Technology can identify the next opportunity. A real conversation turns that information into a relationship. In this Settling Scores episode, cohosts Abdel Khawatmi of PRMG Got Mortgages and Eric Levin, cofounder of Model Match, discuss how mortgage professionals can combine market intelligence, AI and personal follow-through to better serve homeowners, develop referral partnerships and build stronger teams.
Published October 24, 2026. Highlights and practical takeaways from the Settling Scores podcast.
Watch the full Settling Scores episode with Abdel Khawatmi and Eric Levin on YouTube.
Key takeaways: systems should create room for service
- Model Match helps turn agent, borrower and company research into a starting point for relevant education and personal action.
- There is no universal secret sauce: tools need to fit the people and culture using them.
- Life changes continue regardless of mortgage headlines, making personal check-ins useful.
- Events need a clear audience, practical resources and individual followthrough.
- AI can remind, summarize and draft; people must review, personalize and act.
- Loan officers should evaluate leadership and operational support alongside compensation.
No perfect platform can do the relationship work
After national conferences and travel, Abdel and Eric Levin return to a familiar industry temptation: finding the one platform that fixes everything. Their discussion points elsewhere. Each business has its own culture, working habits and customer needs. A tool that suits one team may create friction for another.
The useful question is not which software everyone else bought. It is which problem your team needs to solve, who owns that problem and what happens after the tool produces information. A database reminder has little value if nobody makes the call. A polished presentation is incomplete if attendees leave without a next step.
The episode also emphasizes collaboration across IT, marketing and legal, and among industry peers. Conference relationships should continue after the flight home. A suggested starting point is a short conversation with one colleague: identify an obstacle, agree on an owner and decide how to follow up. Progress need not begin with another subscription.
Model Match in action: the products and use cases discussed
Model Match brings research into the conversations mortgage professionals already need to have. Model Match cofounder Eric Levin connects that intelligence with a simple theme: information becomes valuable when someone acts on it thoughtfully.
- Ask Model Match supports plain-language questions about mortgage and real-estate records, with contextual follow-up filters to refine agent and borrower research.
- Borrower Insights helps rebuild a prior-borrower database using available loan, property and contact information to prioritize personal follow-up.
- Market Insights supports agent, loan-officer and company research using geography, production, units and company-relationship filters.
- Market Reports supports industry movement, hiring and departure analysis for partnership and recruiting conversations.
Connecting the intelligence to AI
Model Match MCP connects compatible assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude with Model Match lender, loan-officer, agent and borrower records. Mentioned during the conversation rather than demonstrated in detail, the connector provides another way to bring research into an AI-assisted workflow.
The operational question remains the same: who owns the next step? An answer about an agent, homeowner or company should lead to a relevant invitation, useful education or a personal call. Model Match data research is distinct from recording a meeting, generating a generic summary or drafting an email with another AI tool.
Human connection matters because life does not pause for rates
Eric emphasized that life events and home repairs continue regardless of rates. Births, marriages, loss, aging parents and home repairs do not wait for a favorable headline. The conversation’s central service insight is that a past client may need help understanding a changing situation even when they are not shopping for a mortgage.
A personal check-in can start with a question about how the home is working for them. Are maintenance projects becoming difficult? Has the household’s space requirement changed? Would an introduction to a service professional be useful? These are invitations to listen, not assumptions that someone needs a loan.
Keep the conversation helpful, not intrusive
One suggested opening is: “I wanted to see how things are going with the house. Is there anything you are planning that you would like help thinking through?” Let the client choose what to share. Avoid turning a sensitive life change into a sales opportunity, and respect a request not to receive follow-up.
Data becomes useful when a person acts with context. A homeowner’s old purchase record cannot explain their current priorities. Listening may lead to an introduction, a future conversation or no immediate action. Authentic service leaves room for all three outcomes.
Local events work best when education comes first
During the episode, Abdel shared that he participated in roughly seven local events in ten days, including realtor education, a divorce-professional group, BNI, community sponsorship and a financial-literacy, homeownership and career talk at his daughter’s school.
The lesson is not to imitate the event count. It is to connect the audience with something useful. A realtor session and a school career discussion have different needs. The first may benefit from clear process questions; the second needs age-appropriate explanations of saving, homeownership and careers.
Use Ask Model Match to define an event’s audience
Abdel’s example was specific: real estate agents in Monmouth County, New Jersey, doing roughly five to fifty transactions. Rather than invite an undifferentiated list, he described using Ask Model Match to identify an audience whose work could make the education relevant. The search is the beginning of event planning, not its completion.
Adapted example prompt: “Find real estate agents in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with 5–50 transactions in my selected date range.” Choose the reporting window for your own research, then review the results and refine the question conversationally. Consider geography, activity and the questions those agents might bring to a session.
Next, prepare focused education and personal invitations that explain why the event is useful to that audience. Use permitted outreach channels and honor contact preferences. Deliver a dedicated resource page with the presentation and action steps, then follow up on each attendee’s actual question. Research helps select the audience; personal preparation and follow-through make the event worthwhile.
A practical four-part event approach
- Identify the audience and need. Ask what participants should understand or do differently afterward.
- Prepare targeted education. Choose a manageable topic rather than presenting every service at once.
- Create a dedicated resource page. Provide the presentation, useful takeaways and clear action steps.
- Follow up personally. Refer to the attendee’s actual question instead of sending an identical pitch.
As a suggested example, a homeowner workshop could end with a maintenance-planning checklist and a resource page participants can revisit. Follow-up might offer to locate the relevant material rather than immediately requesting an appointment. Measure whether people received the promised help, not just whether they attended.
Quarterly check-ins and annual reviews need a purpose
The episode discusses quarterly seasonal client check-ins and annual financial reviews. A seasonal conversation might concern upcoming repairs or changing household plans. An annual conversation provides a chance to revisit goals and ask whether circumstances have changed since the last discussion.
For homeowners in Ocean County and Monmouth County, practical suggested topics include insurance questions, property-tax notices, maintenance budgets and ownership timelines. A mortgage professional can help organize questions, while insurers, tax advisers and other qualified professionals address matters within their expertise.
Home equity was discussed at a high level in the episode. A review is not an instruction to borrow against it. It can simply help a homeowner clarify priorities and understand which questions need further examination. The refinance and equity overview is a starting point for education, not a finding that a particular option is suitable.
Connecting people with contractors or other service professionals can also be helpful. Make an introduction only when it meets a stated need, and avoid promising someone else’s price or workmanship.
Equity-informed check-ins start with listening
Eric described older homes with potential equity and practical needs such as replacing an HVAC system. His point was not to prescribe a loan. It was that a lender can remain a resource when a homeowner needs a contractor introduction, help organizing questions or a conversation about a changing situation.
Available property and loan information can suggest where a check-in may be relevant. The record alone does not establish the household’s needs or whether borrowing is suitable. Start with possible relevance, make a thoughtful call and ask what the homeowner actually wants to accomplish.
Eric’s suggested challenge of five thoughtful calls daily gives that research a human next step. Listen before offering options, connect the homeowner with an appropriate resource when useful and record the action both of you agreed upon. A completed introduction or answered question can be the right outcome even when there is no financing conversation.
Use AI for preparation, then make the human call
AI’s constructive role in the discussion is practical: reminders, meeting summaries, organization and draft follow-up. These tasks can support consistency. They do not decide what a client meant, establish that a summary is accurate or replace the judgment involved in a personal conversation.
A suggested review-before-send routine
After a meeting, review the summary against your notes. Correct names, remove assumptions and confirm what was actually promised. Turn the draft into a short message that references the person’s question. If the situation needs a conversation, make the call instead of sending a longer automated explanation.
For example, an AI draft might suggest several generic next steps. A human review should reduce that to the one task agreed upon and its responsible person. The point is not to make every message sound technically sophisticated. It is to make the follow-up recognizable, accurate and useful.
Use approved systems and follow your organization’s privacy and compliance requirements. Do not put confidential borrower information into an unapproved tool. Review dates, commitments and any financial statements before communicating them. Technology should help maintain trust, not make it harder to know who is accountable.
Online visibility and local presence should reinforce each other
The conversation favors being visible online while remaining present locally. In Toms River and Eatontown, an educational webpage can help someone prepare for a conversation; community participation provides an opportunity to listen to the questions people are actually asking.
Neither channel substitutes for straightforward service. A page should clearly explain what the business can help with. A local conversation should deliver the promised followthrough. Professionals evaluating their digital presence can explore the existing brand audit page as one resource.
Recruiting: evaluate the working environment, not just the offer
The recruiting discussion moves beyond compensation and sign-on bonuses. Operational support matters because document chasing can consume time otherwise available for relationships and pipeline development. Accessible leadership, daily check-ins, training, database review and transparent expectations help a candidate understand how the team works.
Abdel described an illustrative recruit observing the Toms River office, teammates, a mastermind conversation and hands-on file problem-solving. The useful point is direct exposure to the working culture.
Offer relationship-building value before onboarding
Abdel described using Borrower Insights to research an originator’s prior borrower activity and surface clients worth reconnecting with before the loan officer joined. The value came before a request for commitment: an actionable starting list for past-client conversations, rather than another general promise of support.
Review the available loan and property information, organize possible follow-up priorities and ask the originator which relationships need attention. Then contact people thoughtfully and learn their current goals. That starting list supports preparation; it is not access to private loan files and does not establish approval or refinance savings.
Use growth and retention reports to ask better questions
Abdel discussed reviewing company hires and departures with candidates instead of evaluating an employer solely through compensation. Model Match reports and exports give the conversation a factual starting point: what movement is visible, over which period, and what support sits behind the recruiting offer?
Eric described a company examining early attrition within the first ninety days. He connected that observation with questions about recruiting fit, trust and onboarding: did expectations match the actual experience, and did new hires receive the support they needed? Comparable reporting periods matter. Patterns prompt questions; they do not prove why individuals left.
Used well, the research makes room for a more candid conversation about leadership access, training and operational responsibilities. A candidate can ask how the team builds trust during recruitment and carries that trust into onboarding, rather than treating a production report as the whole story.
Questions a loan officer can ask before joining
- Who helps when a file encounters a difficult question, and how is that help requested?
- Which responsibilities remain with the originator, and which are supported operationally?
- How are training, database reviews and leadership check-ins organized?
- What expectations apply during onboarding and after the initial transition?
- Can I observe the team’s work and speak with the people supporting it?
Zoom can be useful initially, particularly for screen sharing. Where practical, an in-person visit offers another view of the culture. Respect other companies during evaluation. Contextual data and direct questions are more useful than accusations or unsupported claims about competitor turnover.
Eric’s emphasis on trust carries into onboarding: trust developed during recruitment supports onboarding when the experience matches the expectations set. The Got Mortgages careers page provides an existing place to begin that conversation. Candidates should assess fit for their own goals rather than assume any team arrangement works universally.
A practical checklist: protect time for meaningful followthrough
Eric framed two efficiency goals: doing more business in the same time, or doing the same business in less time. These are planning frameworks for deciding where better systems can free up time. A practical suggested checklist connects that idea with manageable actions:
- Identify one recurring administrative obstacle and the person responsible for addressing it.
- Choose a useful past-client check-in topic; personalize it before contacting anyone.
- Review AI-generated notes for accuracy and remove unnecessary private information.
- Put promised resources in one accessible location and check the links.
- After an event, follow up on the individual question you heard.
- Set a realistic next step and record who owns it, without promising an outcome.
Eric’s closing challenge is five thoughtful past-client check-in calls daily. Treat that as a suggested habit for turning research into relationships. The aim is attentive conversations and reliable followthrough. A shorter list handled personally is more meaningful than a larger list of messages nobody has reviewed.
Frequently asked questions
Who hosts the Settling Scores conversation?
Cohosts Abdel Khawatmi of PRMG Got Mortgages and Eric Levin, cofounder of Model Match, discuss how AI and data support personal service, stronger relationships and practical execution.
Which Model Match tools are discussed in this recap?
The recap covers Ask Model Match, Borrower Insights, agent, loan-officer and company research through Market Insights, and growth and retention reporting through Market Reports. It also discusses Model Match MCP, which connects Model Match data to compatible AI assistants.
How did Abdel describe using Model Match for local agent events?
Abdel described identifying real estate agents in Monmouth County, New Jersey, doing roughly five to fifty transactions. The workflow pairs audience research with relevant education, invitations through permitted channels, a dedicated resource page and personal follow-through.
What role should AI play in a mortgage business?
AI can support reminders, meeting summaries, organization and draft messages. A person should verify accuracy, protect confidential information, personalize the follow-up and remain responsible for the conversation. It is a preparation tool, not a substitute for judgment.
Why does human connection matter when clients can find information online?
Online information cannot fully explain a household’s changing priorities. Personal conversations allow clients to describe repairs, space needs or other life changes in their own terms. Listening helps identify useful next steps without assuming that someone needs a mortgage.
What should a past-client check-in cover?
Ask how the home is working for the household and whether any projects or plans have changed. Suggested topics include maintenance, insurance questions and future ownership goals. Let clients decide what to share, respect contact preferences and avoid turning sensitive circumstances into a sales pitch.
How should a professional follow through after an educational event?
Provide the promised presentation, takeaways and action steps on a dedicated resource page. Then send a personal follow-up that addresses the attendee’s actual question. Confirm who owns the next step rather than sending an unrelated automated pitch.
What is the value of an annual mortgage review?
A review can help organize questions and revisit goals as household circumstances change. It does not mean a refinance or equity loan is needed. Any financing discussion requires an individual assessment, and legal, tax and insurance questions belong with the appropriate qualified professionals.
How can a loan officer evaluate a team’s culture?
Ask about operational responsibilities, access to leadership, training, check-ins and onboarding expectations. Use an initial screen-sharing conversation and, where practical, an office visit to observe how the team works. Evaluate fit beyond compensation or a sign-on bonus.
What role does the local community play for Got Mortgages?
The episode emphasizes useful education, personal relationships and local presence alongside online visibility. For Ocean and Monmouth County communities, including Toms River and Eatontown, the practical focus is listening to local questions and following through.
How can I contact Got Mortgages?
Call 973-536-0276 or visit GotMortgages.com. The Contact page and Build My Mortgage Plan page provide existing ways to begin a conversation.
Keep the relationship at the center
Software can help make room for better conversations; it cannot have them for you. Start with a useful question, deliver the resource you promised and stay honest about what you can and cannot do.
To talk with PRMG Got Mortgages, call 973-536-0276, visit GotMortgages.com, contact the team or build your mortgage plan.
Explore more Mortgage Intel and Abdel Khawatmi’s profile. Explore more conversations at the Got Mortgages Podcast website.
Author: Abdel Khawatmi with PRMG Got Mortgages | 973-536-0276
This article is general mortgage information only. It is not a commitment to lend, a rate quote, or legal or tax advice. Loan approval, terms and pricing depend on a full application, credit review and property details, and market conditions change. Talk with a licensed loan officer and your own legal or tax professional about your situation. NMLS #1712023 | PRMG NMLS #75243.