The Mobile Mortgage Mom

A Wild Idea

Eager for the road, yet anxious about the trip, Nutter’s the first to confess that the project she has planned is “kinda crazy.” Encased in NFM-branded vinyl wrap, the camper looks more like a tour bus or billboard than a home on wheels. And yet, Nutter’s no stranger to life on the road and knows that creature comforts take the back seat (or a booth in the dinette kitchen) when you embark on adventures that no one has ever embarked on before.

Having had to temporarily move to California last year, Nutter initially envisioned the trip as a way to simultaneously relocate her family back to Georgia and connect in-person with borrowers and real estate agents she had worked with before, but only online — more of an extended cross-country move than a 7-9 month, ‘round-the-country business trip. “It was a wild idea that has now snowballed into this very big thing,” she admits.

Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta — even China — are all places Nutter has called home at different times in her life. Except for China, she’s driven the highways linking all these places: Chicago to Los Angeles, New York to Chicago, New York to Atlanta, Atlanta to Chicago. Compared to most Americans, Nutter’s seen more of the country before turning 31 than many see in a lifetime.

It’s exactly this broader perspective, enhanced by her role as a mortgage influencer, that has helped Nutter excel as a newcomer in the industry. With an extensive background in sales and customer service, Nutter entered the mortgage industry on somewhat of a whim in 2020 after a close friend and industry veteran mentioned needing help processing high loan volumes. Nutter landed the leap of faith and “married the industry” in her first year. She was “Rookie of the Year” at her former company, Homestar Financial, and made branch manager the following year.

Though a handful of nomadic originators exist, Nutter believes never before has anyone taken mortgage education on the road like she is, making her mission all the more exciting yet daunting. Then again, as an incarnation of the 21st-century mortgage market, “mortgage influencers” have never existed before, either.

A Lead-Gen Machine

Despite Facebook celebrating its 20th anniversary in February, using social media to court and nurture borrowers still feels unfamiliar to many industry old-timers raised on old-school methods like cold calling and classifieds. Graduating from Facebook posts to TikTok videos could be its own badge on LinkedIn.

To borrowers, however, and in particular younger Millennials and Gen-Zers seeking financial guidance as first-time homebuyers, influencers like Nutter make mortgage education accessible to all, for free, in a fun, flexible, and familiar format. An ever-increasing segment of borrowers are “digital natives,” meaning they have spent nearly their entire lives surrounded by digital devices and the world of social media. This happens to be the same segment of borrowers that Nutter says never learned the basics of financial literacy in school.

In January 2022, NFM Lending launched its Influencer Division with the understanding that, in the past decade, social media influencers in every industry have revolutionized how companies reach their target audiences. The ease and ubiquity of screens and Wifi have spawned a generation of consumers too savvy for traditional marketing methods. So as not to fall behind, NFM has spun a digital web for younger generations and each that follows, to stick to.

Consider the fact that from 2021 to 2022 the average age of a first-time homebuyer increased from 33 to 36 years old and one realizes that the number of first-time homebuyers nursed by NFM’s influencers is only set to increase. The average age of a first-time homebuyer only declined slightly in 2023, to 35 years old, according to the National Association of Realtors’s annual “Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers” report.

Through a combination of luck, timing, and foresight, Greg Sher, managing director at NFM Lending and progenitor of the Division, says NFM has an “enormous head start.” There just aren’t that many mortgage influencers; NFM stables 16, including Scott Betley (@ThatMortgageGuy) who has more than one million followers across all platforms. “We’ve lapped the field 10 times over,” Sher says, “and I’m not saying that out of arrogance.”

A report NFM published in November reveals some of the data behind how a video viewed on TikTok translates to closed loans. Ultimately, educational content baits borrowers into a funnel that “narrows as it nurtures users deeper into the mortgage landscape.” When visiting an influencer’s profile, a user can complete an optional intake form through which they can share their financial status, contact information, and timeframe to purchase. In July alone, NFM’s influencers garnered 30.7 million TikTok views from Gen-Z users, up 21.8% from June. The 1,401 leads generated from those views became 24 prequalification applications, and finally, 20 mortgage originations.

As for added value, 941 of those 1,401 leads asked for an introduction to a real estate agent.

Rocking The Cradle

Added value underlies Nutter’s rapid success as an originator and influencer. But, she picks her priorities: “I’m an originator. That’s how I make my money, support my family, and that’s my career.” While others use the verb “influencing” to describe Nutter’s origination strategy, the essence of her outreach is “educating,” she says.

Across the many platforms where Nutter answers borrowers’ questions, coaches loan officers and real estate agents, dances in her kitchen, or else, opines on the perfect time to decorate for Christmas, Nutter’s appeal is her balance — a knack for walking the tightrope between coach and confidant, originator and educator. As much as her channels are used to drive originations for NFM, her platforms also provide a forum for public discussions about home buying generally.

Many of her best-known videos are satirical, in which she reenacts sometimes nonsensical and sometimes uproarious real-life conversations with her clients. In one viral video, Nutter tells the story of a borrower who spent her down payment and closing funds going to a psychic for readings about whether the home was “right” for her. The story was picked up by media outlets and podcasters across the country and the world — even Robert Kiyosaki, the author of international bestseller, Rich Dad Poor Dad.

By teaching her followers — which include not only consumers, but other originators, real estate agents, and industry-adjacent content creators — about financial literacy, social media strategies, and brand building, Nutter doesn’t worry about where the next loan will come from. She trusts the process because her followers trust her; for consumers, engaging with originator-influencers is tantamount to white glove service. Because people retain information more effectively and make more connections when they engage with information through multiple touch-points, Nutter believes her followers are better educated through her content than, say, written articles.

“In this online world, you can ask a question or engage over the topic, which you can’t get in a written article,” Nutter explains. “I get a lot of good feedback when I work with my borrowers that say, ‘I’ve listened to you for a year; I think I’m ready now. Can you help me?’”

At that point, the lead and the loan are Nutter’s to lose, the referral hers to leverage.

It’s a give-and-take that Nutter feeds and is fed by. Engaging with followers provides Nutter with the inside scoop on what’s bothering borrowers, from basic questions about different loan products to common sticking points prior to closing to complicated guidelines that need parsing. Even more valuably, perhaps, Nutter is able to discern which borrower needs are going unmet — and continue going unmet when the same questions come up time and again.

No crystal ball is needed when the very people that Nutter hopes to close in the future are telling her the specific hurdles they face to making that happen.

A Nutter Home Loan (.com)

Like “literally,” “hero,” or “unprecedented,” “authentic” is a word that people overuse, robbing the word of its sense and spirit and people of their desire to describe themselves as such.

Not Nutter, though, who earns the label she owns by insisting on being more person than persona. “It’s all about being authentic,” says Nutter. “If that’s the only thing they take away from my channel, that’s enough. Many of those viewers will return for that very reason.”

Everyone wears the label “authentic” differently, which is also the point that Nutter wants to hammer home. “We’re selling a product and that product is ourselves. We can all close you, to some extent, at the end of the day. But, the loan officer who helps you matters.” Her followers become borrowers because they recognize the added value of her educational content, her accessibility, and her sense of humor. And yet, as any of her quarter-of-a-million followers know — this one included — by being herself Nutter defies classification.

Visitors to Nutter’s page on Linktree, a social media landing platform, have the option to follow her on TikTok, submit loan estimates for second opinions, shop her favorite loungewear brand (Lunya, with 15% discount codes), open a high-yield savings account to start accruing funds for a down payment, read blog posts about boosting curb appeal, or start a conversation. Her Amazon Storefront includes commission-earning shopping links for work essentials, clothes, baby toys, beauty must-haves, and favorite reads, which include such notable authors and personalities as Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad Poor Dad), Tim Grover (Relentless), and Chris Voss (Never Split The Difference). She even lists her height and pre-maternity clothing sizes.

Some knock Nutter’s approach. Others underestimate the power of a 250,000-strong follower base which functions as an active archive of potential borrowers — a self-generating pipeline of nationally sourced leads and referrals. “I want to meet real estate agents in person so they know I’m not just another girl on the internet,” she says in defiance and acknowledgement of the value she provides to both her borrowers and her real estate partners.

The Road Ahead

Nutter remains incredulous that, in 2024, some industry old-timers can’t differentiate the toy from the tool that is social media, and therefore discount the market opportunity where originating intersects with influencing. Not all borrowers want to shop their mortgage by way of silk pajama sets and trick-or-treating fun facts, but it turns out, many do!

This year, amidst one of the most challenging mortgage markets in decades, Nutter and her team have closed $38 million worth of mortgages over 124 units. Leaving from Los Angeles in early February, Nutter plans the first stop of her mortgage road trip to be in Tempe, Arizona. From there, Phoenix and Tucson. From there, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston. Then Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. By the end of May, she hopes to be in Boston. By the end of June, Chicago. By the end of August, Colorado.

Many of the borrowers and real estate teams Nutter will meet she’s worked with for years and on multiple transactions, but has never actually met face-to-face. Some of the agents are Madison Lawrence in Nashville, Tenn.; Emily McAllister in Greenville, NC; and Michelle Humes in Peachtree City, Georgia. The educational programming isn’t set in stone, but will include mortgage seminars at real estate offices, presentations on school campuses, and interviews with borrowers and agents in her camper’s mobile studio.

Those wanting to follow Nutter’s journey — and learn something along the way — can search her handles across her usual platforms like TikTok and YouTube: @mobilemortgagemom and @anutterhomeloan. Nutter will be sharing behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, RV tours, and updates on daily life at the website: www.mobilemortgagemom.com. Her mortgage-forward content will still be produced and perusable at www.anutterhomeloan.com, as well as across her socials.

“The main goal,” she says, “is to bring education directly to the borrowers because my platform on social media is geared towards homebuyer education, and anything and everything in between.” Nutter plans on adding stops along the way depending on the feedback she receives from followers and partners. On her website, there will be an interactive map for tracking her progress across the country and suggesting additional stops.

The door to her office — or camper — or rather, chat room — is always open.