Shows / The Ground Game
The Ground Game
The Ground Game is a mortgage industry podcast for loan originators, operators, leaders, and business owners focused on practical strategies for building stronger, more sustainable businesses. Through candid conversations and real-world experience, the show tackles the challenges shaping housing, lending, leadership, and the future of the mortgage industry.
Episodes
- The Ground Game
Stop Getting Rate Shopped
Borrowers can shop rates in minutes, so why are some loan officers still winning without racing to the bottom? We get real about the commoditization of the…
- The Ground Game
When Mortgages Become A Commodity
Borrowers aren’t waking up thinking, “How do I commoditize my loan officer?” But when mortgage rates feel painfully high, the natural reaction is to shop…
- The Ground Game
Mortgage Rates Decoded with Matthew Graham
Mortgage rates do not move on vibes, even when it feels that way. We sit down with Matthew Graham of MBS Live to sort the signal from the noise and explain why…
- The Ground Game
Buying Still Makes Sense
7% mortgage rates are back, and buyers are stuck between two loud narratives: “prices are about to drop” and “you’ll miss out if you wait.” We cut through the…
- The Ground Game
Scaling a Business: Part 2
Loan volume is easy to celebrate. Profit is harder to protect. We get into the uncomfortable truth that scaling a mortgage business can actually cost you money…
- The Ground Game
Scaling a Business: Part 1
Going from a handful of people in a basement to a mortgage business trending toward $1.6B in annual volume sounds like a straight line up. It isn’t. Brian…
- The Ground Game
When Affordability Breaks What Still Moves
Mortgage rates didn’t just drift higher, they snapped back with force, and a lot of buyers and originators felt it overnight. We unpack the late-summer bond…
- The Ground Game
Run It Like A Business
If you’ve ever wondered how a top producer can run a mortgage company and still close a massive book of business, we get into the real mechanics behind it, not…
- The Ground Game
Housing’s New Normal: Part 2
The market doesn’t care how good you were in 2020 and 2021. When rates rise and volume tightens, your habits get exposed fast, and we’ve seen it create three…
- The Ground Game
Housing’s New Normal: Part 1
Pending home sales just printed one of the weakest June readings on record, and that’s not just a scary headline, it’s a 30 to 60 day signal for where closings…
- The Ground Game
Just Keep Going
A self-driving Waymo gets stuck at a simple turn, and it turns into the cleanest metaphor we’ve heard for the mortgage business: everyone waiting, nobody…
- The Ground Game
Run Your Mortgage Business On Data
Your pipeline can feel “off” even when you are doing more business than ever, and that gap between feelings and facts is where a lot of mortgage professionals…
- The Ground Game
Why Affordable Housing Programs Miss the Mark
Affordable housing programs are designed to help more people buy homes—but are they using the wrong standard? In this episode, Bryan Lovell and Mark Milam…
- The Ground Game
The Honest Mortgage Affordability Talk
Bryan Lovell and Mark Milam kick off The Ground Game by naming what mortgage professionals all hear in private: affordability feels broken, buyers are anxious…