Automation Recipe: Build a Post-Close Borrower Follow-Up System

What This Builds

You'll build an automated email sequence that triggers the moment a loan funds: a congratulations email, a review request 3 days later, and a 30-day check-in, all sent automatically. Every borrower gets the same professional follow-up without you or your LOs ever manually hitting send. More reviews. More referrals. Zero extra work.

Prerequisites

• Google account with Gmail and Google Sheets
• Zapier account (free tier for basic Zaps; Starter at ~$20/mo for sequences)
• Your funded loans tracked in a Google Sheet (or willingness to create one)
• 2-3 email templates written (from Level 1 guide: "Write a Post-Close Review Request Email")

The Concept

Zapier watches a single column in your Google Sheet, the "Funded Date" column. The moment you type a date in that column for a loan, Zapier automatically triggers: immediate congratulations email, then waits 3 days and sends the review request, then waits 27 more days and sends a check-in. It's like having a personal assistant who never forgets.

The automation doesn't know about mortgage. It just watches for a date and sends pre-written emails to the address you put in the sheet.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Set up your tracking sheet (20 minutes)

1. Open Google Sheets and create a new sheet: "Funded Loans Tracker"
2. Create these columns in Row 1:

• A: Loan Number
• B: Borrower First Name
• C: Borrower Email
• D: LO Name
• E: Funded Date (leave blank until the loan funds. Filling this triggers automation)
• F: Loan Type (Purchase/Refi)
• G: Notes

1. Add 3 test loans with real-looking data (use fake emails like test1@example.com for your tests)

Important: Column E (Funded Date) is your trigger column. Nothing happens until you enter a date there.

Part 2: Write your 3 email templates (20 minutes)

Open a text editor and write these 3 emails. You'll paste them into Zapier:

Email 1 (Day 0: Congratulations):

Subject: Congratulations on your new home, {{Borrower First Name}}!

Hi {{Borrower First Name}},

Congratulations! Your loan has officially funded and you're a homeowner. It was a pleasure working with you through this process.

If you ever have questions about your mortgage, refinancing, or home equity, I'm always here.

Warmly,
[LO Name / Branch Name]
[Phone]

Email 2 (Day 3: Review Request):

Subject: Quick favor, {{Borrower First Name}}?

Hi {{Borrower First Name}},

I hope you're settling into your new home! I have a quick favor to ask: if you had a good experience with us, would you take 2 minutes to leave us a Google review? It means a lot and helps other buyers find us.

[YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW LINK]

If there's anything we could have done better, I'd love to hear that too. Just reply to this email.

Thank you,
[LO Name]

Email 3 (Day 30: Check-In):

Subject: Checking in: how's the new home, {{Borrower First Name}}?

Hi {{Borrower First Name}},

It's been about a month since your closing! I just wanted to check in, how are you settling in?

If you have any friends or family thinking about buying or refinancing, I'd be honored if you'd refer them my way.

Also, I send out a monthly market update. Let me know if you'd like to be on the list!

Best,
[LO Name]

Part 3: Set up Zapier (45 minutes)

Step 1: Create a Zapier account

1. Go to zapier.com and sign up (free tier works)
2. Click + Create Zap

Step 2: Set the trigger (Google Sheets: New/Updated Row)

1. In the Trigger box, search Google Sheets → Event: New or Updated Spreadsheet Row
2. Sign in to Google → Select your "Funded Loans Tracker" sheet and tab
3. Set Trigger Column to: Column E (Funded Date). This fires when Column E is updated
4. Click Test trigger. Zapier should show your test data

Step 3: Add a filter (only trigger when Funded Date is filled)

1. Click + → Add Filter
2. Filter rule: "Column E (Funded Date) Exists / Is not empty"
3. Continue

Step 4: Add Email Action 1 (Day 0)

1. Click + → Search Gmail → Event: Send Email
2. Configure:

• To: Click insert data → select Column C (Borrower Email)
• Subject: "Congratulations on your new home, " + insert Column B (Borrower First Name) + "!"
• Body: Paste your Email 1 template; replace {{Borrower First Name}} with the Column B data insert

Step 5: Add a Delay

1. Click + → Search Delay by Zapier → Event: Delay For
2. Set: 3 Days

Step 6: Add Email Action 2 (Day 3)

1. Click + → Gmail → Send Email again
2. Configure with Email 2 template (same field mapping)

Step 7: Add another Delay and Email 3

1. Delay: 27 Days (27 days after Day 3 = Day 30)
2. Gmail → Send Email → Email 3 template

Step 8: Test and publish

1. Click Test Zap using your test data (emails go to test@example.com, so it's safe)
2. Verify each email draft looks correct
3. Click Publish Zap

Real Example: The Full Workflow in Action

Setup: You have 8 LOs closing 15-20 loans per month.

Input: LO Johnson closes a purchase loan for the Martinez family today. You (or the LO) open the tracking sheet and type today's date in the Funded Date column for that loan.

Output:

• Today at ~2pm: Mrs. Martinez receives a congratulations email from LO Johnson
• 3 days later: Review request email arrives in her inbox
• 30 days later: Check-in email with referral ask

Time saved: With 15 closings/month, that's 45 emails you never had to write or remember. If 30% of borrowers leave a review, that's 4-5 new Google reviews per month vs. maybe 0-1 previously.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Zap doesn't fire → Check that the trigger column (E) was actually updated, not just the row; Zapier looks for changes in that specific column
• Emails going to spam → Set up email authentication (SPF/DKIM) on your domain. Ask your IT person if you're on a company email
• Wrong name in email → Check that Column B has first names only, not "John and Jane Smith"
• Delay isn't working → Zapier free tier has task limits; upgrade to Starter if you exceed 100 tasks/month

Variations

• Simpler version: Skip Zapier entirely and use Gmail's scheduled send: write the emails manually and schedule them out 3 and 30 days. Not automated, but structured.
• Extended version: Add a Year 1 Anniversary email at 365 days with a rate check-in offer, turning a 3-email sequence into a 4-touchpoint annual retention system

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the Zap and test it with 3 fake borrowers before going live
• This month: Track Google review volume before and after, and document the lift
• Advanced: Connect your CRM (Total Expert, Jungo) directly instead of a Google Sheet. Many CRMs have Zapier integrations that make this even smoother

Advanced guide for Mortgage Branch Manager professionals. These techniques use more sophisticated AI features that may require paid subscriptions.