Content, Community, Closings: How Austin Foss Grows His Mortgage Business

In this episode of Connections That Matter, Andrew sits down with mortgage advisor Austin Foss, who moved from the Texas heat to Northern Colorado—and brought his lending business with him.

Austin specializes in helping veterans, first-time homebuyers, and relocating families actually understand the mortgage process so they feel confident instead of overwhelmed. From navigating two very different markets (Austin and Colorado) to using content and networking to build trust, he shows why great lending is more about relationship than interest rate.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How Austin relocated from Texas to Colorado and kept serving clients in both states
• The surprising similarities between the Austin and Denver markets
• Why he focuses on purchase loans instead of chasing every refi boom
• How he serves veterans using the VA loan and better education
• Using social media content to “pre-introduce” himself to clients and partners
• Why he aims to be a great #2 lender (not rip existing relationships away)
• The “homebuying village” every buyer needs: agent, inspector, insurance, lender
• What to look for when you’re choosing a loan officer (beyond just the rate)

Why you should listen:
 If you’re a realtor, home service pro, or business owner, you’ll hear how a relationship-driven mortgage advisor thinks, collaborates, and communicates—so you can better serve your own clients and partners. If you’re a future homebuyer, this will give you a clear picture of what a good lender should be doing for you and how to prepare for your next purchase.

Connect with Austin Foss
 Mortgage Advisor – Licensed in Colorado & Texas, serving Northern Colorado and beyond
 Phone: 713-249-3470
Website: www.austinfoss.com

Want to come network with us?
 Come meet past podcast guests, Andrew, and other Northern Colorado business owners at our upcoming Next Level Networking events:
👉 https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/nia-next-level-networking-3697909

00:00 Meet Austin Foss – from Texas to Northern Colorado
01:00 Moving a mortgage business across state lines
02:55 Austin vs. Denver: how the markets really compare
05:00 Serving veterans and first-time buyers with better education
07:10 How networking helps Austin stand out from other lenders
08:24 Social media content as a “warm introduction”
10:09 Starting over in Northern Colorado and becoming the trusted “number two” lender
12:31 Refis vs. purchases: why Austin focuses on purchase loans
13:30 What changed when the refi boom ended
15:35 Building a smooth, repeatable mortgage process
18:00 The “homebuying village”: inspectors, insurance agents, and realtors
21:20 How to work with Austin and why his cell is the main line
23:00 Final thoughts and how to connect

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

But you can't get to know somebody if you don't actually meet with them. Yeah. You know, there's a lot of people who do what I do. You know, if you go on Facebook and somebody puts in, I'm looking for a realtor.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

All right. Welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter, where we have awesome conversations with Northern Colorado's best networkers and discuss the connections that they've made that have led to their success. And today I have a dual state uh successful networker, Austin Foss, on the show. Welcome. Thank you for having me. Austin. So uh born uh in Texas and up here in Colorado, but uh share a little bit about your journey.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Born and raised in Texas, in Houston, actually. Uh went to school in Dallas and then went to the Northeast for a few years, came back to Austin. Uh my wife's from San Antonio, so we've got all four of the major cities in Texas covered. So that's good. And then we just got tired of the heat. We decided that living in 110 degree heat for seven to eight months out of the year where you can't go outside after 9 a.m. and it's still 90 degrees at 8 p.m. is not a way to live. So we decided to relocate up here to Colorado, um, be closer to things like Estes Park and be closer to Wyoming and, you know, everything that having a huge airport right next to us has to offer. So we've loved it. Couldn't couldn't be happier. Um, was able to bring my business up with me because we live in a digital world, for better or worse, where everything can just kind of be done online. Um, as a mortgage advisor, you know, a lot of work is done over the phone, over Zoom. There's not a lot of let me go into the office and print out my W-2s and put them on your desk. It's just not the way of life anymore. So it's, you know, it's if it's been a blessing for me to be able to continue doing what I do and helping people without really missing a beat, even though I'm about a 14-hour drive from where I was previously.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

There you go. Well, how's how's the how are the markets different? Because I I get these targeted YouTube videos or Facebook about these like mansions in Texas and all the what you can buy in real estate there. And then a lot of people feel the pain in Colorado of what things cost here, but we have lower property taxes. How are the how are the markets different?

SPEAKER_00 2:12

I think it depends on where you're looking. So if you're looking in actual Austin proper, it's actually very similar to Denver in that Denver and Austin are generally the precursors for what's going to happen across the country when it comes to real estate. Interesting. Whether that's prices, whether that's availability, inventory, whatever that looks like. In Texas, there's a lot more new construction I've found, especially in the bigger cities in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston, especially, just because you know they're kind of out of room. And so builders have come in and try to, you know, buy up a lot of land that was maybe previously unused or what have you to try to get more homeowners in there. So Austin and Denver themselves are pretty similar. Outside of that, um, I would say there still are a lot of similarities between, so I'm in Johnstown, technically, um, and then I was in a city called Leander, which was about 30 minutes north of Austin. So Johnstown, 30 minutes out of Fort Collins, right? They're very similar in that they're kind of exploding and in a good way. Um, and a lot of people are kind of moving to Colorado and they're like, I don't want to really want to be in Denver, but I want to have access to it. And that's what we saw with a lot of people in Austin. They would move to Texas and want to be in Austin, but didn't want to be in Austin proper. They're like, I want to have access to Austin, but kind of be somewhere else. So um it is interesting because the property tax is a big thing. It's a very, very big thing and a big number in Texas, but there's no state income tax in Texas, right? So it kind of evens out in that sense.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Well, what are you seeing? Um, we just had Misty Dawkins on the show. She was talking about Windsor and how Windsor is experiencing this glow. Same thing as Johnstown, though. Um, but for the migration, are you seeing a lot of people from out of state coming into Colorado or are they just moving within Colorado, but maybe out to the smaller towns?

SPEAKER_00 3:58

I think it's a little bit of both. I think I think back to when I was in Austin specifically. And I always knew if somebody was moving to Texas and moving to Austin, let's say, and they wanted to be in Austin, I knew they were not from around there. Like I knew they were coming in from out of state, they didn't know the area. And if somebody was moving to, say, Round Rock or moving to Georgetown or something like that, then they were, they didn't want to be in Austin anymore. They didn't, they'd been there, done that, worn the t-shirt, done the whole thing. I think it's very similar here in Colorado. Um, if somebody's moving out here, they want to maybe move to Denver. They want to be right in the action, they want to be near, you know, all the concerts, all the music, all the maybe buy Red Rocks or something. Whereas maybe people who have been here, they're like, all right, cool. Like, I've done the things that I want to do. I want to move out to a Johnstown, even a Firestone, a Frederick, a Longmont, and be a little bit further away from it. And almost realizing that Fort Collins kind of has everything that Denver has, minus, you know, the Nuggets, the Avalanche, sure, the Rockies. I mean, nobody's seen the Rockies, but they're still exist, I promise. Um, so you're seeing a lot more people, I think, from Colorado are in these smaller towns. Whereas I think the people from out of state are really wanting to kind of get into what they consider is the action and move to Denver, move to Fort Collins and what have you.

SPEAKER_01 5:22

And it's a big part of someone's life when they're moving or buying or selling a house. And um, I'm sure you see all sorts of different situations and things. But there are there any couples that are recurring more often than not that what people go through? And are there anybody that you network with that also deal with those situations?

SPEAKER_00 5:40

So a house is first of all the biggest investment that someone's probably gonna make, right? There's very few instances where they're gonna buy something else that's $450,000 or $500,000 or whatever it may be. So um I I work with a lot of veterans, active duty service members through that I've met through networking, that I've met through other, you know, efforts. So, you know, I I think people coming in and trying to learn like their how to use their VA benefits, right? How to take advantage of the VA loan to put 0% down. What does that do to my monthly payment? You know, what what can I look for in terms of a property type, right? So that's really what I've kind of seen a lot of is there's just not a lot of education in the market when it comes to purchasing a home, right? It's the biggest investment that you'll make, but people don't know how to make that investment, don't know where to begin, don't know how to make it, you know, a smooth process. Like everybody's parents has the horrors of, you know, some sort of a mortgage story that just went totally off the rails and was a terrible experience and it makes them never want to buy a house again. And my goal is to kind of change that a little bit and just add kind of the human element to the process, which is interesting since now everything is AI generated. Right. You know, we want to add that human element back in. And networking helps with that at the end of the day, right? You people want to work with people that they know, like, and trust, but you can't get to know somebody if you don't actually meet with them. Yeah. You know, there's a lot of people who do what I do. You know, if you go on Facebook and somebody puts in, I'm looking for a realtor. That's the easiest way to get 100 comments on a post. Sure. Bar none. It's very similar with a loan officer, like myself. Everybody knows at least one, two, or three lenders at the end of the day. They may not know that they do, but they do. And people are more likely to work with the people that they've actually met, that they've had a genuine conversation with that has nothing to do with mortgages. That has everything to do with, hey, like, what do you do when you're not working? You know, are you general, like, are you a dog or a cat person? You know, simple questions like that, like that's how they're going to gravitate towards you more likely than like, oh, you just have really good programs and really good rates. Like, surprise, everybody does. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

Well, the the the people who, you know, when you when you talk about being a teacher and education, I see that a lot from you, Austin. Like, I see you networking, I see you building relationships, but you also have a pretty robust online presence where you're creating a lot of content. So people who start following you, um, even if you're not having a two-way conversation, they're they feel like they're learning from you. So where is that dual like in-person face-to-face approach plus like online content approach? Um, how is that? How do they work together for you?

SPEAKER_00 8:25

So I think the goal of social media content, online content, YouTube, whatever it is, is to get people to know who I am. It's almost a almost like a gateway, right? To where they can say, Oh, I've seen your posts on Facebook, I've seen your posts on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is still a thing, by the way. Um, posts on LinkedIn, Instagram, maybe TikTok, which I don't have yet, I will. Um I've seen those. So I know who you are because I've seen those posts. And so you're not some total rando out of the blue trying to call me or whatever it may be. So the idea is that's a way for people to see me, and then that's a conversation starter. Whether that's a client, whether that's a referral partner, whether that's somebody else. Like the goal of my content is generally to educate because I'm 33 at the time of this recording. And a lot of people in my generation or stage of life are either purchasing their first home or they're upgrading their home because they've outgrown that first home that they lived in and they don't know where to start. Maybe they've not bought a home before, so they don't know where to start, or their first experience, they felt like they were rushed into it, or they didn't have a good experience, or they're talking to their parents, and things are probably very different from when their parents purchased versus what it is now. So the goal is to educate and then use that as kind of an introduction to where we all want warm intros. And I kind of use social media and online content as a way to make that warm intro to myself in a way, and then start the conversation that way, and then kind of be able to maybe reference back to something that I posted about. Say, hey, you can go look at that, and and that's where I explain what that buy down means or what this specific term means. That's that's the goal.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Yeah. Well, and it's nice to have a library content that would transfer with you. I'm thinking about like when you when you move to Colorado, you you build all these relationships in Texas, you have a uh presence in Leander and all those people that you've built relationships, you know, all the best real estate agents, and then you move to Colorado and you're starting over again as far as your connections and your relationships. Is that harder to start again? Or uh do you feel like you got a leg up because you've already built a network one place?

SPEAKER_00 10:38

I think I have a leg up in a way, simply because I have something to fall back on, right? Like I said before, we're in a very digital market in that somebody, somebody moving out of state is not going to be something that's going to change the way I do business. You know, everything still stays the same. My phone still works. I still answer phone calls, emails, text messages, the whole thing. None of that changes. So now I can bring the knowledge that I've gained from five plus years doing loans in Texas here. And it is definitely starting over, especially when you're in a smaller town like Johnstown and really everywhere in the northern Colorado area: the Johnstown, Loveland, Windsor, Greeley, Evans kind of corridor, Millikan, I'll throw them in there too. They're smaller towns, and so a lot of times people have the people that they know, the people that they work with. And if you're the if you are that person, then you are kind of the king or queen of the castle. And the goal is to, you know, be also known there and not come in and say, Hey, I'm gonna take over this person's business. Because I think in every industry there's enough to go around to everybody. And so if you go in to a networking opportunity and say, hey, I meet a real estate agent, they have a great lender already. I can't go in there and say, like, hey, I want to take this person's business, but hey, I want to interview to be your number two. You know, that's something that's really I think important because you're interviewing or getting to know this person and not saying, Hey, I want to take the food off of this other person's table because I want it all to go to me. Of course we do. We want to pay our bills too. But I think again, establishing yourself as a person first and a lender second is the only way that you're gonna get business done in an area like this one. Whereas something like Austin, it's more of do you have the lowest fees? Like it's it's more of a transactional approach in different markets. So that's been kind of fascinating to me is that different markets you have to have different approaches. It's not sure all the same, regardless of where you are.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Well, from the networking scene, it's interesting for me because I talk with a lot of people and they used to be lenders, like they were lenders when it was the boom of 2021 or 2022.

SPEAKER_00 12:50

If you had a pulse, you could refinance.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, all right, they're running volume, and then now a lot of people are exiting the market or searching new careers. But if you stay in as a rock and the credibility, there is an opportunity where maybe you were somebody's number two, but now they now somebody doesn't have a resource because they're their main lender's no longer in the market. So um what have you what have you done when the because it's it's tough, right? When you are uh there's not as many homes being buy or sold, the rates are higher, so it's not as as easy to do the refines. Um, but there's a big opportunity for you to build a big client list. So um how are you approaching that in the lean leaner times?

SPEAKER_00 13:31

So there's really two types of loan officers. There's the purchase loan officer and there's the refinance loan officer. And me and my shop, we've always been purchases first and refinances a distance second, because refinances are gonna come and go with the market. You know, everybody in COVID times of 2020 and 2021, and even the very beginning of 2022, it like I said, it was kind of kidding, but kind of not. If you had a pulse, you were able to refinance it because we saw historically low rates that I called artificial interest rates in the twos and threes, which we're never gonna see again. I hope. And, you know, a lot of people kind of got fat and happy off of that, or they came in during that time, they didn't know how to write a purchase loan. They didn't know how to keep everybody involved, whether it's real estate agents, title officers, buyers, sellers. There's a lot of parties that go into that. And so for us, we've always focused on let's help make home ownership possible for a lot of different people because purchases, people are always gonna have to buy. They have to relocate. Maybe there's divorce, maybe there's death, maybe there's outgrowing their previous home, or maybe they're downsizing because all the kids have left, they've gone to college, they've moved across the country, whatever it may be. So purchases are always gonna happen regardless of what the market does. I mean, I helped somebody that I refinance down to a 3% rate buy at a 7.3% interest rate because they outgrew that previous home. Yeah. And so it's it's always gonna happen, right? And so it's all about where the focus is, and then in the lean times, is still being available to your referral network, the people that know, like, and trust you, like, hey, I'm still here, not going anywhere. Here's information, here's you know, education that we can provide. So that when the time comes of business kind of catching up again, it's not a surprise. It's not, oh, business is here. Let me go try to meet these people. Yeah, you know, they already know you and they already know the work that you do, even if it's a lower volume than maybe people are accustomed to.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Sure. Well, building relationships because you can't get someone to the closing table all by yourself. It takes a realtor, a lender, uh, insurance agent, title company, um, you know, and then the team on the other side. But every is every deal a different team? And how do you how do you galvanize the team so that we get a successful closing?

SPEAKER_00 15:55

I think the goal it first of all, yes, it's always gonna be a different crew. Um on my side, it's it's me and my processor from the beginning until the end. So that at least is one constant.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Then the goal is to create a process that is the same every single time. You know, it's you know, you're gonna hear from me on this day. We're gonna do it, you know, this way, and everybody knows what to expect. So even though the actual people may change, the process itself stays the same. You know, you get the the stuff to me that we need for your pre-approval, and then you're gonna hear from my processor. She will ask what's needed from the underwriter. The underwriter will review, it'll come back to us, we'll let you know what you need for the clear to close, you get that to us, and then you're final approved, you're good to go. And in that 30, 35, 40 days, communication with every party that's involved is super important. I mean, you named four between the buyer's agent, seller's agent, insurance, and title. I mean, you may have you may have a roofer that has to get involved. You may have repairs that are done, so now you're in, you know, you're in touch with the appraiser. So it's definitely a delicate balance of keeping everybody informed and just knowing what's coming next. Because I think regardless of what the industry is, people just want to know what's coming.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

If you know, if something ends up being more expensive, say insurance is more expensive, they just want to know, right? Hey, here's how it affects your bottom line. Like this is out of my hands, but here's how it affects you. Do you want to proceed? What do you want to do? And then they don't feel like it's just blind, they're blindsided at the end of the day. Because that's the last thing we ever want is sure, like they get to closing or they get this document that has you need to bring $3,000 more to closing. Why? Right? Is he let me get out in front of it. They may never see it, but I'm gonna tell them about it anyways. That way they know. And they know I'm looking out for their best interests. So it's it's all about just having a smooth, repeatable process, regardless of who the parties are, because then that's at least the one constant that's gonna be there from day one every single time.

SPEAKER_01 18:02

What I would imagine if other entrepreneurs have a smooth and easy, like a roofer who you know they're gonna do a good job, they're know they're gonna get in there, or um, an inspector that can give like actual real advice. Hey, do this, do this, and not try to do a bunch of secure tack it tactics. That's gotta be valuable. So is there anybody specific that you've worked with that have been really valuable to you? Any collaborations that you would recommend?

SPEAKER_00 18:27

Yeah, I mean, I I think the biggest people when it comes to purchasing a home is going to be your inspector and your insurance agent and your real estate agent. I think those are the three people that every home buyer needs to make sure that they have in their quarter. Because when it comes to insurance, I mean, insurance is wild. I don't know, I don't know the first thing about insurance. I don't pretend to know anything about insurance. And so, you know, having somebody that you trust on the insurance side is absolutely massive. And so, you know, there's multiple people that that I would recommend. Um, you know, Brett with with farmers, Brett Dexter is is really, really good. Yeah. And so the his goal is always going to be to get you from, hey, what do I do? to okay, cool. I know exactly what my coverages are, I know what to expect if something happens with my home. Another person that you always want to have on your side is a really good home inspector. Um, because maybe there's something going on with the property that is a big deal, and maybe it's just as simple as, hey, you get in here to this house, and you just need to put some paint on it. It's that's it. Right. Um, you know, John Lockhart is somebody I've worked with, with, you know, he owns his own company. He does all over northern Colorado, and he's, you know, he's done my property, he's done a couple of different, you know, homes as well in my neighborhood. And what you want is somebody who's gonna come in and say, like, hey, this is a big deal, but here's what this actually means. Here's what to expect when you're purchasing this huge investment. Here's what may happen down the line in five, 10, 15 years, or here's what could happen in the next five, 10, 15 weeks. Yeah, yeah. You know, so you really want to make sure that that that there's no issues, you know, on that side. So um that's what I would say on on that. Those are the two big ones. A real estate agent, of course, you know, you're gonna want somebody that is gonna be walking next to you and the person that's going to like kind of hold your hand. Um, and actually somebody that I recommend there is somebody I worked with a lot in Texas. Her name is Aaron Morrison, and I met her at a networking event, and I went up to your Colorado, she moved from Austin to Colorado, you know, same idea. And you just want somebody who's gonna like kind of talk you off the ledge sometimes. Sure. Right. So um, you know, it's it's important to have a whole like a truly a village behind you when you're purchasing a house, when you're doing really anything, right? But I know it when you're purchasing a home because that's what I do every day. I I don't purchase a house every day, I help people purchase a house every day, let's be clear. Um, but having that whole village next to you is the whole thing because you can't go it alone. Even when I've purchased and sold property, like I still feel like an absolute clueless person, even though I'm in it every day. So for somebody who's not in it every day, you gotta have people that you trust. Yeah, you just have to in every single aspect of it. And if there's somebody you don't know in that industry, then I do, right? And I wouldn't have that without networking because I can always say, hey, you need this, let you're gonna reach out to this person and they're gonna take care of you every single time.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Uh well, thanks for coming on the show. Uh Austin, it was really good to uh, you know, talk with you. I I imagine there's gonna be a lot of people watching this. Maybe they uh they're wanting to refinance their house, maybe they're looking at a move or a big life change for them. Um and they're looking for someone like you that's got a lot of resources and has the heart of a teacher. Um, what's the best way for them to get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Best way to get a hold of me is honestly this little cell phone right here, right? I mean, it is it's our it's our big thing. Maybe computer at this point. Um, you know, call, text. Um, I use it. It's it's kind of I I tell people that I have hours that I'm in the office, but I don't really have office hours. You know, I always try to, you know, do as much as I can to meet people where they're at, you know. So that's the best way to get in touch with me. Um, you know, is that shout out to digits? Yeah, you can't. Yeah, yeah. Digits 713-249-3470 is the best way to get in touch with me. Um, you know, I don't have anything where it's this massive team underneath me where you call that number and you're gonna talk with this loan officer assistant, this processing assistant, like you're gonna get in touch with me. We'll go over all options from beginning to end to really make you make it a smooth process. Yeah. Because like I said, it's something that can go awry if it's not done correctly. And then you've got thousands of dollars of earnest men in the line, you've got you're you're basing your life around if I'm going to be able to purchase this home or not. And we take that extremely seriously. We don't want anything to be where, oh my gosh, we sold our house and now we don't have a place to live, or our lease is up and we thought we were gonna be buying this house and now we don't have a place to live. Like there's nothing worse than that happening in my industry, and I aim to never make that happen.

SPEAKER_01 23:17

Right on. Well, if you're in home services and you're looking to collaborate with you or be on the team on a future deal, um, I I'm sure they would reach out to you for one-to-ones as well. But yeah, awesome. Thanks for coming on the show. And uh, it's been really educational, and I really appreciate all your wisdom and and uh who you are as a networker, and we're glad to have you in northern Colorado now. Wonderful. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Hey all, thanks for watching. I love networking and building relationships with other Northern Colorado business leaders. So if you want to come meet some of these podcast guests, meet me or meet some other amazing entrepreneurs in Northern Colorado, I would love to have you attend one of our next events. Uh go in the podcast description. There's a way so that you can see our upcoming schedule. And maybe you could be a future podcast guest as well. Thanks.