Carol Brown has been a mortgage consultant with HomeBanc Mortgage Corporation since March 2004.
HER HISTORY
She spent the last 25 years working in the airline industry, which included 10 years with Eastern Airlines and most recently 15 as the district sales manager for United Airlines. She moved to St. Augustine last year with her husband, who wanted to retire.
WHY LIVE IN ST. AUGUSTINE?
Her husband had visited the area, really liked it and decided it was where he wanted to retire. “This is a wonderful place to live, not very expensive and the people are very friendly.”
WHY GO INTO MORTGAGES?
“I had been in the airline business for 25 years and always in sales. The airline business and the mortgage business are similar in the way that you sell. I have a good friend who has been in the mortgage business with HomeBanc in Atlanta for 15 years. She convinced me that it would be an easy transition and that I would enjoy it.”
HOW ARE AIRLINE AND MORTGAGE SALES SIMILAR?
“At the airlines, I worked with corporate travel managers, travel agencies and the government. You are working with a person who brings you business. In this business, you work with Realtors to bring you business.”
SPECIALITY
Residential home mortgages.
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP?
“It really is the same thing - working on building relationships. Selling is really all about building relationships. They really sell based on the relationship they have with the sales person and the support they get from the seller.”
HOW ARE REALTORS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
“They are the lifeblood of my business. If a Realtor tells their customer to call this loan officer, that’s what the customer are going to do. Surveys have proven that 70 percent of people are going to do what their Realtor tells them to do.”
ONE BEST THING YOU COULD TELL A REALTOR?
Brown said she thinks that Realtors need to narrow down the number of people they should tell their customers to call. “If you say call four mortgage companies, to me, as a borrower, I wouldn’t think you had a real good relationship with any of them. If you say call two different mortgage companies, then I feel that you have a pretty good relationship with two lenders. Realtors need to get a mortgage partner. They need a banker, broker and regular local bank. They really need three contacts and to have a good relationship with those three contacts.”
HOW CAN REALTORS HELP YOU?
“The way that they can help is that they shouldn’t try to be a loan officer. They shouldn’t try to suggest a program. Until you know the whole picture and know what the options are, you can kind of confuse people. The best thing is to have their clients see a professional.”
LIKE ABOUT LENDING?
Brown said it helping people achieve the goal of home ownership.
ADVICE FOR NEW LOAN OFFICERS?
Brown said for them to be cautious. “Don’t be so aggressive that you say yes, yes, yes and then go back to the office and realize you can’t do that. It’s very important to get information from the borrower first and their credit score.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
Brown said the more thorough you are upfront, the better off you are. “Even if you don’t think you need it all, It’s always better to get everything you think you might need upfront in the beginning instead of having to go back and ask for more.”
PET PEEVES
Lack of attention to detail.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
St. Augustine Women Council of Realtors, St. Augustine/St. Johns County Board of Realtors, Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Sales and Marketing Council and Newcomers of St. Johns County.
BIRTHPLACE
Chicago.
RESIDES
World Golf Village.
PERSONAL SIDE
She has been married to Hank for 14 years. When she is not working, she enjoys golfing, decorating and traveling. “I really love decorating and looking at houses.” Movies she recommends are both of the Bridget Jones Diary movies. She attends the Village Church. Her favorite restaurant is Legacy Steakhouse in World Golf Village. Her favorite place to visit is Puerto Vallarta. A book she read recently and would recommend is “Power of a Praying Woman,” by Stormie Omartian.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis