Getting ready to ring that bell “It’s very exciting,” DeCiantis told the MPA during a phone interview. “Most, if not all, of our customers will never be part of a company that goes public. So to be a partner with UWM and be able to have that experience, you can’t just buy. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.” About 2,000 applications were received to enter the raffle to join Ishbia on the platform, DeCiantis said, before the list was whittled down to the top 100. Entries mainly featured personal accounts of those who wished to participate — real-life stories that reflect the influence psychics have on clients. “They gave these tremendous stories about how they affected the lives of their borrowers,” DeCiantis said. “It’s really a representation of not only getting to know them for what they do but also the impact it’s having on borrowers and on the American Dream.” Raffle submissions replay the full scope of the broker’s work. The range of personal experience conveyed by UWM mediators runs the gamut in describing the experience of a typical mediator. The borrower needed to have filed her taxes for 10 years to qualify for the purchase. It took nine months, but a California broker was able to do it. As a surprise, the borrower placed the broker’s one-year-old son on the home equity. A Florida broker offering options on a VA loan at a veteran hospital met a man who was homeless and living in a shelter. After learning about his situation, he was able to get approved for a new home in 45 days, a life-changing experience for the vet and a satisfying one for the broker. A legally blind couple struggled to get their first home approved, which was turned down by several lenders. This broker helped get them approved, approved to close, and into their new home in less than a month. An immigrant mother and daughter fleeing an abusive home struggled to get a loan and were even mocked by other lenders who told her it wasn’t possible because of her circumstances. A New York broker was able to help them buy a home and make this borrower’s dreams come true. A New York mother and daughter opened their own brokerage firm 18 years ago after growing tired of not having much say in the mortgage process. After the mother died in 2020, the daughter continued to work in the mortgage industry, weathering storms in her path while creating a valuable experience for her borrower. “What are the touching real stories?” DeCiantis asked. Maybe they went to a bank first and couldn’t complete the transaction. Who knows what the reason is.” This year, she added, an “amazing number” of brokers who used to work in retail have appeared.
