A WhatsApp AI agent for mortgage brokers and loan officers: answer process questions, collect the basics for a pre-qualification, request documents, and book the appointment, while advice and rates stay with the licensed broker
Mortgage enquiries arrive after work and are full of the same first questions: how much can I borrow, what documents do you need, how long does it take, what do you charge. A broker in meetings answers at the end of the day, and the borrower has already filled in three online forms elsewhere.
Quick answer
Give a WhatsApp AI agent your process steps and timelines, your fee disclosure, the document checklist by borrower type (employed, self-employed, first-time buyer, refinance), your licence and regulator, and your appointment availability, and it answers process questions in seconds, collects the basics for a pre-qualification, sends the right document checklist, and books the appointment. Instruct it never to quote rates, estimate borrowing capacity, recommend products or lenders, or comment on a person's eligibility; those go to you. ReplyKit runs this from $29 a month.
Information, not advice
Mortgage advice is regulated almost everywhere. The agent's instructions should say it provides information about the process and your services only: it does not quote or compare rates, does not estimate how much someone can borrow, does not recommend lenders or products, and does not say whether someone will qualify. When asked, it says the broker covers that in the appointment and offers to book. State your licence, regulator and fee disclosure in the knowledge base so the agent can cite them accurately. The scoping pattern is shared with financial planners.
The pre-qualification basics
- Purpose: purchase, refinance, investment, first home.
- Rough property price or loan amount, and deposit available, as the borrower states them.
- Income type: employed, self-employed, contractor; the checklist differs.
- Timeline: already found a property, looking, just researching.
- Country or region of the property, if you work across borders.
- The lead lands in your CRM with these answers, and the agent sends the matching document checklist and offers appointment slots. The question set is adapted from lead qualification questions.
Collecting documents
The agent sends the checklist for the borrower's type and tells them how to submit (secure upload link you provide, email, or in person). Borrowers often send photos of payslips straight into WhatsApp; decide your policy and put it in the knowledge base. Many brokers instruct the agent to say "Please use the secure link rather than WhatsApp for documents" and to hand over if a document arrives in the chat anyway, so a person moves it to the secure system and deletes it from the chat. Data handling is covered in GDPR and AI agents.
Why it matters for a broker
The first broker to respond usually wins the file. Lead-response research, including the HBR study, finds the first hour decides most of the outcome. The agent responds in seconds, books the appointment while the borrower is engaged, and starts the document chase before you have opened the file. On the Growth plan it nudges leads who went quiet, which in a slow property market brings back a surprising share.
One honest note before the setup. ReplyKit connects to your number by QR pairing, the same linked-device mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is live in minutes and needs no Meta approval, but Meta does not sanction automation this way, so a number can be restricted. We enforce limits of 30 replies an hour and 200 a day per number with a warm-up ramp for new numbers, reply to inbound messages only, and recommend a dedicated number rather than your main line. The full picture is in our ban guide.
Starter at $29 a month covers one number, one agent, one website assistant and 1,000 AI replies; Growth at $49 adds two more numbers, five agents and follow-up nudges; the 7-day free trial needs no card. Replies you receive and messages you send yourself are free; only the agent's own messages count. Pricing is in USD and the service works in any country where WhatsApp does. What it costs in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Will the agent quote mortgage rates?
No. It is instructed never to quote or compare rates, estimate borrowing capacity or recommend products. It explains the process and books the appointment.
Can it collect documents?
It sends the right checklist and your secure submission instructions. Most brokers tell it to steer documents away from WhatsApp itself.
Does it pre-qualify?
It collects the basics (purpose, price, deposit, income type, timeline) for you to assess. It does not say whether someone qualifies.
Can it book appointments?
Yes, into real slots, with a reminder the day before.
Is it compliant with my regulator?
Scoped to information only and citing your licence and disclosures, it fits most regimes. Check your regulator's rules on automated communication and keep the broker in charge of all advice.
First to respond, every time
Process explained, basics and documents collected, appointments booked; advice stays with you. 7-day free trial, no card.
Sources and further reading
- Harvard Business Review, The Short Life of Online Sales Leads (Oldroyd, McElheran, Elkington, 2011) · firms that responded within an hour were about seven times more likely to qualify the lead
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · our own account of the risk and the limits we enforce
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for brokerage administration, not financial, legal or regulatory advice; check your regulator's rules on automated communications.