Justin Lopatin
Vice President of Residential Lending
PERL Mortgage
Justin Lopatin, VP of Residential Lending at PERL Mortgage, prides himself on being a great listener and a valuable business partner to his Realtors. “Any lender should be able to close a transaction, but very few add immense value. My goal is simple: I want to help my realtor partners make more money, save them time and reduce their stress.” He says one of the most overlooked, yet critical skills is asking the right questions. “Most sales people talk way more than they listen. Asking the right questions and listening intently is a lost art these days.”
A large portion of Lopatin’s Chicagoland clients are first-time homebuyers, and his expertise is in conventional and jumbo mortgage financing. Having grown up in Skokie and Highland Park, he continues to grow his footprint in the North Shore as many of his millennial clients have begun moving to the suburbs. Lopatin also serves as a valuable business partner to several local developers as a preferred lender for their new construction projects. “Although challenging at times, we love helping developers and realtors sell their new construction projects. Specializing in new construction is critical given the abundance of new developments in Chicago.”
Lopatin says that PERL focuses on building long-term relationships. “Our clients and Realtor partners rave about our communication and our commitment to education. Once our buyers are under contract we focus on proactive communication and clear expectations which results in reduced anxiety and no surprises. That’s what keeps the referrals coming in. This year, we grew my production team to five members so we could continue to take amazing care of our clients and business partners while handling our increased volume,” he says.
Lopatin and his wife love to travel with their son Jackson and his goal is to visit one new country every year. “I’ve been so fortunate to build a wonderful team that allows me to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Growing 20 percent annually and being home for dinner four nights a week is my greatest professional accomplishment.” Each month the staff at PERL selects a charity to support, with the goal of contributing to 12 charities a year.