Inman

Big real estate brokerage rolls out its own mortgage app

Screen shot of the iPhone version of Howard Hanna's new mortgage app. Image on the left is the home screen; image of the mortgage calculator is on the right.

Howard Hanna Real Estate Services’ mortgage division has rolled out a free consumer mobile app for Android and Apple smartphones that facilitates a connection between the real estate brokerage’s clients and its mortgage company’s loan officers.

Consumers access the “Hanna Mortgage 2 Go” app, which includes a mortgage calculator, info about mortgage rates, a preapproval tool and access to mortgage news, by either connecting with one of Howard Hanna Mortgage Services’ loan officers directly or through a Howard Hanna real estate agent. The mortgage division has 80 loan officers serving Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Howard Hanna loan officers have their own, branded versions of the app. When consumers choose a loan officer, or are introduced to one by email or text message, they get a link that directs them to a version that has the loan officer’s contact info and photo baked into it.

The app, made by the mortgage division of mobile app developer CardTapp, is available as a native app for Android smartphones and works exclusively as a mobile Web app on iPhones.

The app will help Howard Hanna Real Estate Services’ clients shop for a home more efficiently, said Mark Steele, president of Howard Hanna Mortgage Services.

Ranked by Real Trends as the nation’s sixth-largest real estate brokerage by dollar volume, Pittsburgh-based Howard Hanna provides a range of services to buyers and sellers, including mortgages, title insurance and settlement services.

Brokerages’ ancillary businesses, like mortgages, represent a source of untapped revenue for some brokerages, according to a study by real estate consulting firm WAV Group.