By: Dave Savage, Chief Growth Officer
June 1, 2026

June is National Homeownership Month. It’s an occasion to recognize what owning a home means to families: the stability, the wealth-creation, the sense of belonging. But this year, I want to use this month to issue a challenge to every loan officer, every lender, every housing professional reading this: we need to become better teachers. 

A new Wells Fargo survey released this month makes the case better than I ever could. Nearly 7 in 10 prospective first-time homebuyers said they felt knowledgeable about purchasing a home. Then the researchers gave them a 12-question quiz on basic mortgage and homebuying concepts. The result? 3 out of 4 respondents answered 4 or fewer questions correctly. Only 1 participant, out of more than 2,000 surveyed, got a perfect score. 

Let that sink in. The buyers coming into your pipeline right now are confident they know what they’re doing. And statistically, most of them don’t. The gap isn’t between buyers who want a home and the market. It’s between buyers who think they’re prepared and buyers who actually are. 

“What’s scary in life is not what people know (or don’t know), but what they know that ain’t so.” – Satchel Paige

The Numbers Tell the Story

Here’s what the Wells Fargo survey found when it tested prospective buyers on the fundamentals of their biggest financial decision:

• If the quiz were a test in school, 75% of respondents would have earned a grade of 25% or lower. 
• Nearly 90% did not understand what is included in closing costs, which was the largest knowledge gap identified in the survey.
• 88% were unclear on the first steps in the homebuying process.
• 8 in 10 would make a potentially costly mistake when submitting a competitive offer, including sharing a pre-approval letter showing their maximum approved loan amount with the seller. 

That last one is particularly painful. Buyers were handing over their entire negotiating position before the conversation even began. Nobody taught them not to. 

In a market where affordability is already stretched, where rates remain elevated and where inventory stays tight, this education gap doesn’t just cost buyers money, it costs them homes. 

Trust is the Real Barrier

When I joined Zeb Lowe on the HousingWire Power House podcast earlier this year, I argued something that could potentially be a bit controversial: the biggest barrier to homeownership isn’t rates, isn’t inventory, and isn’t affordability. It’s trust.

Younger buyers, Gen Z in particular, feel overwhelmed by the mortgage process and, frankly, disconnected from our industry. The Wells Fargo data confirms why: most prospective buyers get their homebuying guidance from friends, family, real estate websites and search engines. Younger buyers are primarily turning to social media influencers and AI tools. Only about one-third say they consult lenders or financial professionals as a primary source of information.

Think about what that means. Buyers are making the biggest financial decision of their lives based on their cousin’s experience from 2019 and a TikTok they half-watched on their commute. Meanwhile, we’re waiting for them to show up ready to transact.

The mortgage professional is either not on the list or at the very bottom of that list. And that’s on us. We haven’t shown up early enough, we haven’t made education easy enough, and we haven’t built the trust required for buyers to see us as their first call, not their last.

The MortgageCoach Mindset Changes Everything

This is exactly what I’ve spent years building toward with the MortgageCoach philosophy at TrustEngine. When I think about what great loan officers do, they don’t wait for a complete application to start adding value. They show up as educators, as guides, as the trusted adult in the room for what may be the most consequential financial decision their client ever makes.

The Wells Fargo data actually contains a remarkable piece of hope buried inside the bad news: nearly two-thirds of the buyers who took the quiz said it left them feeling motivated, encouraged, or more aware of what they still needed to learn. Just being asked the right questions made buyers feel more confident and more prepared. Buyers don’t need to be talked out of homeownership, they need someone to walk them toward it step by step. 

That is the MortgageCoach opportunity. Every conversation you have with a prospective buyer is a chance to be that person. Not a salesperson chasing a transaction, but a coach building a relationship. The best coaches engages the buyer before they’re ready to transact. They explain closing costs — all of them, clearly, in plain language — not as a disclosure requirement but as an act of respect for the buyer’s intelligence. They walk clients through offer strategy so they don’t accidentally expose their maximum approval to a seller. They send a personalized, borrower presentation that helps buyers visualize not just the monthly payment, but the true financial picture of owning. 

This Homeownership Month, Let’s Raise the Standard

National Homeownership Month is a celebration. But it’s also a reminder of what’s at stake. Homeownership remains one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available to American families, and too many people are locked out. At TrustEngine, we believe mortgage professionals are uniquely positioned to change that. 

You don’t need a new product or a new marketing campaign. You need a coaching mindset and the right tools to deliver education at scale before the application, during the process, and after the close.

The buyers are out there. They’re ready to learn. They just need someone willing to teach them. Be that person. 

Join Dave’s Weekly Coaches Corner Webinar

Every week, Dave Savage brings together top mortgage professionals to share coaching strategies, education frameworks, and the tools driving results in today’s market. Live Q&A included. Free to attend. Register today.