Can you believe it’s been four years since we were first introduced to John Noyes? And that was in February of 2020, right before the storm of COVID-19 hit and changed everything. Well, a lot has happened since then. But John, who has been in the mortgage business for twenty-three years now and is known for being “the calm within the storm,” hasn’t a skipped a beat. 

The biggest thing that changed for John was his brokerage. He moved to CrossCountry Mortgage and couldn’t be happier. “CrossCountry has much more support, breadth of products, and a team that’s the best in the business,” John emphasizes. “I feel supported in all my endeavors here, and I’m able to deliver the client experience that my clients deserve and are seeking out.”

Having been awarded the designation of Five Star Mortgage Professional for over ten years (and being one of only ten or so people in Chicago to be awarded that many times), John places the client experience above all else. He strongly believes he delivers more value to his clients than any other lender in the area. 

John outlines several ways he elevates the client experience. In addition to his calm and caring personality, he puts a big emphasis on education, using web-based, interactive tools to ensure his clients know exactly what they are getting into and why they are doing it. 

He’s also created an easy-to-understand presentation of loan options that tracks his client’s net worth over time, helping them achieve the outcome they desire. He shows up at every closing to make sure the very last impression his clients have is of his team ensuring that they don’t have any issues at the closing table and can all celebrate together.

“There can be a lot of anxiety and fear within the process of buying a home, but I take great pains to make sure our clients have all their questions answered and that they feel they have an ally on their side. That’s why I've built a comprehensive experience over the last few years that I think every person buying a home or refinancing should experience.” 

And for John, the client experience doesn’t end at the closing table. By utilizing tools that track a person’s home value and offering tips on how to use future home equity, he can continue to add value to his clients and their home purchase years into the future—as he often emphasizes to his clients, “I’m not a transactional lender. You’re going to hear from me long after your closing.”

Past accolades notwithstanding, John continues to find new ways to refine and improve his client experience. In fact, just this past year as the market has slowed, he has taken the extra time to tighten up his client experience to ensure he can really “wow” them. 

“I envision that my client experience will continue to develop, and that I’ll continue to receive rave reviews from clients and referral partners,” John predicts.

John is also focusing on expanding his business beyond Chicago and the immediate area and anticipates working with more referral partners who are further out. He constantly receives feedback from his current referral partners about how much their clients appreciate his services.

In addition to taking good care of their clients, John curates regular education experiences for his referral partners, covering current events in the mortgage and real estate industry. Greatest success for John is having a client call him years later to talk about ideas they’re kicking around.

One of the biggest changes for John recently was having both his kids, Sophie and Sam, go off to college, making him and his wife, Becca, “empty nesters.” “I absolutely love my kids and had a great time with them when they were growing up, but it’s been exciting to experience my relationship with my wife in a new way and be able to expand our horizons in this new stage of life,” John shares.

A big family man, John is grateful that his kids still come home and enjoy spending time all together. They love taking road trips together, skiing, and going out to dinner. Having grown up in Colorado, John prefers the mountains over the beach. He also enjoys going to music festivals with his son and attending the theatre with his daughter, where he can appreciate his own undergraduate degree in theatre and training as an actor.    

Music is still a big part of John’s life. He continues to play drums in multiple bands, see his favorite bands in Chicago (especially at SPACE in Evanston), and listen to his record collection at home. While he loves listening to all kinds of music, particularly John Bonham’s drumming for Led Zeppelin, he considers himself a big metalhead and can often be found right outside the circle pit at concerts. He also enjoys discovering new bands and keeping up-to-date with the music scene.