Here is how to present loan options to borrowers in a way that closes: show three of them side by side, send one link, and follow up the moment they open it. One quote invites rate shopping. Three options invite a decision. This is the method Mortgage Maker is built around, and it comes straight from the origination desk.
Mortgage Maker turns a borrower’s text into a side-by-side loan comparison they open from one link. Start your 14-day free trial or see pricing.
Why side by side beats a single quote
A single quote is a price tag. The borrower carries it to two other lenders, and now your work is the floor someone else gets to beat by an eighth. Three options on one grid change the question from “is this the best rate” to “which of these fits my life.” Now you are the person who explained the tradeoffs, and that is harder to shop.
Numbers back this up. J.D. Power found that borrowers who receive guidance are about 2.3 times more likely to return for their next loan. STRATMOR’s 2025 data says only about 1 in 5 borrowers go back to the same loan officer at all. Guidance is the difference, and a side-by-side comparison is guidance you can send in a text.
The three options, one link method
- Build the anchor. This is the loan the borrower asked for. Say it in one sentence: “615k purchase, 15 percent down, 30-year fixed.” Mortgage Maker pulls the county record, taxes, HOA, an insurance estimate and closing costs, and builds the column with cash to close at the bottom.
- Add the lower-payment option. Usually a 7/6 ARM, or the same loan with the rate bought down. This is the column that makes the anchor feel safe instead of expensive.
- Add the lower-cost option. A slightly higher rate with lender credit covering costs, or the 15-year if cash flow allows. This is the column for the borrower who hates fees more than payments.
- Turn on what helps. The amortization schedule and rate ranges are one toggle each. Use amortization when the borrower is deciding between terms. Use rate ranges when they are nervous about locking.
- Send one link. The comparison, the approval letter, documents, e-sign and the application link sit on one page. The borrower does not hunt through four emails. Documents open only after they verify their email, so the file stays private.
Three is the number. Two feels like a trap. Four feels like homework. Three is a choice.
The method has a cost. Three columns means three sets of numbers you have to defend on the phone, and some borrowers will star the column you would have talked them out of. Let them. A borrower who picked is a borrower who closes.
What to put in the first message
It is Tuesday at 7:50 in the evening and Dana has just sent the listing from her couch. Keep the reply under forty words. The link does the explaining.
“Hi Dana, here are three ways to do the house on Elm. Column one is what you asked for. Two has the lowest payment. Three has the lowest cash to close. Star the one that feels right and I will call you in the morning.”
That message does three jobs. It tells them what they are looking at, it gives them something to do (star one), and it sets a time for the call. The email goes out from Mortgage Maker with your name and your brand colors, so it looks like it came from you, because it did.
How to use the ping to follow up
You are notified when the borrower opens the report, stars an option, adds a house, and when the real estate agent views the approval letter. Your LOA or processor can be routed the same pings so nothing waits on you.
Each ping is a different call. Opened but no star after a day: “Which column raised a question?” Starred: call within the hour, while the decision is warm, and open with the column they picked. Added a house: they are shopping, so ask about the showing and offer a letter at the new price. Agent viewed the letter: an offer is probably going in. Call the agent, not the borrower.
Pings replace guessing. You stop calling to ask “did you get my email” and start calling to talk about what they chose. That is a different conversation, and it is the one borrowers remember.
What agents notice
Rick Guerrero at Neighborhood Loans put it this way: “It helps explain the mortgage payment and the Total Closing Costs. My Realtors love it!” Agents like it because the borrower stops calling them with payment questions, and the follow-up writes itself for you. If you want the agent side of this to run without you on weekends, read about letting agents issue approval letters under your cap.
When the borrower already has a quote
Nothing about the method changes. Put the other lender’s numbers in column one and your three next to it. Mortgage Maker reads a Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure or mortgage statement directly, so the competitor’s column is a drop instead of a retype. We wrote up the full play in how to counter a competitor’s Loan Estimate in under five minutes.
FAQ
How many loan options should I present to a borrower?
Present three: the loan they asked for, the lower-payment option and the lower-cost option. Two feels like a trap and four feels like homework. Three gives the borrower a real choice without overwhelming them. Mortgage Maker puts all three side by side on one grid.
Should I send loan options by email or text?
Send one link, by whichever channel the borrower already uses with you. The link should hold the comparison, the approval letter, documents, e-sign and the application so the borrower never has to look anywhere else. Mortgage Maker sends exactly that link and pings you when the borrower opens it.
What should I say when I send loan options?
Under forty words: what each column is, what to do (star one), and when you will call. Let the comparison carry the detail. In Mortgage Maker, the borrower stars the column they want.
How do I know if the borrower looked at the options?
In Mortgage Maker you get a ping when the borrower opens the report, stars an option or adds a house, and when the agent views the approval letter. Each one tells you which call to make next.
Try the method on your next file
Build three columns, send one link, and watch for the star. Start a 14-day free trial, or book a live demo and bring a borrower you are working right now. To compare the tools that build the grid, see our 2026 roundup of mortgage presentation software.
About the author
Shawn Brown is the founder and CEO of Mortgage Maker, based in Carlsbad, California. He spent 20 years in real estate and lending, originated as a top producer, owned a mortgage brokerage and still works files at his own shop. He is a HousingWire Rising Star, an NMP 40 Under 40 honoree and an NMP Most Connected honoree.
Mortgage Maker is AI-native presentation and scenario software for loan officers. Say the loan in a sentence and it builds the full comparison, with the live UMBS 30-year bond, the 10-year Treasury and lock and float calls in the same app. One plan, $99 a month or $950 a year, rated 5.0 on G2 and Capterra. See the features, the pricing and how Mortgage Maker compares.
