Jodie Booth has been a loan officer with Cornerstone Mortgage Company in Orange Park for a year.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
“Go and get clients and get them home loans. I have real estate agents and builders that are clients. I also go out and market to everyday people to get their business also.”
SPECIALIZE IN?
“I really like working with first-time home buyers. Many of them aren’t familiar with how much of a home they can afford or if they can even purchase a home. So, I try to educate them, tell them what they can afford and how they can go about getting their first home.”
SEMINARS?
“We do first-time home buyer seminars where we go out to real estate offices with the client and do the 45-minute seminar in front of the real estate. When we are done and have the client qualified, we turn them over to the real estate agent who then takes them out to find a home.”
BEFORE BECOMING A LOAN OFFICER?
She was in school studying to teach special education. She has a bachelor’s degree in special education from University of North Florida. She was a substitute teacher for a short time and decided it wasn’t for her. “Sometimes it was a little stressful and difficult with some of the children. It’s the school board conditions a lot of the time. There is supposed to be a teacher and volunteer and the classes are supposed to be smaller so you can give them better care. But, I would go into a classroom and it would be just me and more students than I could handle. Some couldn’t talk, some threw tantrums and others were violent. It was very difficult.”
WHY BECOME A LOAN OFFICER?
She was reading the newspaper and saw the advertisement for the position. “I came in and spoke with Glenn Keller, the branch manager, and I thought it would be a good opportunity. I am a very outgoing and aggressive person and I like meeting new people.”
DO YOU LIKE IT?
“Yes, I love it. I love getting people into their houses and making their dreams come true. It is very interesting and has a more flexible schedule. I have a young son so when I want to go on field trips with him, I can. Or if he is sick, it’s not so much of a big deal for me to take a day off. I can reschedule appointments as opposed to missing things or missing days at work.”
MOST CHALLENGING THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“Working with all the different people with all their different needs. You think things are going to go one way and then it is totally different the next day. You really can’t guarantee anything. It’s kind of a day to day adventure.”
ADVICE SHE WOULD GIVE TO OTHER NEW LOAN OFFICERS?
“Be persistent. Keep going out there and smiling and talking to everyone you can possibly talk to. The more they see your face the better it is.”
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
Her family moved to the beaches area from Massachusetts when she was two. “I am a terminal beach girl.”
FAMILY
She lives in Avondale with her four year old son, Liam.
HOBBIES
She enjoys going to the beach, riding bikes and going to the park with her son and going sailing.
FAVORITES
Her favorite book is “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” and her favorite movie is “Titantic.”
When relaxing at home, she enjoys tuning into “Friends.” When dining out, she prefers “Copelands” and Charleston, S.C. is a place she likes to visit.
—by Michele Newbern Gillis