HW Media CEO Clayton Collins recently spoke with Ernie Graham, CEO and Co-founder at Homebot, to dive into what it really means for mortgage professionals to create clients for life, and how Homebot is doing that through the entire home-buying process, starting with home search.
“It means keeping the loan officer connected with their past clients after the transaction,” Graham said. “And specifically, we do that by helping the lender provide content to those clients, content that has intrinsic value. So we’re tracking home value, loans, equity, and then we’re helping the consumer understand all of their financial optionality with their home.”
For the consumer, this means being kept aware of the best time to sell, rent, remodel or refinance. Graham said Homebot is able to provide this information in real-time.
“We have over 7 million people that are connected to over 10,000 loan officers with this tool, and they truly are becoming clients for life,” he said.
While consumers often look to homeownership as a means of building wealth, Graham explained that it doesn’t start at the purchase of a home. In light of this, Homebot is extending its insights to where it all begins: The home search.
“We are launching Homebot Home Search, a completely new home search experience that lenders can give their past clients. They can even put it on their website as a portal.”
Graham describes the feature as “home search with a twist.” That twist, he explained, is providing financial insights for every listing potential home buyers look at, with the goal of helping them understand the affordability and investment value. And this isn’t the only new thing coming out of Homebot. The company has also built a plugin for the Chrome browser. It’s called Homebot for Chrome, and it even works on Zillow.
“All of those financial insights that we are building into Homebot Home Search now go with the client when they go to Zillow. So lenders now are effectively sitting in the backseat with their clients, even when they’re searching on Zillow,” Graham explained. “This is such a powerful way for them to stay connected.”
