Well, a lot happened in 2020. Here’s a review

What happened in 2020? Well, 2020 is a tough year to put into words. It’s a year that will live on in history as one of the most challenging for many of us. I feel lucky to call Nova Scotia my home. 2020 was a year of challenges, growth, and success. As we wrap up in 2020, I wanted to put together a bit of a recap of our journey this year. Including a few things that we’re looking forward to in 2021.

A lot happened in 2020…

We kicked off 2020 like most people, focusing on building upon our growth in 2019. We took on many new initiatives to improve our customers’ experience, and then everything went sideways.

If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, our ability to pivot quickly and adapt to market changes is one of the critical reasons for our growth. However, this was different.

In Nova Scotia, and more specifically Halifax and Dartmouth, we’ve experienced significant growth in the past two years. Demand for homes is soaring, and this has lead to considerable growth in our business. This growth means we have more clients to support, and welcoming our community into our office was an essential part of our business model. All of this changed in early March 2020, where we decided to shut down our office to the public and start to digitize, update, and adapt to the new reality.

With the growth in the local housing market, mortgages still needed to be completed. As bank branches closed down and many local brokers shut down temporarily, we worked day and night to make sure we could offer the same service to our community, at a distance.

Mortgages are going digital

We were able to move quickly and work with our lending partners to implement digital document management and digital signatures (where permitted) and improve our online experience. We digitized almost a decade of documents, and we are embracing the digital world going forward.

Focusing on the customer is in our DNA. While local bank branches and lenders were waiting for things to return to normal, we worked to guide consumers in this new reality. We will never stop fighting for our clients and will continue to work to make the mortgage process more consumer-friendly and accessible.

One of the things we were reminded of in 2020 was that what works one day may not work the next, and change is challenging for all of us. If you focus on the consumer, work to improve financial literacy, and stick to this vision, you can adapt to anything. Including a year like 2020.

2020 was a year to remember

This section is where I want to stop talking about the negative side of what happened in 2020. There is enough news, media, and conversations highlighting the dark side of this year. Our commitment to the consumer has not changed. We will continue to provide the same unbiased mortgage advice into the new year and beyond.

I’d like you to pause for a moment and reflect on the good things to come from 2020. I hear positive things from many people, and I think it’s a good idea to end the year on a positive note. Whether you used this opportunity to see more of our beautiful province or used it as a long-overdue chance to spend more time with your loved ones, there are many positive takeaways from 2020.

A quick recap on 2020

We welcomed two new team members in 2020! Sheri Kaulback joins our admin team and is excited to support you through your mortgage journey. Lesa Orr joins our team as our newest mortgage broker and is eager to help you with your mortgage needs! Learn more about Sheri and Lesa on our team page here.

Typically, in April each year, we head to Toronto for the annual Canadian Mortgage Awards. However, 2020 did not get in the way of our annual award ceremony. We attended the 2020 Candian Mortgage Awards virtual ceremony on August 27, 2020. We were excited to be awarded the 2020 Broker of the Year (Under 25 employees) for the third year in a row! This award is a reminder of our firm commitment to the consumer and the great things happening in Atlantic Canada.

Finally, we saw unprecedented growth this year. Following a record year in 2019, funding 506 deals valued at more than 117-million, 2020 exceeded our expectations.

The year is not quite over just yet, but we’re expecting to close out 2020 funding 681 deals valued at more than 180-million. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our fantastic team, clients, business partners, and community. Great things are happening in Atlantic Canada, and we are proud to be involved in this growth and change.

It’s all about the team

I cannot stress this enough; success is a team effort. As always, we couldn’t have done this without the support and hard work from the entire team. We welcomed a few new faces in 2020 and have a few more to share with you in the new year!

We wanted to send a thank you to our fantastic team, both on the frontlines and behind the scenes. Also, we wanted to thank you, our extended family. We couldn’t do this without your referrals, continued support, and partnership throughout the years. We appreciate your business, and your support keeps us going and growing!

Looking forward to 2021

2020 will serve as a challenging year for all of us, but I hope you had a chance to reflect on the good things in 2020.

One more exciting announcement to close out 2020…

We are excited to announce that we have signed a deal to open a second location at 5151 George St in downtown Halifax! We will have a temporary office available by appointment only with the grand opening in the spring of 2021.

Stay tuned for more announcements about the grand opening on our Facebook Page. We are looking forward to seeing you at our new location!

A special thanks

Thank you to all of our front line workers for keeping us safe, fed, and healthy in 2020. Your work has not gone unnoticed in our community, and you gave us all hope when things were darkest.

I also want to thank everyone that made this year a success; we couldn’t have done it without you. We’re taking a much-needed break starting this afternoon, and we will see you again in 2021. It might be a new year, but you know we’ll be here with the same unbiased mortgage advice.

Stay safe and warm this holiday season!

All the best,

Clinton Wilkins Mortgage Team