Buoyed by a “better year” in 2025, the men and women in the lending trenches are looking forward to an even better year in 2026.
In a survey of more than 300 mortgage brokers and agents throughout the country, nearly nine out of 10 expect their business to grow in the coming year. Nearly three out of five said they felt “motivated” going into the new year.
Only one in 10 said business this year was not as good as previous years.
The survey, conducted by AD Mortgage, a wholesale lender headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, found that the professionals on the ground cited their strengthened referral networks and expansion into the Non-QM sector as key factors that will drive growth.
A relatively small 12% cited improvements in the borrower experience to result in more business next year.
“Partner feedback confirms the industry's optimism for a strong 2026,” said AD Mortgage CEO Max Slyusarchuk. “This positive market outlook provides the information needed to build strategies that empower mortgage professionals to drive market growth.”
Brokers expect refinance clients to play the biggest role in 2026, followed closely by first-time buyers, and then Non-QM borrowers. Thirty percent say they are going to expand their Non-QM offerings next year.
Investor activity is seen by a smaller “but still meaningful” percentage.
The mix, the survey said, “points to a diversified borrower landscape with notable strength in refis and Non-QM.”
Slyusarchuk said his company sees the same thing on his side of the wholesale business.
“Borrowers want flexibility, whether it’s better terms or Non-QM options,” he said. “These numbers honestly reflect what’s happening day to day.”
Despite the overall positive outlook for 2026, not all is well in the mortgage business as the survey found. Many of the respondents said they still face significant obstacles going forward, not the least of which is economic and market conditions. Two-thirds of the 300 professionals polled referred to that as what keeps them awake at night. And almost half worry about interest rate volatility.
Most brokers said that borrower hesitation was driven overwhelmingly by interest rates, with 60% 一 three out of five 一 selecting rates as the main reason clients didn’t move forward. For one-third of the respondents, client acquisition is still a problem.
House prices were the second-most-cited barrier at 27.9%, while credit concerns made up just 7.1% of responses.
