The familyhome. It's where the day starts and ends for virtually every memberof a credit union.

Your members' homes are the foundation from which their lifegrows. When neighbors talk about possible future moves over a backfence, your credit union should be part of that conversation.

So why do so few of your members get a home loan from yourcredit union? Often, it's because real estate agents steer homebuyers to other home loan sources. In many instances, that'sbecause real estate agents just aren't very familiar with creditunions, which still account for a small part of total mortgageoriginations nationwide.

Even in this age, when our smartphones can literally guideshoppers to homes they want to look at, buying a home is still verymuch a person-to-person business. Members place enormous trust intheir real estate agents, just as they trust you to help managetheir financial lives.

In short, real estate agents are a key to building your creditunion's mortgage business. Educating agents in your area soundslike a tough task, but the good news is that real estate agents areeager to hear your message. Large banks in faraway cities can'tmatch credit unions in at least three key areas:

• A hometown presence. If agents have a question, they can dropby to speak to someone at your credit union in person.
• Strong borrowers. Your members collectively boast higherincomes and credit scores than the general population.
• Flexibility. Your credit union has more freedom to consider thecircumstances of an individual home buyer—and to create mortgageproducts to match the needs of your members and the localmarket.

However, getting agents to understand all the pluses of dealingwith your credit union is not something you can do very effectivelyusing only local advertising, flyers, or a website. All of us leadbusy lives, but real estate agents are especially time-starved –frequently working nights to accommodate multiple clients and onweekends for open houses.

To reach real estate agents with your credit union's message,you have to take information to them by becoming part of your localreal estate community. Here are five simple ways to connect withreal estate agents in your area:

1. Be watchful on social media. Seek out the local real estateassociation on Facebook and “like” it. Follow agents onTwitter or other social media. Get curious about the topics realestate agents are talking about, whether or not you want to jointhe online discussion.
2. Participate in local real estate groups. Go to their luncheons,rub elbows, and get to know as many agents as possible.
3. Invite a real estate agent you know out to lunch and ask him orher to bring a colleague. It's a small step, but imagine howpowerful the simple act of getting together with different realestate agents becomes if you do it consistently every couple ofweeks or once a month.
4. Involve local real estate experts when you hold seminars foryour members. If the topic is “Tips for First-Time Home Buyers” or“Construction Lending,” participating agents can offer insights youdon't have—and may also bring prospective purchasers to yourseminar.
5. Hold a casual get-together for local real estate agents at youroffice or a nearby restaurant. The invitation could simply say“Let's Get to Know One Another.” Offer light hors d'oeuvres andpromise not to make any long speeches.

If you're already doing all five of these things,congratulations. There's still more you can do, because as yourparticipation increases, your knowledge will only grow.

In short, take any chance you see to get more involved in yourlocal real estate community. Start modestly. Hosting a large-scaleevent is daunting.

With new real estate agents joining the industry every day,outreach is something you should be working on almostconstantly.

Your efforts will enable you to serve your market with a deeperlocal perspective. Combine that knowledge with all of theadvantages of credit unions, and you'll have a winning formula forbuilding your mortgage business.

Shannon VanSickler is vice president of the Credit UnionChannel at United Guaranty. She can be reached at 336-778-7213or [email protected].