How mortgage brokers shop lenders for you

A mortgage broker does not lend its own money. Instead, it holds relationships with wholesale lenders who compete for loans through pricing engines. When a broker "shops your loan," your scenario is priced across those lenders’ wholesale rate sheets, and the broker structures the strongest options.

Why wholesale pricing exists

Wholesale lenders skip the retail branch network and marketing costs, and price accordingly. The broker adds a disclosed margin, the same model every brokerage uses. The result can be competitive precisely because several lenders are being compared for the same file rather than one balance sheet quoting itself.

What a good broker adds beyond the rate

• Structure: points, credits, term, and program choices matched to your holding period and cash.
• Program fit: knowing which lender actually approves your scenario, not just which advertises the lowest number.
• One accountable team: a single licensed point of contact instead of a call-center relay.

What to ask any broker (including us)

• How are you compensated? (Through the loan; it should be disclosed plainly.)
• Will you tell me if my current offer is already strong? (The answer should be an easy yes.)
• Is my information shared with anyone who will solicit me? (Here: no. One team, never sold.)