Just got commissioned and I’m stuck on the next step. Drop ~$700 on a dual‑tray laser + mobile scanner + inverter to chase loan signings, or start lean with my single‑tray and do home scanbacks/mostly GNW and accept fewer offers - what actually paid off for you?
Starting lean paid off for me: I used a single‑tray and home scanbacks for the first month, did GNW and a few refis, then upgraded from profits and didn’t miss much work. I picked up a used Brother HL‑L6200DW with dual tray for about $180 on Facebook Marketplace and a $35 inverter - track your offer volume for two weeks and only buy if you’re actually turning down jobs for lack of gear.
Start lean. I did my first 6 weeks with a single‑tray Brother and home scanbacks, mostly GNW and a couple seller/HELOCs, then used about $900 profit to buy a used dual‑tray plus a Fujitsu iX1500, which immediately bumped last‑minute loan offers; the inverter/mobile setup only paid off once I was at 3+ signings a day.