CRMP: Across the Kitchen Table their life. I want them to make sure they know who I am and that we work together.” Jones keeps in touch with everyone, whether they are past clients or potential customers who said no but left the door open by saying, “Call me back in six months.” It’s his way of keeping his name top of mind as people’s circumstances change—as spouses die, or medical conditions require home healthcare. He has heard most recently from clients dating as far back as 2004 and 2006. One lead had recently broken her ankle when Jones, as promised, called her back six months after their first conversation. “She said, ‘Hey, Dean, I think I’m ready now,’” he recalls. “It’s about following up.” Although Jones has a brokers license, he has always worked for firms. Because Senior Funding Associates is an independent broker, he can customize recommendations and craft solutions for his clients from a full spectrum of lenders. Often, he has found alternative outlets for clients who couldn’t qualify for a specific lender’s reverse mortgage—perhaps when the client’s manufactured home was new enough for Federal Housing Administration purposes but didn’t fit a lender’s stricter age limits. Others might need a plan for repairing damaged credit. “If, for whatever reason, they can’t get the loan done elsewhere, we try to get the loan completed for them, and if not, we try to put them on the path to get done what they need to do,” Jones says. He believes in giving back to the profession that has nurtured his career. Jones became involved with NRMLA as a member delegate in 2000. From 2005 to 2009, he served on the NRMLA Board of Directors, including a term as board secretary. From 2007 to 2009, he co-chaired the Professional Development Committee. In that spot, he helped lead the creation of the CRMP and its exam. He earned the CRMP in 2012 because he felt it was important to his career and wanted firsthand experience of earning the new industry designation. To him, the CRMP sets him apart; designates standing in the industry; and projects knowledge, experience and ethics. “All the time before, I was basically ‘Dean Jones, specializing in reverse Across the Kitchen Table continued on page 16 REVERSE MORTGAGE / MAY–JUNE 2023 15
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