I was very excited last Saturday when I rode my bike by a garage sale and saw, “The Holy Bible” for sale, with a “signed edition” sticker on it. Of course I bought it. How cool is that? Trains are pretty cool too. “A railroad conductor needs to make sure he doesn’t go down the wrong track and lose his train of thought.” This morning I head to Milwaukee by train. While in Chicago I spent some time hearing how LOs must get back to the basics, including clear routines and discipline. They must provide education and guidance since LOs are in the “people business.” Technology is a great tool, but not the end-all in the loan process: AI may not take your job but somebody who can use AI might. Lenders, and real estate agents, are asking, “How are companies training a new generation of LOs and other residential mortgage workers?” (Today’s podcast can be found here, sponsored by Visio Lending and its top notch broker program. Visio is the nation's premier lender for buy and hold investors with over 2.5 billion closed loans for single-family rental properties, including vacation rentals. Listen to Part Two of an interview with TechMor’s Chris Wiley on how mortgage companies can best assess the benefits of AI for their organizations.) Lender and Broker Software, Products, and Services In a housing market that feels like a fever dream to LMI and FTHBs, lenders are ramping up down payment assistance (DPA) support at a rapid pace. Just last month, Down Payment Resource (DPR) welcomed six new lenders to its platform, equipping them with an integrated toolset that makes it easy to operationalize DPA across departments and geographies. More than a comprehensive database of the nation’s 2,300+ programs, DPR takes the hard work out of DPA. Its DPA Directory enables product managers to curate programs that meet secondary market requirements, while its Loan Officer Portal automatically matches incoming borrowers with approved assistance programs, its Underwriter Portal provides quick access to program guidelines, and its Consumer Portal generates leads by inviting homebuyers to search for DPA. Schedule a demo with DPR to discover how you can stand out as the go-to resource for home financing in the communities you serve.