get to help people achieve their dreams.
Relationships – I am beyond lucky to work with the referral partners that I get to work with. Being an extension on their reputation and them trusting me with their clients is something that truly means the world to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.revolutionmortgage.com/loan-officer/1515123
- Instagram: zachwolf_htx
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ZLoanWolf
