Are you ready to become a wholesale mortgage broker or loan officer? Our team at BeAMortgageBroker.com is here to help you every step of the way.

AN UNEXPECTED CAREER CHOICE

One of the unique things about the mortgage broker channel is that it’s a melting pot of people from different backgrounds. Everyone has a unique story of how they’ve ended up doing this for a living and Paige is no exception. When she was a teenager, Paige was so confident that she wanted go into nursing that she graduated high school a year early. Then came the pandemic in 2020 – and with it, a reconsideration of her career future.

LEARNING THE PROCESS AS A LOAN PROCESSOR

Amidst the uncertainty in the healthcare industry during the pandemic, Paige decided that she no longer wanted to be a nurse. As she was pondering her next move, an opportunity came her way to process mortgage loans for a one-person mortgage brokerage.

“I walked in and he said, ‘start making phone calls.’ He's like, ‘I need insurance from this person. I have to see if title is back from this guy. I need you to do this or that.’ I learned very quickly,” said Paige.

Still, Paige wasn’t sure if she would pursue a career as a licensed mortgage loan originator. But as time went on, she decided it was something worth diving into.

“I learned a lot that first year as a mortgage loan processor and thought this is a really good field and somewhere that I have a lot of opportunity to grow,” she said.

A PEOPLE PERSON

Even though they are very different jobs, Paige came to love mortgage loan origination for some of the same reasons why she wanted to become a nurse.

“I am a very much a people person. I love talking with people and helping them,” said Paige. “I think one advantage I have is being kind of brave. I'm not really nervous to talk to anybody.”

Those people skills have helped Paige earn the trust of both borrowers and referral partners. She enjoys being in sales but doesn’t feel the need to be overly pushy. She just has to be herself.

“I continue to craft my ability to sell,” she said. “I know it is a sales role, but to me, it's really just talking with people, connecting, building relationships and helping people save money.”

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Paige admits that prior to getting into the industry, she was completely unfamiliar with the broker and retail models in mortgage lending. Having been in the broker channel for five years now, she knows that there’s no better place to work.

“As a broker, it is fully my job to shop for you for the best product,” said Paige. “So I always think it's kind of comical whenever I'm talking with a client and they’re talking about shopping around. Why are you shopping around a broker? There's no need. They are literally doing the shopping for you.”

As for her career pivot, not only is Paige grateful that things worked out the way they did, she’s hoping more young people follow in her footsteps.

“This career path isn't talked about much, really,” said Paige. “Never in high school did I hear anybody talk about being a mortgage broker. Even in college, it was never brought up. I  have no idea why, because this is such an incredible career.”