This week’s HW+ member spotlight features Jeremy Potter, chief evangelist at Stavvy, a 2022 Tech100 Mortgage winner. Potter was recently promoted after serving as head of legal and capital markets and is a thought leader in the industry, regularly sharing his insights on how the industry can move forward through the power of innovation. He has also held leadership roles at Quicken Loans, now Rocket Mortgage, and Normcom Mortgage.
Below, Potter answers questions about the housing industry:
HousingWire: What is your current favorite HW+ article and why?
Jeremy Potter: My favorite HW+ article is Bill Conroy’s The crypto mortgage is the new kid on the block because it helped me frame up many of the emerging tech plays in the industry.
HousingWire: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Jeremy Potter: “Make sure everyone is included” was my mother’s advice when I was still in elementary school. I continue to refer to this as the best piece of advice I have ever received because it reflects two key values.
First, and most importantly, she was adamant that I was thoughtful and intentional to include everyone in games, activities or invitations. Her advice helped me broaden my awareness to look out for opportunities to bring people together and that trait remains one of the aspects of my success today.
Second, I am reminded daily how important it is to ensure responsible innovation. Making sure everyone is included spans from our diversity, equity & inclusion commitments to our product development where we create greater opportunities for our clients.
HousingWire: If you could have picked another career what would it have been?
Jeremy Potter: If I had picked a different career path, I would likely have become a college professor. I applied for several Ph.D. programs after undergrad and thought I would study the American Presidency.
My senior thesis was on a framework of measuring Presidential decision-making in a second term when reelection was not an option. One reminder from that paper that I use today is that the best leaders invite rigorous debate and embrace those who challenge an idea or policy to make it better.
HousingWire: What are 2-3 trends that you’re closely following?
Jeremy Potter: Here are the trends that I am closely following:
- iBuyer and Rent-to-own platforms for first-time homebuyers
- Blockchain and tokenization technology for smart contracts and fractionalized ownership
- Dad jokes on Instagram reels
HousingWire: If you could change or implement one piece of housing regulation, what would it be and why?
Jeremy Potter: The SECURE Act allows for fully digital mortgage closings that would unlock greater adoption of eClosing and RON. While this is integral to what we are building at Stavvy, I truly believe faster adoption will also generate the type of cost savings and incentives for investors that actually pass through lower cost mortgage options to consumers.
Yes, it’s about increasing digital assets to move us toward a more efficient, liquid secondary market, but the real win is when the savings associated with trusted, immutable loan closing & delivery benefit new loan programs for existing and potential homeowners.
HousingWire: What’s one thing that people aren’t paying attention to that you think they should be paying attention to?
Jeremy Potter: Greater investment and incentives for factory-built housing. “Jobs that create houses.” Factory-built and modular housing is more innovative and scalable than many people realize. It’s also more modern and appealing to first-time home buyers.
We’ve all heard stories about 3-D printing but many modular builders are proving more tangible results are possible in this space. Across many markets, especially where I live in Detroit, there is a need for both employment and more affordable housing.
I don’t mean affordable housing in the HUD definition, though I know that’s needed too. I mean, a house that working Americans can afford in their community. We need more supply solutions that make it easier to create, build and finance mid-market housing that directly addresses historic racial and economic inequality.
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