He has been a loan officer with CTX Mortgage Company in Southpoint for almost a year.
WHAT DOES HE DO?
He originates mortgage loans, talks with customers and finds the best program for their mortgage needs. “Currently, I do about 95 percent purchase loans and 5 percent refinances.”
WHERE WAS
HE BEFORE?
The Bank of America for five years. “I started as a loan officer and then went into management.” He decided he wanted to get back into sales, so he left and joined CTX.
NOT THE MANAGEMENT TYPE?
“Management was not for me. I like to get out, talk to people and interact. I wasn’t much on the corporate structure, so to speak.”
HOW’S IT GOING?
“Very well. I started last September and last month I finally broke the million dollar mark and I hope to do it again this month. It’s a big difference having to get out there and meet people and take Realtors from their loan officers. It’s a lot harder than I thought.”
WHERE DOES BUSINESS COME FROM?
“My main source of business is the Realtor referrals. I also have one builder relationship: Admiral Homes. I handle the west side of the river for them.”
WHAT AREA DO
YOU WORK?
Westside, 103rd Street and OakLeaf Plantation area.
COLLEGE
He has a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Florida.
HOW DID HE GET
INTO FINANCE?
After college, he took a job with a financing company. “I hated the job the first day I walked in, but they had the most aggressive training program of any of the companies hiring graduates. They take you through small lending, real estate, advertising and collections. You name it, you learn it there. It is a year and a half program depending on how long it takes you to go through it. As soon as I finished it, my resumes were out. “
HOW DID YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP?
“Part of the training was not only the ins and outs of lending, but also sales, how to speak with customers, how to persuade customers, how to give them the best customer service and what kinds of questions to ask. It’s more of an interview process than just keeping a customer as a number. You are kind of like a financial planner for the customer than just a loan officer. As I went through lending, I have taken some Dale Carnegie courses to build on those skills.”
FAVORITE THING ABOUT LENDING?
“The interaction with the customers. I like to see the faces of the customers especially when you take a customer who doesn’t think that they can get into a house and you get them 100 percent financing or an FHA loan. You get them into a home and pretty much start their dream.”
HOW ARE REALTORS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
“Well, they are the ones who keep me alive. I have two customers, that’s the toughest part of this job. I not only the customers buying the house, but I have the real estate agents. I have to keep both sides of the fence happy. I make sure that I thank them for every loan that they send over, make sure I keep them informed and that they know every part of what is going on with their loan. Without them, I basically wouldn’t have the business coming in that I do now.”
HOW HAS THE LOAN BUSINESS CHANGED SINCE YOU WERE A LOAN OFFICER FIVE YEARS AGO?
O’Keefe said the applications and underwriting were done by hand and now they are automated. “There are a ton of new programs that we didn’t have back then. It changes almost monthly.”
HOW DOES HE
KEEP UP?
Training. He takes courses to help him keep up with all the changes in the lending industry.
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“Personal drive. Most companies give you basic training, but I have been the one to go out and get the knowledge, taking extra courses and get the training to be where I am today.”
ADVICE TO NEW
LOAN OFFICERS?
“You have to put your time into it. You can’t come into the business thinking that in one month you will hit $1 million. You have to pay your dues, so to speak, and get out there and learn the business. It’s up to you to make sure that you know as much as you can about your loan products.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“You can’t replicate what someone else does. You can take bits and pieces of what others do, but it doesn’t work unless it works for you.”
BIRTHPLACE
California, but he lived all over since his father was in the Navy.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1989, when his father retired here.
FAMILY
He has been married to Amanda for two years. They have one son, Skylar, 10.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT WORKING?
Fishing, attending baseball games and practices with Skylar and relaxing when he can find the time.
RESIDES
Westside.
FAVORITES
A movie he would recommend is “Finding Nemo.” “It was the funniest movie I’ve ever seen.” A book he recommends is “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. When relaxing at home, he enjoys tuning into the Discovery Channel. A favorite place to visit is Destin and his favorite place to dine is Clark’s Fish Camp.
— by Michele Newbern Gillis