Grow Time
March 2026
March Automations
Throughout 2026, Marketing will be emailing agents and clients on your behalf each month. Be sure you read and review this section to see what emails will be going out and for important deadlines to opt-out.
Note: This list does not include transactional automations such as Loan Milestone Updates, Post Closing, Customer Intelligence, etc. For a full list of Marketing Automations, click here.
- The Market Is Rebalancing: This email will be sent to all of your agents in Total Expert. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Tuesday, March 10
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- More Homes. Less Pressure. The Market Is Shifting: This email will be sent to all contacts currently in Lead or Lead (Prospect) status with a loan purpose of Purchase. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Wednesday, March 11
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- High-Interest Debt Getting Harder To Manage?: This email will be sent to all of your clients in Total Expert who funded more than 7 months ago. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Thursday, March 12
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- Your Tax Refund May Help Cover Upfront Homebuying Costs: This email will be sent to all contacts currently in Lead or Lead (Prospect) status with a loan purpose of Purchase. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Thursday, March 19
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- Smart Ways Homeowners Are Using Their Tax Refunds This Year: This email will be sent to all of your clients in Total Expert who funded more than 7 months ago and have an estimated LTV of 70% or below. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Tuesday, March 24
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- Client Resources You Can Share: This email will be sent to all of your agents in Total Expert. Click here for a sample.
- Send Date: Tuesday, March 31
- Opt-Out By: Monday, March 9
- Additional Emails: Our Tuesday Tidbits Newsletter to real estate agents will be sent out on the following dates:
- Tuesday, March 3
- Tuesday, March 17
- Tuesday, March 24
- March 10 and March 31 are omitted in favor of the agent emails above
Virtual Sales Rally - March 10th & March 11th
Our Virtual Sales Rally will be held on Tuesday, March 10th from 9:30am MT to 11:30am MT, and on Wednesday, March 11 from 9:30am MT to 1:30pm MT.
We'll be welcoming special guests from Finance of America Reverse, Total Expert, Homebot, nCino, plus have important updates from the Exec Team, Marketing, sharing information about Day One Certainty, and best of all, a special keynote address from Jennifer Yeo of Presidio Real Estate.
Want to make money this year? Plan to attend!
Agent Resource Guide
Our team has created this really cool Agent Resource Guide that you can print out and bring to brokerages, agent meetings, title companies, etc. Email marketing@castlecookemortgage.com to request your copy today!
Total Expert & Homebot Growth Strategies
In May we introduced a really cool email you can send to folks in either your Rate Alert or Rate Improvements contact tabs to help them see the potential benefits of refinancing and see estimated savings.
The Rate Improvement Refi Estimate email is just that, an estimate based on current rates from Optimal Blue's Mortgage Market Indicies.
Rate Improvement Refinance Estimate
Total Expert Tags: Interest Rate, Grow Time May 2025
In June, we announced a brand new feature in Total Expert! You will now be able to generate a rate quote within Total Expert via your Optimal Blue integration!
Unlike the email to your left, this is not based on estimated rates, but pulls directly from your pricing engine.
From there, you will be able to send this quote via a dynamic email in Total Expert.
Purchase Rate Quote
Total Expert Tags: Interest Rate, Grow Time June 2025
Have you taken a look at your CONTACTS screen in Total Expert lately? We've assembled a number of tabs related to Customer Intelligence as part of our "Data Analytics Era."
- High Equity Clients ⏫ - This tab shows you funded clients who have 25% or less LTV in their home.
- Mid Equity Clients 🔼 - This tab shows you funded clients who have 26%-70% LTV in their home. Both equity tabs exclude any fundings in the last 7 months to avoid EPO.
- People Shopping Me 😠 - This tab contains anyone who has a current Credit Inquiry Alert detected by Customer Intelligence. This alert only stays on the contact's record for only 7 days, so you will see clients come in and out of this list as the alert expires.
- Rate Alert! 🚨 - This tab will show you active Rate Drop Alerts for funded clients with a current interest rate that at least 0.5% higher than the current day's rate in Optimal Blue's Mortgage Market Indices. This alert also only lasts for 7 days which is why we created the additional tab below. This alert excludes HELOCs, fundings in the last 6 months, and any second or additional liens to avoid flagging DPA program second mortgages.
- Rate Improvements ⬇️ - This tab collects your entire database of funded loans under the same parameters above regardless of an active rate alert.
- Credit Improvements ⬆️ - This is our newest tab for our newest alert for clients who have been denied (or withdrew their application), or leads you manually added to the Credit Monitoring Group and they achieved a 580 FICO score. This alert only lasts for 7 days.
Major news! The Homebot Partner Network has launched and now we are able to include buyer agent information for all of your clients, regardless if the agent has Homebot or not. This is a big game-changer that will help keep agents and clients connected within Homebot unlike ever before.
Click here to view a recording from our Marketing Mastermind - Homebot Network Review meeting
Monday's are where you should plan to time block two hours to call approximately 40 agents. Whether it's your best referral partners, or someone you're trying to develop a relationship with, these calls will help you grow your business.
These strategies are proven and everyone has the time and capacity to follow this path! You can do this! Stick to it!
Sample Script:
Hey [Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. How was your weekend? Did you host any open houses?
I'm just calling to check in and see how everything is going with your buyers. Have they all been pre-qualified and set with their home loans? Do you have anybody you'd like me to chat with to help them get started? Are there any challenging buyers who are having trouble getting pre-qualified? Any buyers having trouble getting under contract?
Last questions - What can I do this week to help make your life a little easier? Do you have any open houses this weekend you need help with? Let me know if you need any flyers, websites, or loan scenarios. Or if you need help setting up, I'm happy to come early and put out signs, bring some water and snacks.
If there's anything else I can do, call me any time. I'll check back in with you next week.
Start setting up your calendars in Outlook to time-block two hours on Mondays for these calls starting next week!
Instructions for listing content
(Note: Agents MUST be set up in Total Expert first as a Co-Marketing Partner before you can co-brand any flyers or websites!
Step 1 - Create a Single Property Website
Instructions
- Go to WEB MARKETING > SINGLE PROPERTY SITES
- Click CREATE
- Enter the MLS in the SEARCH BY MLS field and click the magnifying glass
- Click on the home that pops up and wait for the page to refresh
- DON'T FORGET!!!! Click ADD next to your name under Lender Partners, and select your agent's name under Agent Partners.
- You can either leave the page as is and click ACTIONS>SAVE or click NEXT and play with the site layout, etc.
- Click ACTIONS>VISIT SITE to see the site live and to copy the URL
Step 2 - Create a Listing Flyer (or Open House flyer)
- Go to PRINT MARKETING>CREATE NEW
- Under the FOLDERS drop down select LISTING FLYERS
- Pick a flyer and click ACTIONS>SELECT
- Select your agent under CO MARKETING PROFILE
- Enter the MLS# and click the magnifying glass
- Click SELECT under the home
- Click CUSTOMIZE AND PUBLISH
- If it is an Open House flyer, be sure to enter the date and time in the appropriate field
- You may need to edit the home description so it can all fit
- Click SAVE FIRST DRAFT, then PUBLISH
- Click ACTIONS and GENERATE PDF
- You can either save the PDF to your desktop or copy the URL to the PDF
Step 3
- Now, open an email in Outlook, and send the link to the Single Property Site, the link to the PDF (or attach the file) to your agent!
- Don't forget to offer your agent the ability to purchase Open House Kits at EXCLUSIVE wholesale pricing (requires 7-10 days advance notice)
Ask any successful loan officer, and they'll tell you about Loan Status Update Tuesdays. This is a strategy our team has been sharing since the very beginning and when done properly, can ultimately save you time!
Each Tuesday, time block an hour to contact the borrower (it's ok if you just call the primary), buyer's agent, and seller's agent with an update on the home loan. It doesn't matter if there isn't any change to the loan's status from the previous week. The goal here is to provide weekly updates to calm nerves and anxiety through the process.
Sample Script:
Hey [Buyer], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Just giving you a ring with your Tuesday update call. I wanted to let you know that your home loan [insert status or update here]. Everything appears to be in good shape. Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be glad to help. I'll check back in next week with more news.
Hey [Buyer's Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Calling to update you on the [Buyer's Name} loan at [Subject Property Address]. I wanted to let you know that [insert status or update here], and everything looks like it's in good shape. Before I let you go, do you have any buyers you'd like me to speak with? Do you have any needs for open houses you or your brokerage may be hosting this weekend? I'll check back in next week with more news.
Hey [Seller's Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. Calling to update you on the [Buyer's Name} loan at [Subject Property Address]. I wanted to let you know that [insert status or update here], and everything looks like it's in good shape. Are you hosting any open houses this weekend? Do you need my help setting up or can I bring some waters and snacks? How's everything going with your other transactions? Any challenging situations I can help with? I'll check back in with you next week with more updates on the loan.
The key here is to decrease your incoming calls from agents who constantly call you to check in on your borrower's home loan. Stick to it!
Each Wednesday, plan to time block one hour to call your funded clients going through the alphabet based by last name. (Week 1=A, Week 2=B, etc).
One letter a week for the next 26 weeks. When those six months are up, you start over! This allows you to give a personal call to your clients twice a year.
All it takes is time-blocking and sticking to the plan! You can do this!
Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. It's been a few months since we chatted last, so I just wanted to call and check in. I wanted to make sure you're getting your mortgage statements and that everything for your home loan is going smoothly.
Do you have any questions or run into any challenges lately?
Have you been reading your Homebot report you get each month?
We happen to have some new loan programs that can help people [pay down credit cards], [buy investment properties with their equity], [upgrade or downgrade], [get cash out for home improvements].
If you happen to know of any friends, family, or neighbors who might need help in that area, would you be so kind to pass them my contact info?
Thanks for being a great client - please call me any time if there's anything I can do to help.
Homebot does a great job in setting up your daily dashboard to show you clients who are motivated to sell (and also refi, but we are focusing on sellers for now).
For those of you who attended (or watched) our Homebot Best Practices on Day One of our Virtual Sales Rally, you may remember our rep, Bethany, showing us how to leverage and communicate with Motivated Sellers.
Each Monday you receive a report from Homebot showing your most active leads. When you click on VIEW ACTIVITY FEED it will bring you right to your Homebot Client Activity Feed.
Click on the MOTIVATED TO SELL filter and here are the folks you should call weekly.
Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just wanted to check in and see how you're liking your Homebot Digest? Do you have any questions about your home's value or some of the options you have? Based on your equity, you might have an opportunity to purchase a new home if you're thinking about a move. Should we set a time for your agent to do a CMA for a more accurate estimate? Have you been thinking about making a move, or using some of your equity? If you want, I can pull up your Homebot report and we can review your options together if you have time?
There is a reason they are called Motivated Sellers! They've explored their options in Homebot - get in front of them first to help them understand all the ways they can use their home equity. Stick to it!
Every Friday, time block two hours to call everyone AND their REALTOR in your pipeline who is pre-qualified but hasn't gone under contract.
Sample Script:
Hello [Client], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just wanted to check in on your home search. How's everything going? Have you taken a look at your Homebot Buyer Report lately? Do we need to adjust your price point? Are there any contingencies we should re-think like appraisal or inspection? Anything else I can do or help with your home search?
Hello [Agent], it's [Your Name] from Castle & Cooke Mortgage. I just got off the phone with [Pre-Qualified Client], and he let me know they're still shopping for a new home. I wanted to ask if you thought maybe we need to revise their price range or change any of their contingencies? (If any changes are needed, let them know you'll send a revised pre-qualification letter). Are you working with anyone else this weekend I should chat with?
If you want to avoid people calling you in a panic over the weekend, this is a great way to cut down those calls. Stick to it!
Want to get the most out of Total Expert? Check out our Top High Value and High Dollar Actions
1) Log in to Total Expert Every. Single. Day.
2) Use Focused View every day as a call list to reach out to clients. We've created many Focused Views tied to Journeys and Campaigns so you can see who is actively receiving emails and texts from you. Be sure to log an outcome for each client within your Focused Views - don't let them just sit there. (Note: Customer Intelligence alerts only last seven days, so be sure to quickly log outcomes for anyone flagged for CI when you receive the user notification).
3) Use Journeys! Over the last few months, we've released a number of campaigns that fall outside of our usual automation strategies. These campaigns require you to add a contact and place them into a group, our use a Lead Capture App. Below you will see our brand new First Time Homebuyer Campaign. Last month we released the campaign and strategy for Divorced Leads. Earlier this year we released a campaign targeting renters. Setting clients up on these Journeys take very little time, and allow you to stay top of mind and provide valuable intel to push people to apply.
3) Connect with multiple co-marketing partners for more business. Think outside the box too! You can add accountants, attorneys, and even insurance agents as co-marketing partners. Remember the Divorce Lead Campaign from July?
4) Make sure your real estate agent co-marketing partners are at 100% completion! The biggest obstacle to this is their MLS-ID and affiliation.
a) When your agents connect their MLS to Total Expert, you'll be notified of new listings.
b) Create a Single Property Website, an Open House Lead Capture App, and a Listing Flyer for every new listing notification you receive. Then congratulate the agent for their new listing and send them the content you created.
5) Clear your tasks! When you receive or create a task, it's important you clear the task so they don't stack up in your account.
Last week we released a new process regarding CMA Requests you receive through Homebot. Be sure to watch a recap of our webinar here.
- When you receive a CMA Request via Homebot, you will get a notification from Homebot as well as a notification from Total Expert.
- On your behalf, we will send this email out to the client who requested a CMA.
- The onus is on the Loan Officer to reach out to either the client's buyers agent or another trusted agent partner and have them complete the CMA and return the info to you.
- See below for next steps
6. Log into Total Expert, navigate to Focused View, and find the client in the "Homebot CMA" Focused View
7. If the CMA has come in higher than what their Homebot was initially, then click LOG OUTCOME and select "CMA Completed - Value Improved"
8. If the CMA has come in lower than what their Homebot was, then click LOG OUTCOME and select "CMA Completed - Value Decreased"
9. Depending on their CMA results, one of two emails will be sent providing further information and encouraging them to reach out to you for next steps or questions. (Samples: Value Increased, Value Decreased)
6. Marketing will enter the CMA results into your client's Homebot
7. Marketing will log an outcome in Total Expert and depending on their CMA results, one of two emails will be sent providing further information and encouraging them to reach out to you for more next steps or questions. (Samples: Value Increased, Value Decreased)
8. Marketing will inform you when these steps are complete.
9. Marketing will track this client's progress, if a loan is created after the CMA has been logged, it will be marked as a company generated loan.
Social Media Post Instructions
Important! Because April Fool's Day falls on the first Wednesday of April, we decided to include it with March's Grow Time because it's a holiday and needs to be posted first thing in the morning of April 1st.
Schedule all of your social media posts! Click here to jump down to our social media calendar. All posts are loaded and live in Total Expert and ready for you to pre-schedule to your channels. Pro-Tip: Delete and redo your Facebook and LinkedIn integrations before you start scheduling. Why? This will ensure an updated connection between the platforms, and will get you in the habit considering Linked In needs to be refreshed every 2 months. This won't affect your currently scheduled posts.
Instructions for posting:
- Log into Total Expert either via CCMConnect or http://expert.castlecooke.mortgage
- Refresh your Integrations
- Click on your Name/Photo in the upper right
- Click INTEGRATION SETTINGS
- Click DISCONNECT under Meta
- Click DISCONNECT under LinkedIn
- Click CONNECT under Meta
- Follow the on-screen instructions to log into your Facebook Account and click RECONNECT. Grant permissions if prompted.
- When prompted for a Facebook Account, click the dropdown box and select your business page and click UPDATE CONNECTIONS
- Click CONNECT under LinkedIn
- Follow the on-screen instructions to log into your Facebook Account and click RECONNECT. Grant permissions if prompted.
- When prompted for a Facebook Account, click the dropdown box and select your business page and click UPDATE CONNECTIONS
- Click WEB MARKETING > SOCIAL MEDIA > CREATE NEW
- Activate the GROW TIME MARCH 2026 tag
- Click on the TAGS drop down in the upper right
- You can either search or scroll to find the GROW TIME MARCH 2026 tag
- Click on the tag and your screen will refresh to show only this month's posts
- Be sure you have Total Expert open on one monitor and Grow Time open on another. Follow the social calendar below.
- Use the search bar on the left side and search for the post by name
- Click ACTIONS > SHARE
- Be sure to select the social networks you wish to use (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
- Under POST DATE select the suggested date according to our social calendar
- Under POST TIME select any time between 8pm and 10pm (holidays such as St. Patrick's Day and April Fool's Day should be scheduled to post in the early morning)
- Click on SCHEDULE
- Repeat the above steps for each post on our calendar below
- Reach out to Marketing if you have any questions
Social Posts
All posts below are available in Total Expert under the Grow Time March 2026 tag. Contact Marketing if you need help integrating your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn channels.
Mortgage Acronyms - DTI

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - HECM

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - LTV

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - P&I

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - PITI
.png)
Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - PMI

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - DSCR

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - LE

Caption:
Mortgage Acronyms - CD

Caption:
Can I Qualify With Just Bank Statements?

Caption:
Your Home Equity Could Be the Light at the End of the Tunnel

Caption:
Home Values Are Finally Balancing Out

Caption:
Curious how these shifts affect your home’s potential equity? See where you stand with this really cool Home Equity Reporting tool
Home Inventory Is High + Prices Are Cooling

Caption:
Active listings are up year-over-year while prices are falling, giving buyers more time and leverage in negotiations. That could mean less stress and potentially better deals.
Tap into opportunity with this awesome home shopping tool to help find your next home now!
St. Patrick's Day

Caption:
Blog Post - What Are The Benefits of Homeownership?

Caption:
Blog Post - How Can I Refinance To Pay Down Debt

Caption:
Blog Post - How Can I Improve My Credit Score?

Caption:
If you’re planning to buy a home, refinance, or even just improve your financial position, your credit score plays a major role in the rates and options available to you. The good news? There are practical, realistic steps you can take to strengthen it.
Read the full guide to learn how to improve your credit score and put yourself in a stronger position for your next move. https://www.castlecookemortgage.com/blog/how-to-gamify-your-credit-score
Blog Post - Downpayment Assistance - What Are My Options?

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Introduction

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Market Forces

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? The Home Itself

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Location

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Supply

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Demand

Caption:
What's Up With Housing Prices? Invest In Your Future

Caption:
Blog Post - How Do Mortgage Rates Work?
.png)
Caption:
But do you really understand how they’re determined?
This post breaks down what mortgage rates are, what influences them, and how they impact the cost of your loan. Whether you’re buying now or planning for later, understanding rates gives you confidence and control. Click to learn how mortgage rates really work and what they mean for your home financing: https://www.castlecookemortgage.com/blog/how-mortgage-rates-work
Blog Post - How Can I Improve My Mortgage Rate?

Caption:
From boosting your credit score and building more savings, to choosing the right property and loan program, this guide breaks down the practical ways to position yourself for a stronger rate.
Click to learn how to improve your mortgage rate and potentially save thousands over the life of your loan: https://www.castlecookemortgage.com/blog/how-can-i-improve-my-mortgage-rate
Blog Post - How Can I Be In The Best Possible Buying Situation?

Caption:
But understanding rates is only one piece of the puzzle.
Being in the best possible buying position means combining strong rates with smart timing, a solid financial profile, and the right strategy when you make an offer. This post breaks down the steps you can take to stand out as a buyer and make your next offer count.
Click to learn how to position yourself for success in a competitive market: https://www.castlecookemortgage.com/blog/how-to-be-in-the-best-possible-buying-position
April Fool's Day - TreeLOC

Caption:
Training: Keys To Success
We have streamlined and updated our Keys to Success Training Page. From here on, we will always link to this page in this section. We'll post occasional updates here if anything new has been added each month
Grow Time Archive
Watch This Space
Your Marketing team is hard at work creating new videos, flyers, social posts, email campaigns, and more. When we have something new for the field, we'll update this section. Check back often!
Weekly Rate Update
Weekly rate update posts will appear here every Thursday morning...stay tuned! All content below is available in Total Expert under the Freddie Mac Weekly Rate Update tag.

Caption:
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.38% as of March 26, 2026, up from last week when it averaged 6.22%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.65%.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.75%, up from last week when it averaged 5.54%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 5.89%.


.png?width=1000&height=1202&name=_March%20growtime%20(10).png)