Your first ten mortgage deals are unlike any that come after them. They are harder to close, take longer to find, and matter far more — not because of the commission, but because of what they build: confidence, competence, and the beginning of a reputation.
I've helped hundreds of new agents through this stage. The ones who get their first ten deals quickly share a common approach. It's not magic and it's not about having a huge network — it's about being systematic and deliberate from the first week you're licensed.
Here is the approach that works.
Start with your warm circle — but do it properly
Every new agent has a warm circle: friends, family, former colleagues, people from their community. Most agents either do nothing with this circle (out of awkwardness) or do it badly (a generic social media post that gets ignored).
The right approach is personal and direct. Make a list of every person you know who owns a home, is likely to buy one in the next 12 months, or is a business owner. Reach out personally — a phone call, a direct message, or an email — and tell them specifically what you're doing and why you can help them. Not a broadcast. A conversation.
From a warm circle of 100 people contacted personally and directly, the average new agent will generate three to five conversations that turn into files over the following six months. That's three to five deals — a third of your first ten — without ever leaving your existing relationships.
Start with the right foundation.
Our Successful Mortgage Agent course covers lead generation strategy, client conversations, and the business development habits that build volume from day one.
Explore the courseThe 8-step path to your first 10 deals
Build your warm circle list and reach out in week one
Before you do anything else, write down every person you know. Filter for homeowners, likely buyers, and business owners. Reach out personally within the first week of being licensed. This is the lowest-hanging fruit in your career — use it.
Pick three realtors to pursue relationships with
Not thirty. Three. Find realtors in your area who are active (checking their listings and sold history is easy — look them up on Realtor.ca) and who don't already have a strong mortgage agent relationship. A newer realtor is often more open to building a partnership than an established one. Reach out, offer to meet, and focus on what value you bring to them — not what you need from them.
Set up your Google Business Profile in week one
This is free and takes two hours. People searching "mortgage agent [your city]" will find you. Add your services, your photo, and collect your first reviews from the warm circle contacts you've already helped. A Google Business Profile with five reviews outperforms most paid advertising for local search.
Learn to handle the self-employed income conversation
Self-employed borrowers are underserved and represent a huge opportunity. Banks turn them away constantly. An agent who knows how to structure a self-employed file — using stated income, alternative lenders, or private lending where needed — builds a very strong reputation very quickly. This is one of the most valuable skills you can develop in year one.
Attend real estate investor events
Real estate investors are repeat buyers. One investor can represent five to fifteen mortgage files over their investing career. Toronto, Mississauga, Hamilton, Calgary — every city has real estate investing groups on Meetup, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Go to two or three events. The investors there are looking for a mortgage agent who understands investment properties. Be that person.
Become the mortgage resource in one online community
Find a Facebook group or Reddit community where your target clients are active — first-time homebuyers, newcomers to Canada, local homeowners groups. Answer questions. Provide value. Don't pitch. Over three to six months, you'll become known as the helpful mortgage person in that community. Leads follow.
Set up a simple referral incentive for past clients
After your first two or three deals close, follow up with those clients and let them know you'd love their referrals. A handwritten thank-you card and a sincere follow-up call go a long way. The best referral agents in the industry don't pay for referrals — they create experiences that make clients want to refer. Start building that habit from deal one.
Track everything from month one
How many people did you contact this week? How many conversations did you have? How many pre-approvals did you issue? How many are in active deal flow? These numbers tell you whether your activity is working or not. New agents who track nothing can't diagnose problems. New agents who track their activity know exactly what to change when the pipeline is slow.
On timing: how long does it take?
A new agent who follows this approach systematically, starting from week one, typically closes their first deal within three to five months of being licensed. The first ten deals usually come within 12 to 18 months, assuming consistent activity and a deliberate approach to referral building.
The agents who take two to three years to close their first ten deals are almost always the ones who were inconsistent in their activity or who relied on a single channel (usually social media posts) without supplementing it with direct outreach.
The thing most new agents miss: The first ten deals aren't the goal. The referrals and relationships that come from those deals are. Treat every file as the beginning of a long relationship, not a single transaction. The agents who close ten deals this year and have five referral sources sending them twenty deals a year in three years' time are the ones who thought this way from the start.
The product knowledge piece
One thing I see consistently with new agents who struggle to close their first ten deals is a product knowledge gap that limits which clients they can help. When a self-employed borrower comes in and you have to say "I'm not sure we can help you" — that's a lost deal and a lost referral relationship. When a client has bruised credit and you don't know how to navigate alternative and private lenders — same outcome.
Investing in product knowledge early — specifically learning how to underwrite a file the way lenders actually do — doesn't just help you close more deals. It gives you the confidence to take on more complex situations, which is where your early reputation gets built the fastest.
Close more of the files that come your way.
Our Mortgage Underwriting course teaches you how to think like a lender — so you know which deals will close before you submit them, and how to structure the ones that won't on a standard file.
Learn about the Underwriting course