Reverse Mortgage magazine Nov-Dec 2020

YEARS AGO, LONG before the pandemic disrupted businesses worldwide, Christina Harmes Hika, CRMP, and a top producer with C2 Reverse Mortgage in San Diego, CA, was mastering how technology could create efficiencies and better serve her reverse mortgage customers . Harmes Hika, who has a back- ground in real estate and forward mortgages, first adopted electronic signing of documents. Then, she started taping informational vid- eos—custom designed for individual clients—and using video conferencing to connect with potential clients, as well as their family members and financial advisers. Meanwhile, others in the industry are swearing by in-per- son meetings across the kitchen table, she says. “The face-to-face magic—we love it,” says Harmes Hika. “It makes all the difference. The clients trust you. They get a good feel for you. You are in their home getting a feel for them, and we really love that aspect of it. “But how do you bring that to your client who is in San Francisco or who is in a different state?” she adds. “Whose financial planner is in a different state? Whose son says, ‘Oh no, not a reverse mortgage,’ and he is in New York?” The proper use of technologies provided the answer, Harmes Hika says. So, when the pandemic hit early this year, she and her team already were comfortable with the tools needed to sell reverse mortgages virtually as states and municipalities nationwide were shutting down and face-to-face meetings largely ceased. She and others have been taking time over the past few months to offer tips and advice to industry peers who were forced to use technol- ogies, such as video conferencing, during the pandemic. “I personally didn’t have to shift that much,” says Harmes Hika, who has been working from home for a long time, as well. The technology tools have become an important way to communicate with clients, their chil- dren, financial advisers, lawyers or anyone else the client wants involved in the process. Her conversations with clients often begin with a sim- ple question, such as whether they like to communicate by email. The answer can be telling. Some people might say they check email all the time. Or some might say they use email occasionally. They might answer that they don’t have a computer. Regardless, a straightforward question can tell you about a person’s familiarity with technology. As she gains information about what clients want and need, she then customizes a video aimed at addressing potential concerns that clients can refer back to and share with others. “Mine are a little long. Mine are about 40 minutes,” she says about the videos. “So, I really do put in the effort upfront to handle all the objections.” In her videos, Harmes Hika might review proprietary products or HECMs, a borrower’s responsibilities and any other issues that she knows, from experience, a borrower might not think to ask. Before she hit upon the video idea, she would find herself having the same conversations mul- tiple times, which wasn’t good for her or her clients. When Harmes Hika presents the video to clients, she assures them there is no pressure and encourages them to gather questions. This allows for a productive follow-up meeting when they are ready. “And that helps make the process more efficient, and it also makes for a more educated borrower,” Harmes Hika maintains. When meeting live with people, they often are thinking what they want to say next and might miss a nuance. The video gives them the time to focus. One of the defining moments came about five years ago when she was with a husband and wife and the Up Your Tech Game Tips for Making Deals Through Technology By Thomas A. Barstow Christina Harmes Hika 22 REVERSE MORTGAGE / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020