The mortgage industry is often seen as being all about rates and transactions, but Tom Ahles, Managing Partner and President of Growth at the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), learned early on that real success comes from building genuine human connections.
Mortgage brokers support homebuyers through a major life milestone. A mortgage is often the largest investment a person will ever make—and it’s more than just a financial decision. Buying a home can provide security, community ties, a sense of belonging, and a step toward building generational wealth.
For those reasons, mortgage brokers who build genuine connections with borrowers often find success in the industry.
We sat down with Tom on the Newrez Voices video series to find out how his work philosophy became so important to him. He shared valuable insights about how he has created a highly successful firm.
From Hospitality to Mortgages: Tom’s Early Career
Tom started his early career in hospitality and nightclub management, worlds away from the mortgage industry. Once he decided to transition into mortgage, though, Tom was able to transfer his skills in communication and collaboration into his work —as well as his desire to help people.
After working at various brokerages and banks, he found a niche in the referral-based business. Tom and business partners opened Edge Home Finance in 2011, building their firm on the principles of transparency, competitiveness and collaboration.
The partners achieved impressive organic growth through referrals from clients and loan officers. They’ve grown to 1,200+ originators and average 18,000 transactions per year.
Edge is one of the few top brokers that operates as a true brokerage, rather than a delegated taskforce of mortgage advisors. They partner with Newrez and work closely with account executives to serve their growing list of customers.
Tom attributes their growth and success partly to his philosophy of treating loan officers as managers of their own client list. There are no harsh or unrealistic targets or set expectations on how to manage clients because he recognizes that everyone works differently.
His approach is very hands-on, and he works side-by-side with referral partners on client accounts while offering support and coaching.
A Pivotal Moment in Tom’s Career
When struggling with cases earlier in his career, he received an impactful lesson from a mentor. A manager he worked with came into his cubicle and handed him a mirror. The manager said that Tom was the only one responsible for any obstacles he experienced, and only Tom could solve the problems in front of him. At the end of the day, Tom was the one who got to decide how he defined success and how much success he achieved.
After that lesson sunk in, Tom began to think about his own responsibility and energy when handling client cases. He re-examined his own approach to communicating with clients and thought long and hard about how he could win people’s trust.
Why Newrez?
Tom’s success with Edge meant he could partner with any number of wholesale lenders in the space. But teaming up with Newrez became the start of a special, strong partnership.
Working closely with Wholesale Account Executive Megan Dahl over the past ten years, Tom found that Newrez’s team shares the same values of collaboration and care that have led Edge to success.
Megan’s work with Tom’s loan officers has always been about honesty, transparency and hard work above all. She works closely with them to do whatever it takes to keep Edge’s customers supported and happy—and that doesn’t always mean saying yes to a loan. She’s open about saying no when something isn’t going to work.
One thing that stands out for Tom is that Newrez’s approach puts an emphasis on culture and communication.
The commitment to collaboration and human connection that Edge and Newrez adhere to helps them to stand out in the mortgage industry.
For Tom, it’s the communication from start to finish that counts the most—how people feel about the experience, whether they feel supported and are receiving good, accurate advice.
”At the end of the day, for an originator or loan consultant, I need to give an experience that's a referable experience.”
The Traits of Top-Performing Loan Officers
What makes an elite loan officer? Tom identifies some common traits:
1. It’s Not About the Money
Those who work best as loan officers do it for more than just the financial reward. He likes to partner with loan officers who have a calling to serve and a genuine need to help buyers achieve their dreams.
2. They’re Consistently Engaging with Their Customers and Network
The best loan officers are always on the phones – not for sales pitching and cold calling but spending time building real relationships with homebuyers and supporting them throughout their journeys.
Buyers want to know that someone on the other end of the phone cares and is going above and beyond what a regular loan officer would do.
3. They Leverage Social Media with Storytelling
Social media can be a powerful marketing tool for reaching clients. Great loan officers don’t use it for sales pitches or announcements of the changing rates. They use it to tell a story—for example, writing a post about how they helped a single mother of three achieve homeownership where they might normally struggle.
The idea is that a potential buyer will see that story, resonate with it, and put their trust in a loan officer who’s demonstrated that desire and ability to help someone in their shoes.
4. They’re Excited to Help
It’s not just another job for the best loan officers. They come to work with motivation and eagerness to help. While being a loan officer isn’t always easy, great loan officers are committed to solving problems and finding the best deals for customers.
This excitement is what keeps Tom going in his career, even when there are challenges in individual cases or the market as a whole. He knows that people are depending on him for a hugely important part of their lives. And his motivation is driven by their trust in him.
“That person's depending on you. And for me personally, that's a privilege. It's an honor to me that someone is depending on me and I don't want to let them down.”
The Power of Community in the Mortgage Industry
Tom was first drawn to AIME because of its value of collaboration and community among brokers. AIME has a thriving community featuring 15,000 members who are involved in daily advice sharing and problem-solving.
The traditional business mindset of keeping strategies for success secret is not a thing at AIME. Instead, there’s an abundance mindset.
“I really like AIME because it's more of a community. It's not an event that we see each other once or twice a year. We have a community of brokers that really team together. And it's rare to see companies coming to get together to say, how can we serve consumers better? How can we work together to alleviate some of the issues we're having?”
The Current State and Future of Wholesale Lending
The world of wholesale lending has changed a lot over the past few years for a number of reasons. After the difficulties of the 2008 crisis, COVID, and the rapid expansion of technology in the field, lending has become faster, easier, and cheaper.
The advantage for brokers is that ability to offer pricing flexibility and multiple options that are better suited to the individual circumstances of borrowers.
“That’s really the fundamentals of why people become a broker: optionality and pricing flexibility. Two things that I think are going to always be at the forefront of someone trying to build those relationships. They need those things in order to survive and thrive in today's market.”
AI is currently making an impact on mortgage industry technology. While he doesn’t describe himself as an AI pro, Tom’s using it in some interesting ways to improve efficiency.
Tom uses AI to summarize condition sheets in language that’s more easily understood by borrowers. He also uses it for talent identification internally to zero in on those who would benefit from more attention and training.
While AI has the potential to change a lot within the mortgage industry, Tom’s thinking is that it’ll never 100% replace the need for brokers. People still want that human connection and care when applying for mortgages.
Collaboration, Communication and Understanding Are at the Heart of Brokering
Whether we’re talking about the effects of the market, AI, or collaborating with lenders to find the best options for clients, it all comes back to human connection.
It’s a philosophy that’s served Tom well and has been fundamental to Edge’s success. We’re glad to have Tom, Edge, and AIME as key partners of Newrez to help us serve clients in the best way possible.
To hear more from Tom, watch the full episode today.
Newrez LLC and any previously mentioned companies are not affiliated.