When a borrower sends you another lender’s Loan Estimate, drop it into a loan estimate comparison tool, build your options next to it on the same grid, and send one link. In Mortgage Maker that is under five minutes from the PDF landing in your inbox to the link landing in theirs. Here is the play, step by step, and what to say when you send it.
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.
The Loan Estimate is the best lead you will get this week
A borrower who sends you a competitor’s LE is telling you two things. They have not signed yet, and they want you to win. Nobody forwards a quote to a lender they have already ruled out. This one landed at 8:15 on a Tuesday night, forwarded from a phone with no message at all. So the clock matters as much as the rate. The lender who answers first with the clearest picture has the edge, and the borrower is holding their phone right now.
The five-minute counter
- Drop in the LE (8 seconds). Mortgage Maker reads a Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure or mortgage statement, including another lender’s. Loan amount, rate, term, closing costs and cash to close land on the grid as the first column.
- Check the property (1 minute). The county record pulls with the address: home value against live comps, active liens with balances, taxes, HOA and an insurance estimate. This is where a lot of estimates get caught. If their taxes or insurance are light, their payment is low on paper only, and now you can show it with the record instead of arguing it.
- Build the counter (2 minutes). Say your options in a sentence: your rate at par, your rate with lender credit covering costs, and the one they did not ask for. That third column is usually a 7/6 ARM or the 15-year. Three columns next to theirs. Purchase, refinance, ARM, HELOC, all on the same grid.
- Toggle amortization (10 seconds). If your option costs a little more each month but pays down faster, the amortization schedule makes that visible without a speech.
- Send one link (30 seconds). The comparison, your approval letter, documents, e-sign and the application sit on one page. The borrower opens one thing.
Leave their numbers on the grid
Do not delete the competitor’s column. Hiding it looks like hiding. The borrower already has that LE, and showing it next to yours tells them you are not afraid of it. If their offer is better on one line, say so in the message. Borrowers remember who told them the truth about the other lender’s numbers, and that memory is worth more than the eighth you were trying to protect. Some weeks that honesty costs you the file. It is still the right call.
Keep their numbers exactly as written. Correct only the property facts the county record shows, like taxes, and label the correction. The borrower should be able to put your link next to their PDF and see every number match.
What to say to the borrower
Send something like this, and leave the other loan officer out of it.
“Thanks for sending this over. I put their estimate on the left and three options from me next to it, with the real county taxes for the house. Column two is the one I would pick for you. Star what makes sense and I will call you at 4.”
Three rules. Never say the other loan officer made a mistake, even when they did. Say “their estimate assumed this, the county record says that.” Always name the column you would pick, because a borrower who asked for help wants an answer. Always give a time for the call. The borrower is choosing who to trust for the next 30 days.
What to watch after you send
Two pings matter after you send: one when they open the link, one when they star an option. Opened with no star within a few hours means a question is sitting there, so call and ask which column. Starred means the decision is made and the other lender is about to get a very polite text. Call first. If the real estate agent views the letter, an offer is going in, and your approval letter is already on the page.
Why this beats a spreadsheet
You can do all of this in Excel. I did, for years. The taxes came from memory and the borrower got a screenshot. David Glick at First Community Mortgage said it in one line: “The property data autoload feature is an absolute lifesaver.” What wins the file is that you answered while they were still holding the phone, with the county record on your side.
For the broader method behind the counter, read three options, one link. If your tool’s AI builder is still in beta, our Mortgage Coach alternative post explains why the accuracy number matters on exactly this kind of file. Our 2026 roundup prices the rest of the field.
FAQ
Can Mortgage Maker read another lender’s Loan Estimate?
Yes. Drop another lender’s Loan Estimate, Closing Disclosure or mortgage statement into Mortgage Maker. The loan amount, rate, term, closing costs and cash to close land on the comparison grid as a column.
Is it okay to put a competitor’s Loan Estimate in a comparison?
The Loan Estimate belongs to the borrower, and they chose to send it to you. Keep their numbers exactly as written, correct only the property facts the county record shows, and let the borrower draw the conclusion. Mortgage Maker reads another lender’s Loan Estimate in about 8 seconds and lays it beside yours.
What if the competitor’s Loan Estimate is better?
Say so. Name the line where they win, show where you win, and recommend what you would do if it were your money. Honesty on one file is how you get the next three. Mortgage Maker puts both side by side, so the borrower sees the same lines you do.
How long does it take to build the counter?
In Mortgage Maker, under five minutes from the PDF in your inbox to a link in the borrower’s. Reading the LE takes about 8 seconds, the county record pulls with the address, and the options build from one sentence.
Try it on the next LE that lands
Next time a borrower forwards a quote, time yourself. Start a 14-day free trial and drop the PDF in, or book a live demo and bring a Loan Estimate you lost to.
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.
