Concurrent sessions offer choice and business solutions to help you reach your potential and further your career. Featuring cutting-edge strategies, this diverse program of industry-focused sessions from some of the top minds in the business will provide depth and insight on current topics designed to drive your business!
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Concurrent Sessions
Browse our concurrent sessions schedule below.
Resiliency & Unlearning
Presenter: Tracy Valko, DLC Valko Financial
“In my pursuit to stay ahead of the curve in the mortgage financing landscape, I’ve identified ‘Resiliency & Unlearning (Change)’ as a topic of growing importance. Recognizing its timely relevance, I will be presenting on these themes. I firmly believe in the intertwined nature of life and business – each one impacts the other, bringing its own unique set of challenges and triumphs. As mortgage professionals, we navigate this dynamic daily. In my presentation, I will focus on the key pillars that can empower the leader within each of us, offering effective strategies to navigate these changes with resilience and adaptability.”
How to Get a Swipe Right on Your Business
Presenter: Sarah Schneider, Mortgage Architects
Predictive technology and algorithms affect an ever-increasing amount of consumer decision-making in this digitized and review-driven era.
Join me for a self-analysis of how your business is performing in this space with tangible takeaways for how to improve your exposure and grow your bottom line with the use of CRM systems, Google for Business, review driving strategies and meaningful engagement.
Get to Know Your Private Lenders
Presenter: Derek Serra, Westboro
Learn what to expect in a private mortgage like rate and fee combinations, the differences between interest only and amortized mortgages, pre-payment penalties, and what happens at renewal. We will run through quick real-life scenarios to help best understand the full end to end client experience of working with a private. We will also cover 1st mortgage solutions and when/how to position a 2nd mortgage including key questions regarding fees, matched maturities, and amortizations specific to 2nd mortgages. We will also address what to look for and how to lend to clients purchasing in rural locations with acreage.
The goal is to educate brokers with a focus on the experience they can provide their customers.
Broker Panel Session
Moderator: Joe Jacobs
Presenters: Candice Carr, Sherry Corbitt, Kuljit Singh, Sharon Davis
Public Speaking Workshop Session
10:30am – 12:15pm
Presenter: Ivan Ruiz
An interactive session focusing on enhancing communication skills. As mortgage brokers, we need to make complex and financial information not only easy to understand but interesting. By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Apply a simple strategy to quickly break the ice
- Create effective openings, transitions and closing statements.
- Communicate complex ideas simply.
- Communicate confidence when speaking to groups.
Become a Brain Surgeon on your Ideal Market Segment NOT the Market
Presenter: Brian Hogben, Mission35 Mortgages
In the past year too many mortgage agents tried to become economists instead of brain surgeons on what clientele they serve.
By creating a very specific Brand and Niche for your self and doubling down your expertise and marketing on this, you will have the opportunity to serve more of the clients you love to deal with, have better and stronger lender relationships, and be able to justifiably charge more money with both competence and confidence.
Transfers/Refinances: Strategies and Opportunities for Clients at Renewal
Presenter: Jill Moellering, Mortgage Architects
Renewals have become a larger part of the brokering business over the past year and will continue to be a big piece of business in the upcoming years. Clients are looking for options to combat huge payment increases at renewal coming out of lower rate terms and are exploring their options more than ever before. Join Jill as she delves into the opportunities sitting in your own database for upcoming renewal clients with a comparison of what can be done in a transfer vs a refinance.
Time to Get Real! How to Show up as the Best Version of Your Authentic Self and Build a Breakthrough Personal Brand
Presenter: Pattie Lovett-Reid
In today’s world, people can be too easily influenced by social media, headline news and events beyond their control to make career- or life-defining decisions. That’s why cultivating a strong personal brand – and ensuring consistency with your delivery and messaging – is critical for advancing your career. But where do you begin?
In this presentation, renowned speaker and public figure Pattie Lovett-Reid will share how cultivating her personal brand shaped her career path. She will talk about the Power of Momentum and building on one success at a time, the importance of being true to yourself, and provide actionable takeaways to help you leverage your personal brand in your career. She will also share inspiring stories from her book and discuss four guiding principles to achieving success.
How to Protect Yourself from Potential Claims
Presenters: Natalie Leon, Forbes Chochla LLP
We will discuss typical scenarios that may lead to claims by clients, best practices to avoid claims, and what brokers should have in their files to properly defend claims.
Reimagining Success: The Fusion of Data and Technology
Presenter: Joel Bates and Robert Maughan, RPS
The pace of technology advancement and ever-expanding amounts of property data are redefining the benchmarks of success in the industry. Empowering professionals and consumers in their pursuit of a seamless and efficient real estate journey means embracing, and delivering on, the potential of data and technology.
Presenter: Chris Graham, Tell People
Fraud Prevention and Due Diligence Using Land Registry Data
Presenter: Eric Black Teranet
Fraud comes in many different forms and is a serious problem that Canadian homeowners, lenders and mortgage brokers face. Mortgage brokers play an important role in executing due diligence during the application process to ensure to the best of their efforts they aren’t allowing a fraudulent deal to get approved. Validating key data points such as ownership information, sales history, property value and registered mortgages is the best way to prevent fraud from happening.
Agricultural Lending in the Mortgage Broker Channel
Presenter: Tara Sterken, Glengarry Farm Finance
Agricultural lending has been an area relatively untapped by Canadian brokers for myriad reasons. What factors have contributed to this, and how can we overcome them? Join us to explore ways to place agricultural business by better understanding and incorporating this sector to grow your book, diversify your offerings, and ultimately increase your earning potential.
This presentation will answer questions like why certain property types are hard to place, and how much knowledge you really need to work with farm borrowers. (hint – it’s less than you think!) Whether your focus is residential or commercial, Tara will roadmap a plan for success in the ag sector and help you get your farm deals placed and funded!
Efficiency Unleashed: Thriving in the New Era of Mortgage Brokering
Presenters: Chris Kolinski, iSask Mortgage Brokers
Becoming more efficient in a rapidly evolving landscape is no longer just an option… It is a necessity to survive! When handshakes and face-to-face meetings are going extinct, it’s more important than ever to implement strategies to cater to a new generation of homebuyers. Learn how to take charge of your systems and processes, elevating your client experience and reclaiming your most valuable asset: Your Time.
Building Bonds: Exploring Canadian Housing Sentiments and Broker Loyalty
Presenters: Anthony Greco and Corey Bass, Bond Brand Loyalty
This session is an exploration of the Canadian housing market and the relationships formed within it. We analyze the emotional landscape of Canada’s housing market, uncovering the feelings and aspirations of homeowners and prospective buyers. Simultaneously, we investigate the intricate relationship between mortgage brokers and lenders, uncovering the key elements that foster loyalty and success. As we navigate this intricate landscape, we shed light on how mortgage lenders are meeting the needs of brokers, who in turn, strive to empower their clients’ home ownership dreams. Join us as we navigate this fascinating intersection of emotion, trust, and the rapidly evolving Canadian housing landscape.
Why People Say “No” to Good Ideas and How to Change Their Mind: Workshop Session
10:15am – 12:00pm
Persuasion and consensus-building are challenging, especially when you don’t have a relationship with the person you’re trying to convince. That’s why being persuasive is not about having the best reasons—it’s about making people ready to hear your reasons.
Doing that requires strategy, confidence, patience, and trust. But how do you get all of that? How can you engage people who refuse to budge? Is it possible to be persuasive while still respecting someone’s freedom to say “no”? What if your idea is really technical—how can you help people “see” your vision?
(Believe it or not, the answer to all of these questions starts with a story about toilets.)
Using relevant research, case studies, and lots of funny stories, this session will help participants make their case to any audience.
Specific learning outcomes include understanding:
- Why people say “No” to good ideas and how to change their mind
- How to think about the person you’re trying to convince and give yourself the best chance of engaging productively
- The context for a disagreement, the limits of your role, and the availability of alternatives for getting the outcome you want
- What to say when someone disagrees with you, and even better, how to explain your ideas so people don’t want to disagree in the first place
AI-Driven Technology in the Mortgage Brokerage Industry
Presenter: Brian Hutton, M3
Join us for an informative and thought-provoking presentation on the intersection of Marketing & Artificial Intelligence in the Mortgage Brokerage Industry in Canada. Learn about the latest developments in AI and how it is changing the marketing landscape and impacting the industry. Discover the potential benefits and challenges of using Artificial Intelligence and get knowledge on the tools that are reshaping how small business operates.
Top 15 Canadian Broker Practices
Presenter: Lee-Ann McEllister
In “Top 15 Canadian Broker Practices,” Lee-Ann shares valuable insights and strategies gleaned from interviews with over 30 successful brokers across Canada. The presentation covers key categories such as Focused Intention, emphasizing clear goals and motivation; Your Greatest Asset: YOU, exploring essential qualities for strong client relationships; Customer Relations, highlighting client-centric approaches; Being Kind to your Future Self through Proactive Measures, focusing on risk management and strategic planning; and Utilizing Technology, showcasing innovative tools to enhance efficiency. Through captivating anecdotes and real-life success stories, Lee-Ann equips both seasoned and aspiring brokers with actionable knowledge to excel in the competitive Canadian broker industry and attain long-term success.
Facing Adversity Head On, Panel Session
Moderator: Erica Ma
Presenters: Arghavan Rastegari, Ameera Ameerullah, Rakhi Madan
Win-Win: Diversified Funding Sources Can Help Both You and Your Clients Grow
Presenters: Mike Forshee and Jake Bannister, Glasslake Funding
Discover how to diversify your portfolio and thrive in the alternative market with Glasslake Funding’s session. Led by President, Mike Forshee and Regional Sales Manager, Jake Bannister, learn how to elevate your business and unlock growth with small commercial mortgages and diversified funding sources. Discover the impact of current market challenges like liquidity issues and high interest rates, and feel empowered to prioritize transparent communication with clients and lender partners. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your business in today’s market landscape with Glasslake Funding, the newest player in the Alternative Mortgage space.