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COVER STORY: YOUNG GUNS JAMES HARRISON Mortgage broker DOMINION LENDING CENTRES HOME CAPITAL SOLUTIONS Age: 33
It’s been an eventful year for James Harrison. Last November, his firm, DLC Mortgage Village, merged with DLC Home Capital Solutions, and business has been booming for the Torontobased firm. And as for fears that the city’s housing market is about to go bust, Harrison isn’t worried – he believes it’s a story that’s getting too repetitive to be taken seriously. “I don’t know why the economists are saying what they are saying,” he says. “They have been saying it for the past nine years, too. There doesn’t seem to be any accountability to making false claims.” Having joined the industry in late 2007, Harrison is now approaching veteran status, and he believes certain changes should be implemented to improve efficiency in the brokerage businesses. “I would like to see more lenders join the broker channel, like all banks,” he says. “I would also like the insurers to increase the $1 million limit for CMHC-insured mortgages and increase the maximum amortizations back to 30, 35 and 40 years. I feel this is needed for millennials to be able to buy homes on their own without the bank of mom and dad.” Regardless of the current challenges, Harrison is confident his team can continue to excel. “I want to improve the efficiencies of my team and free up time for more business development and meeting more Realtors,” he says. “Then everyone can experience our amazing customer service and expertise – which is seriously lacking at the bank branches.”
RAYMOND ISKIN Owner DOMINION LENDING CENTRES STREAMLINE MORTGAGES Age: 28
As proprietor of DLC Streamline Mortgages, Raymond Iskin has seen the mortgage business change greatly in recent years. As such, he believes mortgage brokers need to up their level of knowledge to adequately meet the needs of clients. “In my time in the industry, I have seen agents get their mortgage licence and give it up just as quickly due to what I think is a lack of training during the licensing process,” Iskin says. “I think a more well-rounded education would go a long way in helping new agents succeed and provide better service to their clients.”
MAURO POLETTI
ROMAN LECKI
Mortgage agent
Mortgage agent
MORTGAGE INTELLIGENCE Age: 33
CONCIERGE MORTGAGE GROUP Age: 33
A positive personal experience drove Mauro Poletti to become a mortgage agent himself. “What motivated me to enter the industry was the level of service and expertise from my broker who arranged my home financing,” he says. “He took the time to explain every single detail, and it was such a smooth process. I had heard horror stories from friends about the experiences they had. I thought to myself that the industry was full of brokers who were not educating their clients.” Now that he has joined the profession, Poletti believes his ability speaks for itself – and his referrals from satisfied clients back that up. “I don’t advertise much at all, and a huge portion of my business has been referral-based, which says a lot about my work ethic,” he says. “I am fortunate to work with a great mentor and belong to a great team, which has allowed me to exceed even my own expectations.”
A mortgage agent with Concierge Mortgage Group, Roman Lecki reveals how his career trajectory helped him become a much more well-rounded and efficient agent. “I entered this business in a general administrative position,” he says. “This allowed me to learn the business from the ground up. Being a part of the organization and seeing how happy our clients were, obtaining financing and moving into their first home, was really gratifying. It motivated me to obtain my licence and focus on serving my clients.” In that time, the standards for agents have also changed greatly, but Lecki views that as a positive. “The biggest change in the industry has been a greater focus on compliance and fraud prevention,” he says. “It’s an important aspect of the business because it protects homeowners along with lenders.”
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