3 Things I'd Demand From a Mortgage Company if Starting Over in 2026

By DJ Christofferson

After being downsized in 2007, DJ shifted from corporate America into real estate and ultimately found his true lane in mortgages. He built his production on one core principle: be the kind of partner to Realtors he wished loan officers had been for him. Be valuable.

I’ve been a loan officer since the end of 2009. If I were starting my career over in 2026, I’d still do some things exactly the same. I’d go after referral partners. I’d work to provide preeminent service. But there’s one big area where I’d do things completely differently, and it comes down to how I’d choose the company I work for.

When I started, the saying was “don’t sell rates, sell service.” That advice still gets passed around today.

Back then, it made sense because the technology was different, so you could legitimately win on service over interest rates. But things get better over time, and I can tell you the service gap between one company and the next is far smaller than it used to be. That changes everything, because it means you no longer have to choose between great service and great rates. You can have both.

So if I were starting over, I wouldn’t stop at service. Every company can deliver that now. I’d look more closely at the company itself, and at three things in particular.

1. Interest rates still matter, no matter who says otherwise. I don’t care what any branch manager tells you, rates matter, especially in an elevated-rate market where borrowers are more conscious of them than ever. They have more information at their fingertips than at any point in history, not just a Google search, but ChatGPT and every tool like it.

So I’d want a company that doesn’t make much on its loans and pays most of that margin back to the loan officer. That’s how you can offer low rates and still earn strong compensation. You shouldn’t have to pick one.

2. More loan products mean more borrowers you can actually help. Back in the day, and I feel old saying that, things were pretty standard. Most people had their W-2s, maybe some commission or self-employment income, fairly run-of-the-mill stuff. That’s changed dramatically.

People are working multiple jobs, there’s the gig economy, and all kinds of income situations that don’t fit neatly inside the conforming box or government programs. I’d want a lender with more options, so I can help more borrowers.

And that has a ripple effect: if you can help more borrowers, you can help more Realtors, because Realtors need more business. When you convert more of their leads into closings, they keep working with you.

3. Control over your own brand, from day one. This one’s big for me. I don’t want to be beholden to the company I work for, forced to put their branding, their messaging, and their look out front. I’m in it to build my own career, which means my own voice, my own look, my own team name, if I want it. You should be building your business, not theirs.

That’s the framework: better interest rates, more products, and control over your brand.

For my first 10 years, I was at a retail shop that controlled everything. Then, seven years ago, I moved over to NEXA Lending, where I got all of that and more, and my business exploded.

On the retail side, I was closing over 100 loans a year. In my last full year at NEXA, I closed almost 300, nearly all of it purchase business through Realtor relationships.

If you’re thinking about what your next move looks like in 2026, those are the three things I’d weigh first. And if you’d like to talk about whether we might be an asset to your business, I’d love to hear from you. Call or text me at 262-751-3415, email me at DJ@NEXAmortgage.com, or visit DJChristofferson.com. However your 2026 shapes up, I’m rooting for your best year yet.