Templates · 10 messages
iMessage templates for mortgage follow-up
The mortgage broker who closes the conversation wins the deal. Here are 10 templates for the mortgage cycle: the rate lock, the application follow-up, the property appraisal, and the close.
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Ground rules before you send
- The application or pre-qual inquiry is your consent basis. Borrowers in an active file expect fast, direct texts, so the bar is usefulness, not permission.
- Chase documents with the consequence attached: what stalls, and until when, without the document. "Just following up" chases nothing.
- Never promise a rate in writing that isn't locked. Talk in ranges and honest directions, or lock it and then say the number.
- Rate-watch and refi texts to past clients are a re-opening touch, so they carry a plain-language way out.
- Deliver every milestone, including the boring ones. The borrower's anxiety fills any silence with worst cases.
1. The pre-qual inquiry response
hey [first name], saw your pre-approval request come through. I can usually turn these around same day. quick one to route it right: are you actively making offers, or getting your ducks in a row before you start looking? changes which track I put you on.
When to send: Within five minutes of a pre-qual or pre-approval inquiry.
Why it works: Speed on the first touch is the whole game, and the either/or sorts the urgent buyer from the planner in one reply. "Changes which track I put you on" makes answering feel like self-interest, because it is.
2. The pre-approval delivery
[first name], you're approved up to [amount]. letter's in your email. two things worth knowing: the letter is strongest when it matches the offer price, so tell me the address before you offer and I'll tailor it in minutes. and congrats, this is the hard part done.
When to send: The moment the pre-approval is issued.
Why it works: Matching the lock rate to the offer anchors the buyer on price before they hear from any other broker.
3. The document chase
[first name], one document between you and underwriting: your [document, e.g. two most recent pay stubs]. photo in this thread works, portal works, whatever's easiest. without it we lose our place in the queue and [closing date] starts sliding.
When to send: The day a file stalls on a missing document. Repeat every two to three days until it lands.
Why it works: "We lose our place in the queue" makes the consequence concrete and shared, not a favor to you. Accepting a photo in the thread removes the real blocker, which is almost never willingness, it's friction.
4. The rate-lock conversation
[first name], decision time on the lock. today's range for your file is [range]. I don't have a crystal ball and anyone who says they do is selling something. what I can say: locking now costs you nothing if rates fall before [date], because [float-down or relock policy]. want me to lock it?
When to send: When the file is lock-eligible and the borrower has been floating.
Why it works: Naming the next action removes the "what now?" that kills momentum. A clear path converts intent into an application.
5. The milestone update
[first name], update you didn't have to ask for: your file cleared [milestone, e.g. initial underwriting] today. next step is [next step], usually takes [number] days. you don't need to do anything. I'll text when it moves.
When to send: At every real milestone: submitted, appraisal ordered, appraisal in, conditional approval, clear to close.
Why it works: "Update you didn't have to ask for" names exactly what makes this loan officer different, and "you don't need to do anything" is the sentence anxious borrowers most need to read. Silence is what loses referrals; this text is the anti-silence.
6. The appraisal result
[first name], appraisal's back: [result, e.g. came in at value, which is exactly what we wanted]. that was the last big unknown in your file. remaining steps are paperwork, not suspense. [closing date] is looking solid.
When to send: The day the appraisal lands, good news or bad. Bad news gets a call first, then this thread for the plan.
Why it works: The appraisal is the moment borrowers secretly fear most, so naming it as "the last big unknown" converts the whole rest of the process from anxiety to admin. Certainty is the product; this text ships it.
7. The clear-to-close text
[first name], three words: clear to close. [day] at [time], [location or 'the title company will confirm the spot']. bring your ID and the wire confirmation for [amount], and wire ONLY to instructions you verify by phone with the title company, wire fraud is real and ugly. see you there.
When to send: The moment CTC is issued.
Why it works: This is the best text in the pipeline, so make it feel like it. The wire-fraud warning is not filler: it protects the borrower at their most vulnerable moment and marks you as the professional in the deal.
8. The stalled-application save
hey [first name], your application's sitting at [stage] and I haven't heard from you in a bit. no pressure, life happens. one honest question so I can help or get out of the way: still buying, paused, or found another lender? any answer is fine, including the last one.
When to send: Two to three days after a previously active applicant goes quiet.
Why it works: "Including the last one" makes the awkward answer speakable, which is the only way you learn a competitor is in the deal while there's still time to counter. Paused borrowers get parked properly instead of leaking away.
9. The refi-watch text
hey [first name], it's [name], I did your mortgage in [year]. rates have moved enough that a refi might clear real money for you: rough math says around [estimate]/month at today's range. want me to run your actual numbers? takes a day, costs nothing. if you'd rather I not watch rates for you, say so and I'll stop.
When to send: To past clients whenever rates genuinely cross their break-even threshold. Run the rough math before texting.
Why it works: A refi text with a specific monthly estimate is found money, not marketing, but only if the math is real. The way-out line keeps your book from experiencing you as noise between transactions.
10. The post-close referral ask
[first name], 30 days in the house. everything settling in okay? and the favor, asked exactly once: when someone you know starts house hunting, a text intro to me is the best thanks there is. I treat referrals like family files.
When to send: Thirty days after closing, after the handoff went clean.
Why it works: "Asked exactly once" respects the relationship and makes this the opposite of the drip campaigns other LOs run. The one-month mark catches them mid-honeymoon, telling everyone about the house anyway.
Questions
Can loan officers text borrowers about their application?
Yes. An active application is the clearest consent basis in lending, and borrowers prefer text for the fast-moving parts: document requests, milestone updates, scheduling. The discipline is content, not channel: no unlocked rate promises, and every stop request honored at once.
How do I chase documents without annoying the borrower?
Attach the consequence and remove the friction. "We lose our place in the underwriting queue and the closing date slides" gives the request stakes about their deal, not your checklist, and a photo in the thread removes the scanner hunt. Daily is nagging; every two days is not.
Do these work for refinance outreach too?
The refi-watch template is built for it, with two rules attached. Run the borrower's rough numbers before texting, because a refi text with fake math burns the trust the original transaction earned. And since it re-opens a closed relationship, it carries a plain way out.
Keep going
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