Tristan Kirk

What are you most optimistic about when it comes to the Canadian Mortgage industry?
The growth of total volume in the broker channel and the coming change. The broker channel has been witnessing an increase in business in recent years when compared to the past when we compare to the banks. this will continue to grow with more people becoming self-employed and seeking more information-based solutions.

I am also optimistic to see the change of leadership and growth in the business as the next wave of leaders coming in; with this, I'm excited to see our channel have an opportunity for more agents and brokers to share ideas and success stories to help everyone else succeed.

How did you become a mortgage broker?
After spending time being self-employed creating companies and being a corporate leader leading change within companies on the sales and operations side, I felt like something was missing, and I wasn't enjoying myself as much as I knew I could. I looked at the financial industry as a whole and realized there was an opportunity in the mortgage market to build something great that empowers our clients to become mortgage-free sooner, while creating an ecosystem to engage and re-engage with our clients. All of which got me excited and led me into this mortgage world.

Outside of work, what are you passionate about?
Helping others and giving back. It's easy to get caught up in the everyday grind, but I love the ability to give back to the community and help someone grow through mentorship and watch them create their own journey. It always has been and always will be a focus outside of work, just everyday growth and support. 

What’s one thing about being a mortgage broker that you wish you knew “back then”?
Documents tell the story, and without them, you do not have a file. I remember in my starting days I would spend so much time listening and trying to problem-solve for clients based on verbal information, then when I would get the documents there was always something in there they left out, that changed the deal. So for me, it's wishing I knew to spend more time on getting the documents that tell the real story.

What’s your favourite podcast or book?
Book wise I love business personal growth books but have to say The Great Gatsby was a favourite of mine.

How does Finmo fit into your process?
Honestly, Finmo has fit perfectly into our business; it is super quick to set up, with lots of support from the Finmo side on onboarding agents and training. I would say for anyone looking to increase their business to tryout Finmo, the smart docs feature is a game-changer. Clients can immediately begin uploading only the relevant files needed for their type of mortgage transaction. This alone not only makes us as an agent look professional, it also streamlines the process for the client and keeps them engaged at the time of application - leading to an increased success rate of files closing.

It is simple, easy, and straight forward - making the addition to our overall business less stressful and adding a significant impact in our ability to process client files in a more effective method.