The market has changed. Buyers aren’t waiting for a lender... they’re searching on their own through real estate platforms like Redfin and Zillow. In fact, 62% explore financing on real estate platforms, and 55% start with a search engine.

If you're not part of that early research window, you're out of the conversation.

Most lenders show up too late. By the time a lead calls or applies, trust is already forming elsewhere. That’s why we built Homebot Home Search, to give you visibility into buyer behavior from the start. You see what they’re exploring, when they’re engaged, and where to step in (and how to increase loan volume for yourself).

In our recent webinar, Capturing Purchase Business with Home Search, seasoned LOs Mike Molina (Intercap Lending) and Christopher Goodman (Rize Mortgage) shared how they’re using the platform to stay connected, identify serious buyers, and increase loan volume without chasing cold leads.

This is how top producers are working now... intentional, data-driven, and always a step ahead.

What is Homebot Home Search, and How Does It Help Loan Officers Increase Loan Volume?

Buyers are going to search for homes. That’s a given.

The problem is when leveraging tools like Zillow and Redfin, you get no insight into what your clients and prospective buyers are searching for or what those searches might mean. Even worse, upward of 35% of all browsers searching for homes are looking “just for fun.”  

This leaves you to wonder… Are they just browsing? Killing time on a Sunday afternoon? Or are they checking their credit, prepping finances, and gearing up for a move? Either way, you reach out while driving blind. You’ve never been able to see what happens before the prequal... until now.

Homebot Home Search surfaces the mortgage intent signals behind the activity. It doesn’t just show you that someone’s looking—it gives you context. You see who’s re-engaging with the platform, who’s adjusting affordability, who’s saving listings, and who’s showing patterns that point to real purchase intent.

Here’s how it gives you the edge:

1. Engagement tracking on every buyer action

You can see all your database’s engagement. Every search, saved listing, and open house view shows up in your Activity Feed (and only yours). You’re not guessing who’s ready. Nor are you sharing this data with 50 other loan officers to increase loan volume.  You see it. You own it. You act on it.

2. Key client lists and real-time activity feeds

Homebot automatically organizes buyers based on activity levels. Your dashboard surfaces the most engaged clients, sorted by recency and frequency of behavior, so you can quickly identify who to call without wasting time on cold outreach.

3. Embedded LO branding on every listing 

Your contact info appears on every property. Always visible, always clickable. Clients can message you, request a tour, or ask to be prequalified directly from the listing page. No redirects, no third-party ads, no risk of losing the relationship.

4. Editable mortgage calculator on each property 

Every listing includes a live mortgage calculator. Clients can adjust price, down payment, rate, and term to see how monthly payments change. That calculator is built in, and it keeps buyers thinking in terms of affordability from the start.

You don’t need more leads. You need better ones. Home Search makes your database work smarter—and gives you the edge to increase loan volume and close more, faster.

Home Search in Action: How Top Lenders Are Using Buyer Intent to Increase Loan Volume 

We get it… features don’t increase loan volume. Execution does.

Mike Molina and Christopher Goodman aren’t testing ideas. They’re working serious buyer leads every week, leveraging the Deep Search functionality in Homebot to spot intent early, act fast, and stay locked in through the entire process.

So what does this look like in practice? Below, Mike and Christopher give their playbook on how to use Home Search data to increase loan volume, build stronger pipelines, and stop wasting time on cold leads.

1. Focus on buyers who are ready to act

High-performing LOs increase loan volume by focusing on intent. They prioritize clients who show active, relevant behavior, like viewing the same zip code multiple times or requesting a CMA. Homebot captures these patterns in real time, giving clear insight into who’s most likely to move.

“I use it as an amazing stalking tool,” Mike said. “If someone looks at a listing 20-plus times in a month, I’ll reach out and ask if they want to get pre-approved.”

Key actions that reveal buyer intent:

• Repeated searches in a specific zip code or price range. These patterns show active, localized interest—essential data to increase loan volume.
• Consistent use of affordability calculators. Buyers exploring affordability are moving beyond curiosity, signaling they’re ready for next steps and ideal for mortgage lead generation.
• Multiple views of a single listing. When a client revisits a property, it’s a reliable sign of emotional investment and readiness to connect with a lender.
• Requests for property or equity analysis. These are high-value indicators that the buyer is evaluating their financial options and may need a lender’s guidance.
• Listing shares with family or agents. Sharing signals trust and forward momentum—an ideal time to engage with smart loan officer marketing strategies for realtors.

These behaviors help mortgage pros increase loan volume before competitors catch on.

2. Control the search experience from the start

Loan officers who rely on outside platforms lose the opportunity to guide buyer behavior. When a client starts their journey with Homebot, the lender stays visible from day one. The experience is branded, private, and designed to protect lender relationships, not monetize them.

“You’ve got to own the platform. I want clients to search on my system, not Zillow’s,” said Christopher. “With Homebot, they see my name, my contact details, and I’m part of the process the whole time.”

This visibility supports stronger relationships and improves how data is used to generate leads and guide decisions.

Why full control matters:

• The search environment supports your business, not outside ads. No competing lender promotions, no distractions—just a streamlined path to increase loan volume and quality mortgage leads.
• Data stays private and usable for your strategy. With ownership over buyer behavior, lenders can execute more effective lender marketing platform strategies.
• Buyers associate their journey with your brand. This keeps your business top-of-mind and strengthens the loan officer and real estate agent relationship through shared visibility.
• Partner agents are looped in through co-branding, not competition. Co-branded tools ensure you and your agents are aligned, building trust instead of tension.

Owning the full experience gives lenders the data, control, and client loyalty needed to stay ahead in a competitive mortgage lead generation landscape.

3. Use behavior to identify high-value leads and increase loan volume

Not every buyer who clicks a listing is ready to talk. However, when someone uses affordability tools, saves homes, or checks property tax details, they’re moving forward. These signals aren’t always loud, but Homebot makes them easy to spot.

Christopher shared, “I’ve started sorting leads not just by pre-approval or contact status, but by search behavior. If they’re searching consistently, they’re hot.”

Mortgage intent signals to prioritize:

• Submitting a prequal or affordability request. These are key conversion points that signal a buyer is ready to engage—an ideal time to offer value.
• Using search filters with consistency. Clients' fine-tuning their criteria  means they’re refining their search.
• Viewing a property or zip code 10+ times. Persistent interest in a specific area is a strong indicator of action and an opening for proactive outreach.
• Interacting with the platform multiple days per week. Repeated engagement is a clear cue that a buyer is serious, making them a top candidate for follow-up to increase loan volume.

When you act on the right triggers, you elevate your odds of converting high-intent leads into closed loans.

Pro tip: Struggling to prioritize who to follow up with? Homebot’s Client Engagement Portal helps you zero in on the most active buyers at a glance.

4. Deliver real value to agent partners

Homebot creates a better way for agents and lenders to collaborate through its Partner Intel Feature. Mike often asks agents during presentations if they offer buyers a mobile search app. Most don’t. That’s where he introduces Homebot, with co-branded features that support both parties.

“Most agents don’t even know they’re allowed to have an app like this,” Mike said. “I show them how to onboard buyers with a QR code. Now they’re giving their clients something better than Zillow.”

How to support partner success:

• Set up co-branded Home Search apps for agents. This tool strengthens the relationship between the loan officer and real estate agent, keeping both parties aligned throughout the process.
• Help agents manage their database inside the platform. You become more than a lender—you’re a strategic partner using a shared tool to drive value together.
• Use Partner Intel to surface top-performing referral partners. This data-backed approach strengthens referral pipelines and identifies agents who share similar goals and work ethic to you. 
• Offer a simple way for agents to distribute buyer tools. With QR codes and personalized links, agents can easily guide clients into a smarter search flow that benefits both parties.

Supporting agents with scalable tools not only drives loyalty but also creates a repeatable system for identifying hot leads together.

5. Act quickly with less effort

Time matters when following up with engaged buyers. Homebot keeps that effort low while keeping results high. Christopher spends 10 minutes each morning reviewing top client activity. Mike uses the Monday summary email to set his call plan for the week.

“I look at the weekly digest and know exactly who to call,” said Mike. “I don’t need to guess. I just work the list.”

Christopher added, “The platform does the work for me. I don’t spend hours prospecting. I spend minutes acting.”

How to work smarter with less time and increase loan volume:

• Use daily logins to check activity filters and buyer behavior. A quick scan of your dashboard reveals your highly engaged clients, allowing you to focus your time where it matters most.
• Act on Homebot’s weekly engagement summaries. These insights simplify mortgage lead generation by highlighting the most active clients, giving you an automatic roadmap for outreach.
• Create targeted landing pages for new buyer campaigns. Drive increased load volume and boost visibility with customizable tools that fit any lender marketing platform strategy.
• Tag clients automatically based on behavior and stage. This small automation step saves hours and helps you personalize engagement, which is crucial for maintaining strong relationships between loan officers and real estate agents.
• Watch for repeated behavior patterns that signal urgency. Frequent listing views or affordability tool usage means it’s time to check-in.

These time-saving habits turn daily engagement into predictable growth, giving you a scalable edge to capture and convert leads.

Conclusion: Build Better Relationships, Increase Your Loan Volume

Buyers are already in motion, but without a way to track that behavior, too many lenders are missing out on critical opportunities. Whether it's visibility lost to third-party platforms or time wasted on low-quality outreach, the pain points are clear: disjointed buyer journeys, weakened loan officer and real estate agent relationships, and inefficient mortgage lead generation.

Homebot offers a different path. As a powerful lender marketing platform, it empowers you to stay connected from a client's first search to closing. You get real behavioral data, branded buyer experiences, and smart automation that increase loan volume and support stronger, value-driven relationships with realtors.

Or as Mike Molina puts it, Homebot gives you “reasons to call, reasons to connect, and reasons to close.” That’s the kind of edge every modern lender needs.

Generate more loan volume and convert with confidence. Book your Homebot demo now.

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