Interview by Debra Gelbart
- What led you to a career in real estate lending?
I started in banking as a teller and six months later, I was a personal banker. We used to do residential lending as bankers. I had my first experience doing home equity lines of credit and deeds of trust, and really enjoyed it. I’ve been doing real estate lending for 25 years now. - How do you help your clients understand the essence of real estate investing?
The focus for me is making sure I educate clients. I try to help a client differentiate between buying a home and buying a house. Your home is where you make memories with your family; it’s not necessarily going to bring you a financial return, depending on how long you stay there.I come from a school of thought that if you’re taking money out of your pocket toward something every month, that’s not an investment. An investment should be putting money into your pocket. If you’re buying a home to live in, that’s not necessarily an investment. - What makes CB&T different from other lenders in this space?
We have a good understanding of our clients because the majority of our borrowers are from our current client base. We have the wherewithal to help support clients who are what I call investment-centric, or those who are determined to make money through their real estate purchase.A lot of these clients are entrepreneurs and have complicated financials with different income streams. What we do really well is decipher and review their situation in order to figure out how they can derive the most investment income to help them achieve their goals. I’m proud that we offer world-class service. - What do you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
When I first got to CB&T, the mortgage department needed some extra attention. Last year, as I was figuring out how we could boost performance, I created four core values. The first core value is operate with kindness. The second is to be intentional, with a singular focus on making sure we achieve something each day. The third is “first things first,” ensuring work-life balance by helping each other out, especially if a team member needs time off to address personal concerns. The fourth is to serve and give. I enjoy serving others during my free time and we encourage our 50-member team to support causes important to them.
What I’m really proud of is that our team lives these core values. It has made a world of difference for us. - What about you might surprise people?
I owned a used-car dealership with my brother for about three years in Riverside during the Great Recession. The automotive world requires more than full-time. But because I was also working in the mortgage business, I couldn’t devote the time necessary to keep the dealership going.What I learned from that experience is that while a lot of lenders may lend to used-car buyers at high-interest rates, it was better for our customers to send them to their own bank for a loan if they had good credit. It underscored for me the value of a client-centered banking relationship.