Jim Steen has been a mortgage consultant with Wachovia in Jacksonville Beach and St. Johns Town Center for 10 months. He has been a mortgage consultant for two years. He was with Washington Mutual for 14 months after he moved to Jacksonville.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
He originates loans for purchases and refinances.
HOW DID HE GET TO JACKSONVILLE?
He and his wife were working in Northern Virginia. Each commuted about an hour to work and worked eight or nine hours a day. “All we did was just work. When we came down here on vacation, we went to the Sawgrass Beach Club and rented a little studio. We just checked out the area and prices of housing. We decided we should give up the ratrace and move to Jacksonville.”
BEFORE MORTGAGES?
He worked for a defense contractor, Science Applications International Corporation, in Northern Virginia as part of the sales proposal team. “When the federal government issued a request for proposal or request for information on something, usually software, I was part of a team that created the sales proposals.”
HOW DID HE GET HIS START IN BANKING?
“When I moved here, I got my real estate license and was going to be a Realtor. That’s why I get along so well with the Realtors. I feel like I am one of them. My goal was to leave corporate America. I’ve been involved in marketing and sales support for 15 years.” Steen realized that since he didn’t know anyone in Jacksonville and didn’t know the area, he would probably spend more money than he would make the first two years just trying to get established. “I decided to become a loan officer instead. I called David Beddard at Washington Mutual and he gave me a chance. He helped me tremendously.”
COLLEGE
He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in marketing from Nova Southeastern University.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT LENDING?
“It’s helping people getting into houses. It’s a cool feeling when you help someone like a first-time homebuyer buy a house.”
HOW DOES YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HELP?
“You really have to know your products and your processes to understand what the best fit is for people.
BEST PROFESSIONAL ADVICE EVER RECEIVED?
“Under promise and over deliver.”
TOP OF MIND?
“The thing that is most important in this business is ‘top of mind’. In other words, what I have learned in the last two years of the mortgage business is that I have to constantly be out there reminding people what you have, what is available and that I can help them. Because it seems as soon as you turn around, they have forgotten about you or someone else comes over to them and their attention turns elsewhere. I send out a newsletter every month to Realtors and past customers, I sponsor events or try to be the guest speaker at every event I can.” He also does presentations to others in his offices so they know what he has to offer to their customers.
ADVICE FOR NEW LOAN OFFICERS?
“Make sure you do things right and do it right the first time. The one thing people hate is if you commit to something and then come back and say you can’t do it. A lot of times it is out of your control. Try to make the whole loan process as seamless as possible for the borrower because they are apprehensive enough as it is.”
ADVICE FOR REALTORS WHEN DEALING WITH LOAN OFFICERS?
“You have to have trust and confidence in you mortgage consultant and let them do their job.”
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors and its Beaches Council and Ponte Vedra Council.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis