Tips for Organizing your Mortgage Office
by JC Kadii, http://www.close-more-loans.com

While recently watching a commercial where a couple scampered through a home improvement superstore gathering as many "office organizing" supplies as they could carry, I was motivated to put together these simple, sensible tips for organizing your mortgage office.

Before you buy organizing supplies, get a tape measure.
Why? Because before you start buying filing cabinets, boxes, and the like, you need to know which items will fit in your space.

Cluttered desk? Here's a foolproof system for clearing it up.
The only items that should be on your desk are the ones you use most often, or that you need to get your hands on quickly. In my case, for example, I decided that my stack of blank CDs do not need to be on my desk. A client was overwhelmed by the number of files she had in her desk drawers. She used this idea to remove all but those belonging to active clients, i.e., those she expects to close in the current month.

Use 3-ring binders to organize stacks of information.
They make your office look so neat and orderly. I have a binder for prospects, one for policies and procedures, one for each mortgage training program, and so forth and so on.

Don't stuff your filing cabinets -- make room for your mortgage business to grow. If part of your office organization includes rearranging your file cabinets, do yourself a favor and only fill them to half capacity.

Label everything.
Trust me, two months from now you will not remember which box contains your receipts and which one has old checks. Save your brainpower for the important tasks, and label your bookshelves, filing cabinets and boxes. If it's labeled, it's less likely to get lost.

Use color to help you quickly find items (but don't go overboard).
One client, for example, uses one color label for her active loan files and another for her "almost dead" ones. Back in my processing days, I swiped a colored highlighter across the top of rolodex cards (pink for VOEs, yellow for VODs, etc.) so that I wouldn't have to flip through each card to find my information.

Use bookshelf space wisely.
The books you use often should be easily accessible at eye or hand-level. Save the bottom shelf for the items you need to have in your office, but don't use often.

Stay on top of things.
Don't wait until January 1 to organize your office. Keep the clutter from getting out of hand by having a quarterly clean up.

Remember - clutter causes confusion. I hope you can use these tips to keep your space under control.

---

Posted by JC Kadii. JC leads a team of Mortgage Virtual Assistants, who provide top-notch marketing, administrative and technology services exclusively to mortgage professionals. For additional information, please visit TheMortageVA.com or close-more-loans.com or call 770.469.7385.