For Real Estate Agents

Q: What makes you different from other lenders agents work with?

Sam Timlick closes on time, communicates proactively at every stage, and takes genuine care of clients, with deep knowledge of VA, FHA, USDA, and conventional programs across the Tri-Cities.

Q: How fast can you turn a pre-approval?

Sam Timlick prioritizes fast, dependable pre-approvals so buyers stay competitive. Agents can call 253-431-2630 to learn what is needed.

Q: Do you work with buyers across the whole Tri-Cities?

Yes. Sam Timlick serves the entire Tri-Cities, including Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, and Jonesborough, and is licensed in both Tennessee and Virginia.

Q: How do we start working together?

Agents can start by booking a quick call or phoning 253-431-2630 to discuss how Sam Timlick can support their buyers and business.

Q: What happens when I send Sam Timlick a referral?

Sam Timlick reaches out to the client the same business day, has a real needs conversation within 24-48 hours, provides weekly status updates on every active file, and coordinates directly with the listing or co-op agent so nothing about the loan side is a surprise.

Q: What should a new real estate agent do first to survive year one?

Work your sphere of influence before cold prospecting, track weekly touches rather than only tracking closed deals, and consistently ask for referrals. NAR data shows 66% of sellers find their agent through a referral or past relationship rather than a portal.

Referral ProcessWhat you get, what to expect, and exactly what happens step by step when you send me a buyer.

Why should a real estate agent refer clients to Sam Timlick?

Because the lender you refer reflects on you. Sam closes on time, keeps agents updated at every stage, turns pre-approvals around fast, and takes care of buyers like family — backed by a Marine Corps Veteran's follow-through. Call 253-431-2630 to talk partnership.

What agents get when they send me a buyer

I close on time.

I manage every file proactively so there are no last-minute surprises for you or your client.

You'll always know where things stand.

Weekly updates at every stage — not just when there's a problem. Your reputation rides on it too.

I know the local programs cold.

VA, FHA, USDA, and conventional — including exactly how much of the Tri-Cities is USDA-eligible.

A Veteran's reliability.

Marine Corps follow-through: I do what I say, show up, and see it through.

What you can expect as my referral partner

Same-day contact, weekly updates on every active file, and direct coordination with the other agent so nothing gets lost in translation.

What happens when you send Sam a referral

You've built trust with your client. When you hand them off to me, that trust is now mine to protect — here's exactly what happens, step by step, so there's no mystery about where things stand.

What happens when I send Sam Timlick a referral?

Same-day contact, a real needs conversation within 24–48 hours, weekly status updates on every active file, and direct coordination with the other agent — so nothing about the loan side is a surprise for you or your client.

Same day you send them my way.

I reach out within the same business day — never a “someone will call you within 3-5 days” black hole. If it's a quick text intro from you, I follow up directly with the client myself; I don't wait for them to call me first.

Within 24–48 hours: the conversation.

I have a real conversation with your client about their situation — not just a rate quote. That means understanding their timeline, their down payment plan, and which programs actually fit (VA, FHA, USDA, THDA down payment assistance, or conventional). If something about their file needs a closer look before we can move, I tell them — and you — right away rather than letting it surface later.

Pre-approval, turned around fast.

Once I have what I need from the client, I move quickly so they're not stuck waiting to write an offer. If a document or two is still outstanding, I'll tell both of you exactly what's missing rather than leaving it vague.

Once they're under contract: weekly updates, minimum.

You get a status update on the file every week it's active — not just when there's a problem to report. If something does come up that could affect the timeline, you hear about it from me as soon as I know, not at the closing table.

Talking directly to the other side.

I coordinate directly with the listing agent (or your co-op agent, if you're on the buy side) to keep the file moving — you shouldn't have to relay messages between two people who could just talk to each other.

Closing.

I manage the file proactively enough that closing day isn't when problems show up — they should already be handled by then. If a timeline slip is coming, you'll know with enough runway to manage your client's expectations, not the day before.

After closing.

Your client stays taken care of — questions about their loan after the fact still get answered. And when it's a good experience, that's exactly the kind of file that turns into another referral, from them or from you.

What I handle vs. what you handle

Stage	Me	You
Financing conversation, pre-approval, program fit	✓	—
Communicating loan status/timeline	✓	—
Coordinating with listing/co-op agent on financing timeline	✓	Coordinating on offer terms, inspections, etc.
Buyer education on loan process	✓	Buyer education on the local market, home search, offer strategy
Closing logistics	✓ (lending side)	✓ (transaction/title side)

What I need from you to make this work well: an introduction (call, text, or email — whatever's easiest) and a heads-up on anything unusual about the client's situation you already know (self-employed, recent job change, moving from out of state, etc.) so I'm not starting from zero.

Sam Timlick · Top Flite Home Loans · NMLS# 2776469 · Equal Housing Lender. This is not a commitment to lend. Timelines are typical, not guaranteed, and vary by file complexity, documentation, and underwriting.

New Agent HubData-backed guidance for agents in their first year — what actually predicts whether you make it.

What should a new real estate agent do first to survive year one?

Work your sphere of influence before strangers, track weekly touches (not just deals), and ask every contact for a referral without being pushy about it. 66% of sellers find their agent through referral or a past relationship — the business is already in your contacts app.

The numbers worth knowing going in

28%

of new agents don't make it past their first year in a normal market — 37% for the 2021 cohort, who hit a harder market after getting licensed in a hot one. (NAR)

$8,100

median annual income for agents with 2 years of experience or less — 62% of them earn under $10,000. Go in with a realistic runway. (NAR)

66%

of sellers find their agent through a referral or past relationship — not a portal or a yard sign. The business is already in your contacts app. (NAR)

A realistic first-year timeline

Months 1–3: Build your database (everyone you know), get your brokerage's systems down cold, and start showing up consistently in front of your sphere. This is unglamorous and doesn't feel like “real” agent work yet. It is the real work.

Months 3–6: Consistent, low-pressure touches with your sphere start turning into conversations. Your first listing or buyer client in this window is a good sign, not a guarantee — plenty of solid first years don't get their first closing until month 5 or 6.

Months 6–12: Your first closed deal, if it went well, should start generating its own referrals. This is the point where the business either compounds or stalls because the sphere-of-influence habit didn't stick.

Year one, honestly: Income in year one is often thin or negative once you count license/MLS/association fees, marketing, and gas. That's normal, not a signal you picked the wrong career. The agents who make it to year two are usually the ones who kept prospecting through the slow months instead of stopping once the well felt dry.

What the agents who survive past year one tend to do differently

They work their sphere first, strangers second. Open houses, cold calls, and portal leads have their place, but they're a much longer, more expensive path to a first deal than the people who already know you.
They track touches, not just deals. A simple list of “who did I talk to this week” keeps prospecting honest even when nothing's closing yet.
They ask for the referral, every time, without being weird about it. Not “give me all your friends' names” — just a genuine, low-pressure “if you know anyone thinking about buying or selling, I'd love an introduction.”
They treat the first year as an investment, not a paycheck. The agents who quit early often did so because they measured month 3 against a full-time salary instead of against a business that was still being built.
They lean on a lender who communicates. A mortgage partner who keeps you and your client updated at every stage — not just when there's a problem — protects your reputation on every file, especially early on when you can't yet absorb a bad experience with a repeat client. See what that looks like when you send me a buyer →

The business-building loop

The cycle that keeps a new agent's pipeline alive — and the one that keeps paying off long after year one.

📋

Prospecting

Reach out to your sphere, consistently and without pressure.

→

🏠

Open Houses

Meet buyers face to face; add them to your database.

→

🤝

SOI Touches

Stay in front of people who already trust you.

→

🔑

First Listing/Buyer

Do right by them — this is where the loop starts paying you back.

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🔁

Referral

A happy client becomes your best lead source.

The loop feeds back into Prospecting — each closed deal, done well, becomes the next referral.

Rate Talking PointsReady-to-use talking points for buyers who think today's rates are too high, backed by 54 years of data.

Talking point #1

7.73%

"The 30-year fixed rate has averaged 7.73% since 1971. Today's rate is below that average. The 2010s were the exception — not the rule — driven by emergency Fed policy after the financial crisis."

Talking point #2

3 of 6 decades

"Today's rate is lower than the decade average in the 1970s (8.9%), 1980s (12.7%), and 1990s (8.1%). The 2000s (6.3%) is close to today's rate — basically a wash. The 2010s (4.1%) and 2020s-to-date (5.3%, dragged down by the 2020-21 pandemic low) are the real outliers — an emergency-rate era, not the historical norm."

Talking point #3

Buy now, refi later

"You can't buy yesterday's price, but you can lock in today's. If rates drop, we refinance — your equity and appreciation don't disappear. If rates rise, you're glad you moved. Waiting costs you both ways."

30-Year Fixed Rate by Decade — Freddie Mac PMMS (1971–2026)

Decade	Avg 30yr Rate	Context
1970s	8.86%	Great Inflation era; rates rose steadily
1980s	12.70%	Peak of 18.63% in 1981; Fed fought inflation
1990s	8.12%	Inflation tamed; housing boom
2000s	6.29%	Steady; financial crisis hit end of decade
2010s	4.09%	Anomaly — emergency Fed stimulus post-crisis
2020s*	5.34%	Pandemic low of 2.65% then inflation spike
Today	~6.81%	Below the 54-year average of 7.73%

Source: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS), 1971–2026. Decade figures are arithmetic means of annual averages. *2020s is a partial decade (2020–2025), pulled down by the pandemic-era 2020–21 rate lows — not a full-decade comparison with the others. Current rate from Mortgage News Daily, updated weekly.

Visual: rates since 1971

The dashed line shows the 54-year average. Today's gold bar puts the current environment in context.

Want me to run a buy-now vs. wait analysis for a specific buyer? I'll model the real cost of waiting — lost equity, appreciation, and the breakeven math on refinancing later. Call or text: 253-431-2630

Agent ReviewsWhat other Tri-Cities agents say about working with me.

“I had the pleasure of working with Sam Timlick on a recent closing, and I can confidently say he is an outstanding Mortgage Loan Officer. Sam was incredibly responsive, professional, and truly dedicated to making the process as smooth as possible for everyone involved. He consistently went above and beyond — not only addressing my needs as the agent but also taking exceptional care of my clients. Communication was always prompt, clear, and proactive. In this business, having a reliable and attentive lender can make or break a deal, and Sam proved to be an invaluable partner.”

Vicki J. Nelson, Realtor® · Weichert Realtors, Saxon Clark

“As a realtor, Sam was great to work with. He was very efficient, patient, and calm through the entire process. While our situation came with a few bumps along the way, Sam had a solution to every issue that popped up, so it seemed as if the bumps never happened. Even though early forecasts seemed to indicate that we might need extra time to close, Sam was able to pull an on-time closing out of his hat. I really appreciated the early heads up about the possible need for an extension, but I really really really appreciated the fact that we did not actually need one in the end. Consider working with Sam to get your mortgage handled smoothly and effectively. You will be happy with the results!”

Norman Blue · Realtor

“Sam was great to work with on the other side of the transaction. He kept me updated every week, which is better communication than I typically see, and everything went smoothly from start to finish. I appreciate his professionalism and follow-through.”

Mark Trent · Real estate agent · Google review

“Sam Timlick is my go-to for loan help for my clients. He is very knowledgeable. He meets with clients and teaches them all about loans and what to do to be prepared to get a loan. He responds quickly to my messages and helps clients promptly. If you need a mortgage loan, Sam Timlick is the guy to call! He is kind and great at what he does!”

Elizabeth Pigeon · Keller Williams · Google review

Real, unedited Google reviews, shared with the reviewers' names as posted publicly. They reflect these individuals' experiences; individual results vary and are not a guarantee of future outcomes.

Agent FAQQuick answers to the questions agents ask most before referring a client.

What makes you different from other lenders agents work with?

Three things agents tell me matter most: I close on time, I communicate proactively at every stage, and I take genuine care of their clients. Add deep knowledge of VA, FHA, USDA, and conventional programs across the Tri-Cities, and your buyers see every option.

How fast can you turn a pre-approval?

Fast enough to keep your buyer competitive. When a strong offer needs to go out quickly, I prioritize getting a dependable pre-approval in hand. Reach out at 253-431-2630 and I'll tell you exactly what I need.

Do you work with buyers across the whole Tri-Cities?

Yes — Johnson City, Kingsport, Bristol, Elizabethton, Jonesborough, and the surrounding counties, on both the Tennessee and Virginia sides of Bristol since I'm licensed in both states.

How do we start working together?

The easiest first step is a quick conversation. Book a time or call 253-431-2630, and we'll talk about how I can support your buyers and your business.

A lender your clients will thank you for.

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