Realtors aren't the only ones looking for leads. Mortgage brokers, understanding that as much as 70 percent of their business can come from Realtors, according to a previous Realty Times report, are seeking ways to get in front of Realtors.

A Realty Times reader writes:

Blanche, I read your interesting articles at Realty Times, and I'm interested in exploring options of working with Realtors on mortgage loans. Thank you, Mortgage Partner

Realty Times responds:

There are two things you need to accomplish -- name recognition and trust. To do that, you have to get in front of Realtors repeatedly and then when they introduce you to their clients, you have to follow through by doing what you say you're going to do.

What's most crucial to Realtors is service providers they know they can rely on. They want to know that you will do everything in your power to get the best loan for their clients and then to follow through, making sure the transaction goes smoothly to closing. Service after the closing helps, too. Make sure the customer is happy with the way their loan company handles payments, escrows, etc.

But before you can do all that, you have to build those relationships and the best way to start is through education.

You're in a unique position to report on the market conditions for lending. If lenders are tightening up, you are the one who can inform Realtors that qualifying is going to be a little tougher for their clients. You are the one who knows about new loan products, such as the new flexible rate loan from Countrywide that allows borrowers to skip back and forth twice a year between fixed and adjustable rates as needed without refinancing.

You could call all the brokers in town and offer to do a Monday sales meeting for their agents where you talk about "what's news" in lending. This is your chance to help them dispel myths, and get more transactions moving by helping their buyers overcome their fears or lack of confidence that they can qualify for the home they want.

For example, do you think most Realtors know that private mortgage insurance (PMI) is tax deductible now? You could do a meeting just on that. Explain what PMI is, which kinds of loans tend to require PMI, why some lenders charge this fee, how it's tax deductible and to what degree, and how it can be avoided.

Come back another time and tell your Realtor audience about new loans you've heard about from your stable of lenders and what the pros/cons of those loans are. Make sure you have a handout to give them of how the loan works using the average price home in the broker's neighborhood. If average prices are $300,000, then do some handouts on some of the newer loans, such as the 7-year hybrid, in which borrowers pay a fixed rate for seven years and then the loan resets to an adjustable rate. This is a great loan for people who don't know how long they're going to be in a certain home, but are fairly sure they will move sometime within that seven years.

Offer to sit open houses with any Realtor who will allow you to put your contact information on their feature sheets. Offer to coop the cost of feature sheets for each home.

To be convincing to Realtors, you need to understand the challenges they face and to keep up with homebuyer behavior. In many markets, buyers are on the sidelines, waiting for prices to drop. You may be able to help Realtors convince their buyers to make a move if you can tell them that conditions are changing to favor buyers. Mortgage interest rates have just dropped. Show Realtors using real numbers what a difference a quarter percentage point or less makes in a borrower's monthly payment. If they can take that same information to their buyers, they may have a sale.

What Realtors need to know are the same things that buyers need to know -- the what-if scenarios. For example, the average condo buyer stays in their home about four years, while the average single family home buyer stays about six years. These behaviors help you recommend certain loans and lenders. You might recommend the 5-year hybrid to the condo buyer and a fixed rate loan to the single family home buyer.

If you can email and/or print up loan ideas for average homes and what it takes to qualify for those homes for certain loans, it would be very helpful to Realtors and their clients. Follow up with a newsletter or phone calls to let agents know you are ready, willing, and available to help their clients.

Other ways to meet Realtors are time-intensive but they will pay off -- attend open houses, introduce yourself and leave your card. Realtors also have peer-to-peer MLS meetings, broker-only open houses, seminars, and the like. Attend them all until you are recognizable regular. Introduce yourself and offer to help. Ask about joining networking organizations between Realtors. The top agents usually belong to a networking club where they cross-promote and sell. That's how many homes are sold without a sign ever appearing in the yard. Offer to speak at these networking programs.

This approach also works well with any business networking groups.

Once a few Realtors give you a chance to prove yourself, be worthy of their trust by giving them more than they expect. You've heard the old saw -- underpromise and overdeliver. Don't ever let them wonder where a loan stands, keep them informed. That's the best business plan ever invented.