When I last spoke with Ryan Niles at Cornerstone Home Lending it was early 2021 and he and his wife, Kami, had just had their first baby six weeks prior. Kami was at an appointment, yet Ryan powered through our interview while watching his son, Grayson, with a sense of calm admirable for any new parent. This year, he was home once again helping to care for Kami and second son, Lawson, while they battled an illness Grayson had picked up at preschool. Yet once again, Ryan seemed totally at ease.

All I could think was, “Ryan’s ability to stay calm under pressure must serve him well when guiding clients through one of the most difficult markets we’ve experienced.” Yet, crazy as it may sound, Ryan attributes his more relaxed, thoughtful demeanor to becoming a father. “Being a dad and experiencing that love you have for your children has helped me to slow down, appreciate, and be grateful for all the people in my life and for what I get to do in this business,” he says. “My passion going forward is to be a true partner to my agents by pouring into them and helping them grow their businesses. Nothing else matters.”

In today’s tough market, this should be music to an agent’s ears. “I’ve been a lender for 19 years, and the past couple have been among the most challenging I’ve seen. Many agents are having a challenging time right now due to the market conditions, so my team and I are focused on finding ways to get them more buyers and generate more income, and we have many tools for achieving this.” Whether you are new to the business, somewhere in the middle of the pack, or absolutely crushing it but want to help your team members excel, The Niles Team would love to be your financial ally in real estate.

When Ryan first meets with an agent, he learns everything he can about their specific business model, strengths and weaknesses, and where they really want to take their business. Then he creates a game plan. “If they are focused on buyers, we show them ways in which they can attract more in this tight inventory environment by increasing the affordability for them through strategic, creative financing,” he continues. “We do that through temporary buydowns, where we lower the mortgage rate for buyers for the first two years. We also help them get full underwriting approval ahead of time, which allows them to close in 10 days and win in multiple offer situations.” And as we all know, the more an agent’s buyers win, the more business that agent generates.

Yet no matter how good an agent and lender, if a buyer doesn’t have the confidence to move forward, it doesn’t matter. This is where Ryan and his team truly excel. “We take complex topics and subjects—including all these moving parts and numbers—and break them down into layman’s terms,” Ryan explains. “Using our excellent technology deck, we can visually show buyers in an easy, educational format how we can get their payment to a level that is going to work for them,” he continues. “By doing so, we empower them and give them the confidence to move forward because we have a game plan and a strategy for executing it in this market.”

Even on the listings side, Ryan and his team have found ways to help agents move stale inventory. “Sometimes certain listings sit on the market because they were overpriced to start with so aren’t getting that traction they need, or because the agent didn’t have a good game plan going in,” says Ryan. “I have had more listing agents come to me and say, ‘Hey Ryan. This house has been on the market for two weeks. I’ve done multiple open houses, yet we aren’t getting the traction we need to attract a buyer and haven’t gotten any offers.’” Instead of suggesting a price reduction, Ryan gets creative. “I suggest leaving the price as is and, instead, offering a $25,000 credit to the buyer, who can then implement a rate buydown strategy,” he says. “Then we run the numbers and provide an analysis report the listing agent can use to attract potential buyers.” When buyers see their monthly payments will be hundreds of dollars less this way rather than just barely moving the needle with a reduced home price, they are sold…and so is the stale property! This buyer’s incentive also helps create bidding wars, upping the seller’s profit, and leading to more referrals and listings for the agent.

Outside of that, Ryan and his team add value for their agent partners by keeping them apprised of current and changing market conditions through monthly and quarterly Zoom meetings. “In addition, I send books, weekly videos, e-mails, and texts, letting them know what’s going on. It’s a constant educational journey,” Ryan says. And finally, The Niles Team offers an agent profit plan that is guaranteed to get agents another three to five deals a year. As Ryan explains, “It consists of a book, as well as a curriculum class we teach through our offices, and lays out specific, tangible things an agent can do to achieve results.”

As Ryan has learned, “You don’t need to spread yourself thin by trying to work with everyone. Instead, find your tribe, pour into them, and you’ll be amazed how you can help change the trajectory of their lives.”