Trust Matters

Trust matters—but how can you build it? They say there’s no place for emotion in business. Yet, at the same time, trust is considered the foundation of any strong organization and an essential building block for success in the workplace. So how do you go about building an environment of trust?

It is the one thing that changes everything. It’s not a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have.

One of the most annoying phrases right now is trusted advisor. This term is vastly overused, often misrepresented, and largely misunderstood. However, we believe in its intent: to be a divorce mortgage professional where strategic partners and divorcing homeowners seek our advice and trust it enough to act on it rather than shopping around for other opinions.

Merriam-Webster defines trust as “assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or trust of someone or something,” as well as “one in which confidence is placed.” But the term trusted advisor has a relatively loose definition in the mortgage industry. Understandably, many mortgage professionals believe they are trusted advisors—but are they?

Do you have a trusted CDLP™ partner?

A trusted partner is someone you can bounce ideas off, look to for advice, and most importantly, know that you and the outcome of your divorce case are paramount. Your trusted partner delivers, communicates, and is interested in you, and takes responsibility for your client’s success.

A Trusted CDLP™ Partner has a vested interest in you and your business. They will:

• Ask the difficult questions to identify the pain points that drive needs and understand how it will affect the divorce outcome.
• Engage with subject matter experts, other partners, and take the time to listen to what matters.
• Not sell you a solution that is not the best fit, but rather point you in the right direction.

Instead of responding ‘yes’ immediately, a Certified Divorce Lending Professional takes the time to understand what you’re trying to accomplish during the divorce settlement process, asking questions like:

• What are you trying to achieve?
• Who else with these decisions and suggestions affect?
• What are your long-term goals?
• Have you thought about…?

Transparent, honest, open lines of communication and consistently getting involved early while sharing one vision will make the divorce settlement process much smoother. A Certified Divorce Lending Professional is consistent, credible, knowledgeable, and “in the fox hole” with you.

Trust matters, and who you choose to partner with and what they bring to the table truly does affect your success, your divorcing client's success, and the overall outcome of the divorce settlement process. 

A successful divorce settlement results from effective communication and strategic negotiations in such a manner that both divorcing parties come out whole or at least on the road to recovery. Working together as a team and incorporating divorce mortgage planning into the settlement cycle with a Certified Divorce Lending Professional will ultimately result in a better solution and better outcome for the divorcing couple.

As a divorce mortgage planner, the CDLP™ can help divorcing homeowners make a more informed decision regarding their home equity solutions while helping the professional divorce team identify any potential conflicts between the divorce settlement, home equity solutions as well as real property issues. 

Divorce Mortgage Planning is a holistic approach to the process of evaluating mortgage options in the context of the overall financial objectives as they relate to divorcing situations. Working directly with the divorce team, a CDLP™ understands the intersection of divorce, tax, real estate, and mortgage financing. The role of the CDLP™ is to help integrate the mortgage selected into the overall long and short-term financial and investment goals, to help minimize taxes, to minimize interest expense, and maximize cash flow.

Involving a Certified Divorce Lending Professional (CDLP™) early in the divorce settlement process can help the divorcing homeowners set the stage for successful mortgage financing in the future.