LOS.Live Presents: Keli McClarty - Straight Talk. Smart Loans.

In this episode, host Devin Dubuc sits down with Keli McClarty, a 23-year mortgage veteran who brings clarity, confidence, and straight talk to every deal. Kelli shares how she consistently delivers smooth closings, saves clients thousands, and earns trust by telling people what they need to hear, not just what they want to hear.

From taking a buyer from a $10,000 denial to a $400 win, to closing clean files with just 3 conditions, Kelli’s systems, service, and sincerity set a new standard for what it means to be a true mortgage professional.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• Why “straight talk” builds stronger relationships
• How upfront prep can save time, money, and deals
• Why experience in every role makes you a next level LO

Whether you’re a first-time buyer, a seasoned originator, or someone just breaking into the business - this one’s loaded with value.

#LOS.Live #LoanOfficerSuccessPartnerLive #LoanOfficerSuccess #StraightTalkSmartLoans #ClientsFirst #MortgageTips #PremierLending #RealTalkRealResults #WomenInMortgage

Creators and Guests

Host

Devin Dubuc

Coach. Dreamer. Dad. Helping you own your worth and go after what sets your soul on fire🔥

What is Loan Officer Success Live?

This isn’t another sales tips podcast.
This is LOS.LIVE - where mortgage and real estate pros come to master modern growth without the burnout.

Hosted by Devin Dubuc, LOS.LIVE is a deep dive into the psychology, strategy, and systems that build legacy-driven businesses in today’s market. Whether you're a high-performing loan officer, a rising agent, or an entrepreneur scaling fast—you’ll learn how to attract clients, grow income, and lead with brand, not brute force.

Real conversations. Tactical playbooks. No cold-call bro-hype. Just clarity, confidence, and creative firepower.

You don’t need a script. You need a strategy. Welcome to LOS.LIVE.

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Disclaimer: The information is intended to be viewed for informational purposes only. The content contained herein is not guaranteed or endorsed by the company, or any company mentioned, nor is this content meant to be an offer of credit. The information contained in this video may not be wholly or at all applicable to every situation or jurisdiction. You are strongly encouraged to consult your professional mortgage advisor before acting upon any information in this video. The information provided is for use as a training tool only. The information is not intended, nor should it be relied upon for any other purpose.

Welcome to Loan Officer Success Live.Sponsored by Premier Lending.The show where the mortgage industry's top players pull back the curtain.Your host, Devin DeBuke, sits down with industry leaders, top producers, and game-changing mortgage tech innovators.All sharing their unfiltered strategies, bold ideas, and proven secrets for success.Get ready to take notes, think bigger, and play to win, because this is Loan Officer Success Live.All right, guys.We are back and, uh, man, today I've got somebody pretty awesome.Uh, super excited to get her over here.She's crazy busy but, uh, she took time out of her schedule to jump on with us today and, uh, this is Kelli McLarty from down in South Carolina with Premier Lending and, uh, Straight Talk Smart Loans with Kelli McLarty.What's up, Kelli?How are you?What's going on, Devin?It's a beautiful day in the South.Yeah.Well, you know, I wouldn'tNo, I kind of know, but I'm in South Central, uh, and we're not talking LA, right?There's no gangs here.Maybe there are.I'm in Dallas, so.Uh, but, uh, what part of South Carolina are you hailing from today?I am from Charleston.I'm living in Charleston, South Carolina.Just outside.Actually, Mount Pleasant, just outside.Right near the beach.Near the beach.Yeah.I love it.I love it.I love it.So you're in South Carolina, and I always like to do a little getting to know our guests, so are you from Charleston area originally?Is that where you grew up?I did not.I have been here in Charleston for about 27 years.Born and raised in New York.New York City?Just outside the city, yeah.Um- That's awesome.Yeah.Dad was in the military, ended up in New York.Born and bred in Charleston.My parents retired here.Voila, here I am.That's it.Military brat.Uh, went from NYC down to the great state of South Carolina.Yep.And you know what's funny?Is I've been all around South Carolina.I still haven't set foot in South Carolina, and, uh, you may be the reason it gets me out there, so.It's cool.Yeah, you've told me some amazing things about Charleston, and, uh, you know, I - I want to come out and say hi sometimes.I know I'll be up in, uh, North Carolina at some point in time soon, so maybe I'll just have to take the drive.I think it's what, about an hour, an hour and a half?Something like that?It's three and a half to Charleston.Oh, three and a half.That's okay.IIt's a day, exactly- It's three and a half.It's an overnight.It's an overnight if you want to have a good time.It's an overnight.Yeah, three and a half is not too bad, so.Well, uh, okay, so we know how you got there, and so your entire life you dreamt about being in loan origination.This was always your lifelong dream.Absolutely not.No, I was not.Eh.Eh, yeah.was not.So what was it?What did you originally set out to be?What was the original goal?So I still sometimes wonder what I want to be when I grow up, right?Um, but I actually started way back when in the insurance industry.Okay.Um, and, um, I took the leap about 30 years ago, I started at 12, um, to go into some straight commission sales when I was a recruiter.And, um, from recruiting, I, um, got inI- I grew my own branch, I guess.Yeah.Um, for a small company we all know as Aflac.Aflac.Um, when I wasYeah, Aflac.When I started with Aflac, we wereWe did not have the duck, so it was- There was no duck?No duck.No.No duck.Nobody knew who we were.Nobody knew who we were.What the duck are you talking about, Kelli?What the duck?100%.The duck took us.This little bitty company called Aflac before the duck.Itty-bitty.Before the duck.And you're like one of the, one of the starting, uh, you know, youOne of the first team leads, right?Like you were on a team?Well, I mean, in the Charleston area.They were newer to Charleston, but yeah, so, um, I actuallyIn my Aflac world, I met somebody who was in insurance sales actually on the other side, you know, like Edward Jones kind of insurance.And she jumped into the mortgage business and said it was the best thing she ever did, I should jump in with her.And so sure enough, I jumped in and here I am, 22, in my 23rd year selling mortgages.So insurance was not the exciting career that you'd hoped it to be?So no.I alwaysWhen I first got into the mortgage business and I went to my very first closing, somebody was actually happy to see me.And when you're in the insurance industry, you're increasing premiums, decreasing coverage.People don't want to talk to you, you know, when you go- They don't like you too much.Oh.Oh.You're not the best friend.Especially right now.I mean, let's talk a little bit about insurance in 2025.We're in mortgage.We see it all the time.All the time.And man, what a tough racket that would be, uh, right now, right?Yeah.It- I think there's a lot of LOs out there that are, you know, they're frustrated about, you know, the industry as a whole, uh, but think about going over to insurance and just being everybody's worst enemy.It's, it'sIt's for sure.But, you know, on the flip side of that, I'm able to help clients understand their insurance and why it's important.I've got a call tonight at 5:00 for the buyer.You know what I mean?Just to go over her insurance.We're closing at the end of the month, but just to go over insurance so I can give her an idea.So it's just an added benefit, I guess.Why- Well, and I love that you just mentioned that.Yeah.You know, the consultation, because, guys, if you're tuning in or if you're watching this, uh, you know, Kelli is a active originator, right?So she is actively working.She answers the phone.She calls you back.She works crazy hours, right?And at the end of the day, uh, you get her when you, when you link up, right?When you go and you make the phone call or you do the outreach, you're gonna talk to Kelli directly and, you know, that's one thing that I love about Kelli a- and itLet's talk a little bit about this Straight Talk Smart Loans, right?What does that mean?I mean, I just say it's straight talk.I mean, it's hard to tell somebody that they have an issue, right?And,But, you, they've got to know they have an issue, right?So- Yeah.It's, it's straight talk.This is what we have.This, this is what we have to work with.We'reOur, our business is pretty black and white.There's some gray, but it's a dark gray, right?And so, um, uh, it's just a matter of straight talk.It's just let them know.How it is.How it is.And- Yeah.Um, y- you're right.I don't have an assistant.Um, it's all me, and that's the way I like it because that's the way- What-a lot of the people like it.So, I would rather do it that way.Well, I think there's a caveat to that that's also interesting, 'cause you don't have an assistant.You're a producing originator, but at the same time, sometimes you're assisting others, uh, because, uh, your, your, your skill set, right?Like, you are really, really sharp with the way that you put a loan together.Uh, crossing the T's and dotting the I's, and I think that's part of the straight talk, too, right?Is it's not just about telling people what they need to hear, not necessarily what they want to hear, right?But in addition to that, it's the level of service that's going in behind it.Um, you're making sure that they're not gonna have a bad experience because you look at everything up front, make sure that your boxes are checked, your T's are crossed, your I's are dotted, and you do it so well, other originators tend to want to have you help them put their files together.That's correct.And that's okay.Um, I like it.You know, it, it, it's just who I am.I, I, it, itThat's where my passion is, is, is- Yeah.is that, you know?Um, I do love talking to people and I do love the sales part of it, but IMy true talent is, is right there in the middle, for sure.Chaos coordinator.Chaos coordinator.I'll take it.I'll take it.Yeah.Well- Tell me- And something that I know about you, and our audience doesn't necessarily know about you, is not only, you know, have you been on the origination side or on the origination side, but you also helped out as an assistant with loans, but you've also run some branches, too.I have.I have.Yeah.Yeah.And, and managing people.Yeah.Managing people, yeah.And, and people are people, right?They are very unpredictable.They are a commodity of which we must have, but are very unpredictable.But, yeah, um, I have, and it's all- It goes back to that straight talk.Straight talk.100%.Yeah.Um- Yeah.I like it.It's good.Yeah.Well, and that's why we, you know, wanted to do the, the show with you, just to, you know, show folks out there, you know, that there's people that you can lean into and, you know, that trust because they have best intentions at mind, right?They want to help make that process really transparent and clear.Uh, and again, it goes back to, and this is what I've seen, Kelli.I've interviewed a lot of great agents and loan officers from East Coast to West Coast, and all the great ones, what they have in common is they tell people what they need to hear.And that's what you let into when we talk about straight talk.It's, "This is what you need to hear," and it, it may not feel good, uh, to hear the hard realities.But, you know, there's something else about that, because sometimes when you're telling people what they don't want to hear, you're also delivering some great news too, which is maybe how you can get them where they need to be.That's correct.100%.And we just did that, umLet's talk about that.I guess in the last month we just did that.Yeah.Somebody s- was told no, and they went to somebody else, and somebody else said, "Well, you have to do all of this and it's going to cost you 10,000 to do all of this 'cause you got to pay it all off."Mm-hmm.And I said, "You gotYou can do this.It's hard to do, but if you can do this, we can get you where you need to be and we can get you in a house."45 days later, we were under contract.We closed.first time home buyer, ecstatic and couldn't be happier.Yeah.Well, that's- So, it's, it's exciting.I love that part of the joI do love that part of what we do.For sure.Well, let's talk straight.So, we go backwards.$10,000, ouch, to do what?What were they supposed to do that was going to get them to close and it was gonna cost them $10,000?To pay down or off debt so that it would increase their credit score, because there's not a lot of people that really realize it's- it's- it's not just having the credit and paying it on time, it's what is your, you know, do you have $50,000 in debt and only a $50,000 cap in debt, right?Mm-hmm.All of that, all of that stuff makes a difference and it impacts, um- It does.what your credit score looks like.It does.So it wasn't about- It just-anything but their credit score.So, and- and I just want to elaborate on that too.So if you're tuning in and, you know, or you're- you're watching this at any point in time and you want to know how that works, it- we at Mortgaged, you know, I'm not gonna give you the exact formula because I don't know, but what I do know is that your average balance on your cards, if it exceeds 50%, um, it actually signals the bureaus that there may be some financial instability and that causes for your scores to go down.So, uh, effectively, as you bring those balances down, especially on revolving credit, um, that actually has a positive impact on credit score and can immediately improve your credit positioning.And Kelly uses programs like the Credit Expert and Credit Analyzer that allow for her to take a snapshot of your exact situation and look at what the potential results would be if you pay down debt.And it's not always $10,000.In fact, I've had situations personally, we've paid down 4 or $500, maybe 6 or $700 and seen some massive improvements, uh, in the client's overall credit position, right, and allowed for them to qualify.So in this case, they were told 10.Was it 10?Is that what it took?It was $400.$400.So from 10- And a telephone call, yeah.To from 10 to 400 in a telephone call.Mm-hmm.and that right there, guys, is what shows you why it's really important to do business with a true professional, right?Um, and we talk about this all the time.You know, you may have a neighbor that does something, and maybe they're great at it, maybe they're as good as Kell- and if that's the case, stick with them, right?Um, but at the same time, sometimes we just take a referral and we don't really know the quality of the person that we're doing business with.And a $9,600 mistake could have been the difference between not owning a home and owning a home, right?Uh, or impact the down payment that was available for that individual to put on the home, uh, to help improve their payment situation.And this is why it's so important to make sure that you look at the person that you're going to do business with and qualify them or make sure they're qualified from a reliable source.So from 10K down to $400 thanks to Kelly's straight talk and smart lungs, in this case super smart, and, uh, what did the rest of that transaction look like?Was it just smooth sailing from, uh, from that point?Smooth sailing.And the comment made was, Holy cow, this is so much easier than I thought it was going to be.Yeah.But that's the goal, right?The goal is to make it seem, to make it seem, to make it as easy as possible.As easy as possible.Yeah.I don't want somebody to feel like I need their first grandbaby, you know, to get their loan done.Here's your offer.Not what I'm looking for.Give me a loan.Yeah.No, it's not like that.It doesn't have to be like that, right?And it should just be a great casual conversation, really getting to understand the person's personal goals and what their pain point is if they have one.Some people don't have a pain point, and that's great.We love those loans too, right?We love to help the people that- that don't have pain points, but at the same time, if you do, you know, having an expert like Kelly, and- and how long you been in the industry?22I think I'm in my 23rd year.23 years.Same here, by the way.Samesies.Samesies.So 23 years in the industry, you know, from, uh, sales management, you know, branch manager, loan originator, you know, loan officer assistant, and I think that's super important.Um, I have my views on why I think it's important to run all the different positions, but Kelly, I'd love to hear yours, right?Like, why do you think it's great to have a true understanding at every level of the business?Because that's what makes the closings close, right?That's what brings me to the- to the table, um, uh, um, understanding what other people are doing, understanding that, um, that it'sYou all, it's a process.It just doesn't go from me-to the closing table.You know, there's other- Right.people involved and there's other hands in the pot, and those hands are all great hands, but it's nice- Yeah.to- to understand what that process flow is.It makes it so much easier when you're explaining to buyers, especially first-time home buyers- Yeah.you know, what the process looks like and why they're going to, you know, talk to different people and- and- and why it's- it's taking the time that it takes.Of course, we're fast.I mean, we're- we're really fast.Um- And- and- yeah, and that's important too, right?Yeah.Is being able to getBut what makes it fast, right?It's not just, I mean, the team's great.So, I mean, I always want to give a shout-out to our team.We've got some great people on the team, but I think there's- Mm-hmm.a starting point that makes things move fast.What is that, Kelly?Getting everything you need upfront.Very simple.Mm-hmm.You know, have the good conversation, have the straight talk.Regardless, it could beThe straight talk doesn't have to be bad.No.You know, the annotation- Nope.of straight talk is you want to get this done, this is what we need to get it done, let's go.And- and the other thing is, you've got to feel like you're a team, right?Amen.It's gotta beYou're a team.The buyer, the agents, it's, it's all teamwork, for sure.Mm-hmm.Well, and that's why it's great to have great partners with your agents, great partners with your title companies and your insurance providers, right?Uh, we still love you insurance guys and gals.We do.But at the end of the day, you know, this is what makes a transaction really smooth for the end user, because when you're working with people that already know each otherSo let's talk about that.So a lot of the times people go into a transaction and they're like, But I'm gonna bring my lender, right?Or, I'm gonna bring myfill in the blank.But then that lender doesn't know that agent, doesn't know that title person, doesn't know that insurance person.And at the end of the day, can they all coordinate that?Well, if they're top of their game they can and should be able to.Now imagine working with teams that already know, like, and trust each other, right?Like, the agent knows the loan officer and the title company and the insurance company.How much smoother do you think that transaction looks?Kellie, what's your perspective on that?It's, it's, it's definitely smoother, right?Um, because you know what you're dealing with.Just, um, if that makes any sense.You know what's at the other end and you knowI mean, and the relationship is huge.If, if I need so- if we need something quicker than they normally get it, if we've got that relationship and we pick up the phone and say, Hey, I know I'm calling you a week early.But buyer has some funds.We wanna lock the loan.You know, I, I want to get things as tight, as buttoned up as possible.Can you help me?And, and it works, and you do get what you need.Yeah.8 times out of 10.I mean, they're busy, right?I'm not the only person that they're dealing with.Attorneys here are closing.They're productive.They're productive.They're productive.Well, you know, this is what I always like to paint, you know, for clients that are out there thinking about the mortgage process, right?So, in reality, what's happening in the background is you have 1000-piece puzzle, right?And ultimately you've got about 5 to 8 people at any given time, sometimes more, could be more like 15 to 20, right, that are all snapping in pieces together to get this thing to the finish line.And when they all work well with each other and they know each other, that process looks really smooth.In fact, what it turns around and looks like to the end user, which is the person that's purchasing the home, is it's like a little 8person puzzle for my 3yearold son, Kai.Right?And, you know- yeah.they're just snapping in these jumbo pieces to get themselves to the closing table.And we're all high-fiving at the end cause we did it, right?Like them, my 3yearold.We did it.Yay.And yay.That's it.And that's what it feels like when you're working with the right players, right?And, uh, and I think that's what Kellie's talking about is, you know, there's so many different things that are going on in the backend and having somebody that's there to help give you the right information upfront, uh, the straight talk, right?Um, so that you can get everything that you need before it moves forward to the next stage.That way, by the time that it gets toSo, you know, again, we go from originator to processor to underwriter, and there's different people in between that help facilitate that.And by the time we get to the underwriter, if we've done a great job, like Kellie, uh, you don't have a lot of conditions, right?Like Kellie, what's your average condition set list look like?ToFor the buyer?Probably 3.Because we can't get s- you know, some things have to wait because it's gotta get through the bank.Like the earnest money has to get through, it's tough to get that upfront.Yeah.Um, title is always something that's needed.It's really not the buyer.And homeowner's insurance, basically, that's basically what's needed in the end when it comes through first time.Sounds pretty smooth to me.Yes.And generally speaking- Smart loans.Yeah.Generally speaking, the processor and underwriter love to work on that kind of loan.So- Yeah.it, it also helps others, it helps the- It does.It does.the buyers for sure.guys, if anybody's tuning in, wants to ask Kellie a question, now's the time to do it, because I've pinned her down.It helps the- It does.Uh, she doesn't always have free time, but, uh, today she took 30 minutes to talk to us.So, uh, feel free to drop a comment.And this is live, so we will respond.We can see them.Uh, depending on when you're watching, right?If you're asking it after that, we may not be here, uh, but we'll still answer your questions.watching it right now, at this exact time, which I believe is 11:52 Central on August the 18th, uh, we can answer your questions.Just drop the comment and we'll make sure we get back to you.And guys, if you wanna find Kelli, uh, there's a couple ways to do that.So you can find her at Facebook, um, or you can also just go straight to her website, uh, mortgagebykelli, with an I, uh, 1L.com, or call her at 843You can find her on Facebook at Kelli.McClardie.Uh, shoot her a text, give her a phone call.That's Kelli with an I, right?4 letters.I love it.Uh, one of the better 4letter words out there.Yes, that's right.There you go.The best 4letter word.Uh, let me see if this pulls back by here, 843-478-8459.Uh, that's her real number, guys.Like I said earlier on, she will answer.Uh, she'll text you back and, uh, she does, does call her people back.I love it.I know that without fail.We've been on multiple calls where she's like, Gotta go.Somebody's calling me.So, Kelli, uh, what did we not tackle today that we should have tackled?Um, I think we've tackled a lot today.Um, I just think that there's a lot more out there than people think.So if you have a question, doesn't cost anything.5 minutes on the telephone and I'm sure I can answer it.If you, if you think it's not out there, you think you don't qualify, I'm pretty sure there's something out there for you and you do, so.Well, we got a question and- Oh.uh, this one is not a buyer.This is somebody who's inspiring to be a loan officer.Uh, says, I'm studying to take my MLO exam.As someone with no background in the industry, any advice?The advice is be a goodJust be a, be a student.Yeah.The advice is do it.For sure, do it.Um, and I would say, because I'm talking, not a lot of other loan originators feel this way, but, you know, know your guidelines.Pick a product and study it.Um, and there's a lot out there, but, you know, your main 2 or 3.And I'm happy to have a conversation if you wanna have a conversation.So, um, that's what I say.Well, and I'll throw a couple things out there too, Kelli.Uh, so first off, um, definitely, uh, do it.This is a great industry and we need more people that, uh, you know, are inspired to be here.Um, you don't have to have a background.A lot of people don't.Um, one thing that I highly recommend, and we're here every day, uh, Monday through Thursday, and you should join us as well.Uh, I'm gonna update this real quick, cause we just changed our times on this, uh, so bear with me.But there is a morning show, uh, called MLO Live!Uh, and if you jump on and get registered for this and show up every morning, I promise you, you're gonna start off a lot faster, uh, than a lot of or- us originators did.And I'm just about done updating this.There we go.Okay, here it comes.So come check us out at mloliveshow.com.Again, that's mloliveshow.com.And if you're not passing the exams in CompuCramThat's Monday through Thursday, 8:30 AM Eastern or 7:30 AM Central.By the way, this- we're not sponsored by CompuCram.This is a great place to hear from other loan originators, top-tier professionals that are on the ground floor right now, out there doing exactly what you inspire to do, Jennifer.Also, if you're looking to take the adv- uh, the, uh, exam, um, CompuCram does a great course for that.Uh, also On Course Learning.Uh, one of those is los.live.hub on Instagram.Typically, what I advise loan originators to do is go to oncourselearning.com.Uh, you found us on LinkedIn, Jennifer.You can go in and take your 20 hours in your state specific for the UST, uh, for any state that you wanna get licensed in.Uh, you can also find us on YouTube at LOS.Live.And then once you do that, I like CompuCram to get ready for the exam, because you've got one shot or you gotta wait 30 days to come back and take it.This is just something that I've used for decades with my team members.Uh, but, uh, if you start passing those tests on there in the 90s, uh, and higher, you're probably ready to go out and take that exam so that you, you, uh, one and done, right?Like, that's always the dream, is to just take it one time and, and be done with it.So, uh, but go check out the mloliveshow.com.Um, I always wanna give a shout-out to Scotty Hudspeth.I ask him co-host that show.And then, uh, you know, if you, uh, wanna keep tuning back in here for us, you can find us in a lot of places.You're already here, but it's under my name, Devin DeBuke.0 Oh, let's see here.So, uh, we're all over the place.I believe it is now called PrepXL.Uh, but today we're here for Kelli and this is where you can find her.So, um, Kelli, anything else we're gonna cover before we wrap up today?I think we're good.Thanks, Devin.I appreciate you coming on today and being the star of the show.You're the star of the show every day, uh, but today specifically.And, uh, hey, if you guys like Kelli and wanna learn more, come find her at mortgagebykelli.com or call her and, uh, she's gonna answer that phone, right?when you only need to spend $400, not 1000.So.That's right.We got one more thing before we wrap up.Let's see.That could be it.Uh, Jennifer, I am not sure.It's been a minute since I've picked it up.Um, but, uh, yeah, come, come check out the show.Thanks for dropping in.And, uh, I'll do a little research and get back to you on LinkedIn, uh, just to make sure.So guys, I think that's gonna do it today.Um, thank you so much for coming by.This is LOS Live and Kelli McClardie with Premier Lending.Thanks for jumping in today.Take care.Have a good one.