The Newcomer’s Blueprint For Success

However, Zerwas insists that he follows a simple blueprint for success. He worked as a loan officer assistant (LOA) under a mentor for only a month, focusing mainly on learning the loan process. He then taught himself to use social media as a marketing and lead-generation tool. It also didn’t take long for Zerwas to find his own niche in doing VA loans, which allowed him to build a positive reputation among a community of borrowers. The rest happened naturally, with him setting up his own brand, Leverage Lending Team.

It may be hard for some originators to believe basic strategies, like using social media, will continue working in a tough market. But there’s no special product, technology, or lead generation tactic that propelled Zerwas to reach a higher volume. Nothing but a few skills in his arsenal and a simple blueprint that can help any originator’s business grow.

Fighting Behind The Scenes

Though it’s not the same kind of fighting Zerwas would see during his former career as a police officer, he can attest that a fair amount of fighting happens during the mortgage process before closing.

Admittedly, Zerwas was surprised to learn how intricate and complex the mortgage process was, as most borrowers would be if they stepped behind the curtain and onto the back stage. But Zerwas learned that keeping that curtain open is a huge part of the job to make the client believe that this process is going to be simple.

“I had no idea, before working in this job, how many times a transaction goes awry without the client knowing,” Zerwas said. “I think a lot of folks think that we get the application, we get a contract, we click a couple buttons, and onto the next one. And that’s not the case.”

After leaving his police career, Zerwas was recommended by an acquaintance to join Edge Home Finance. He soaked up as much knowledge as possible, starting out as a loan officer assistant to an originator who acted as his mentor and was provided additional resources for training by Edge.

If anyone were to follow Zerwas’s blueprint, they’d start by applying to companies that offer a strong training program and value new talent.

“I don’t think that I would’ve had this success without Edge’s support,” Zerwas said. “We have a culture here that I really enjoy that’s built on giver’s gain and helping each other out.”

Desire For Efficiency

Zerwas has excessive drive and determination. Ever since childhood, he dreamt of becoming a police officer. Unlike how many of those stories end, he eventually achieved a position in law enforcement in 2015 while serving in the Air National Guard between 2007 and 2019.

“I got three degrees, up to a master’s degree, all in public safety and law enforcement. I thought that that’s what was going to be my career,” Zerwas said.

It was for a while, but not one that would sustain his interest throughout most of his life, as he once thought.

In 2020, Zerwas was terminated from the Wyoming (Minnesota) Police Department for a policy violation, which he phrased as “a split-second decision.” Zerwas recounted the situation, saying that the suspect he just arrested had jerked away from him, leading him to believe the suspect was resisting or looking to fight. Zerwas quickly took him down.

“Knowing the end result, I would have done it differently,” Zerwas said. “I always prided myself on how I treated people.”

He went to work for a separate police department in 2021, but said he had already lost his passion for the field. He desired a career that would appreciate people who were innovative, independent, and willing to go the extra mile.

“Looking back, it seems to me like government work doesn’t really appreciate innovation or putting in that extra mile,” Zerwas said. “My supervisors were very appreciative of the work, but the entity as a whole just, you know, it didn’t seem like the hard work mattered.”

‘Bet On Myself’

Following his departure from law enforcement, Zerwas was somewhat lost professionally. He tried to apprentice as an electrician, but the physical aspect was too much for some pre-existing injuries. He also didn’t appreciate slower-paced work, which was his issue as an assistant superintendent for a country club.

“After experiencing everything and working for the government for so long, it just seemed like effort didn’t equal the result, and it was time to bet on myself,” Zerwas said.

Zerwas loves the rush of adrenaline in trying to get a deal closed.

“Because let’s face it, there’s gonna be stress involved no matter how easy the transaction is. I think I’m good at managing that stress by trying to anticipate pain points and eliminate them for the client,” Zerwas said.

Tom Ahles, chief growth officer for Edge Home Finance, interviewed Zerwas, along with hundreds of others for the job. Over the course of a year, Edge Home grew from a staff of roughly 450 employees to 1,100. Asked whether he could tell during an interview whether someone would excel at originating or not, he said there really isn’t a tell.

“We hired a lot of people, some of whom I thought would be great that weren’t, some whom I didn’t think would be outstanding that are outstanding,” Ahles said. “He just works hard. He’s smart, and he cares.”

Discovering A Niche

Seasoned originators often say it’s better to discover a niche organically than seek one out. Being a veteran of the Air National Guard naturally led Zerwas to working with veterans and honing in on VA loans.

When Zerwas went to purchase his first home using a VA loan, he remembers being shot down by two lenders before finding a third that was well-versed in that product and got him through to closing.

“When I decided to get into mortgage, I remembered that and thought to myself, ‘How many veterans are being told no, and [are] just giving up?’ ” Zerwas said.

One transaction in particular that Zerwas highlighted as his favorite was for a fellow veteran based in Minnesota. The borrower was meant to close on a house in two weeks before leaving for an overseas deployment. But the borrower’s original lender announced at the last minute that they were no longer lending in that state, leaving him and his family high and dry.

“There was a lot riding on that,” Zerwas said. “His wife and kids were going to be homeless. Plus, everything that could have gone wrong to make this work went wrong. But, you know, we really grouped together, and we got it done.”

Following that, Zerwas began developing a reputation for working with veterans.

“I had a client — I think it was in October we closed — and that listing agent specifically said that they selected our offer because my name was on the paper,” Zerwas said. “They know that if my name’s on the paper, it’s gonna close.”

Besides sharing military experience with his borrowers, his skills are especially appreciated within that community. Because some VA borrowers may be deploying soon or are currently deployed, they’re not always accessible. Zerwas believes that’s why veterans appreciate speed, efficiency, and having an originator who is competent enough to trust.

Differentiate

Creating an independent brand is seen more as an option for overachievers than a necessity, except in Zerwas’s case. For him, it was to avoid confusion with another mortgage originator who had the same first, middle, and last name, lived just a half hour away, and worked for Guaranteed Rate.

“If anyone tries to Google me to use my services, you know, he’s been doing this for like 10 years, so he’s gonna get my leads. So I figured if I branded myself this way, people would be able to find me more directly,” Zerwas said.

It’s a bizarre coincidence and likely the most unique reason for starting one’s own brand, but it forced Zerwas to take that extra step, thereby separating himself from not only his doppelganger but from every other originator in his area. And like his approach to social media, his vision for the brand, Leverage Lending Team, was plain and simple.

The website is neatly formatted and easy to navigate with his picture, name, NMLS number, and contact information all laid out on the homepage as the first thing people see when they click on his site.

His best assets and his niche for VA loans are both highlighted on his site as well. On the homepage of his website is a quote from a customer’s five-star review saying, “Great Mortgage broker! Has a large presence with VA buyers,” while another emphasizes his best skills, saying he is “very informative” and “makes the mortgage process seamless.”

“I just knew vision-wise I wanted to convey to people that I am here to be a resource and be helpful. And anything that comes from that is great,” Zerwas said.

His message is pretty cut and dry, much like how borrowers want their mortgage process to be.

As for his advice to other originators just entering the industry: “Before you look for training and before you look for mentorships, look within. No one can teach drive, no one can teach curiosity. Those things are very important — those are the folks who are gonna be successful.”

Formula For Success

Other than his determined attitude, Zerwas’s steps in learning and developing his skills can also be used as a basic formula for anyone starting out as an originator.

Regarding what originators need to learn first, Zerwas said it depends on the person and what skills they already have in their arsenal. By figuring out which skills you are already proficient at or have an instinct for, you will not have to waste money or time on taking classes dedicated to those topics.

For Zerwas, that skill was using social media to generate leads and promote his business. Since he was already active on Facebook before becoming an originator, he felt comfortable enough to figure out how to use it for his business, which ended up saving him money otherwise spent on social media mastery classes.

“People call and ask how are you doing this business? And I tell them to add me on Facebook and watch what I post because that’s all I do,” Zerwas said. “I add Realtors on Facebook and I post content.”

His Facebook account has 4,300 followers, which he said is enough to get him all the referral connections and clients he has today. Although people often don’t believe him and will accuse him of buying leads, Zerwas firmly stands by the fact he does not make cold calls and rarely sends out cold messages.

“Obviously, I post a good amount of educational content on mortgages, but I don’t post only mortgage-related stuff on my socials. I talk more about my family,” Zerwas said. “I think a lot of people overthink social media, and they try to make the perfect post, graphic, or video. Just make the post. It’s not gonna be perfect.”

As for what training he did need, Zerwas said the most helpful course for new originators to take is on the complete loan process, where he was able to learn the minutiae of structuring a loan. He said that being an expert in how the loan process and products work — which are the basics every originator should know — is what allowed Zerwas to sound competent and therefore trustworthy to clients and referral partners.

“If you don’t structure your file correctly and you get approved eligible findings … the deal’s dead,” he said. “So without working in the industry, you don’t know what you don’t know.”