“The most memorable loan I ever closed was a first-time home buyer in her 60s. She had come to the US 20 years ago to start a new life and truly wanted the American dream. No-one in her family had ever owned property, and she really had her mind set on becoming a homeowner. She was the hardest worker I’ve ever met. We worked together for a year to get her ready to buy a home. She had heard ‘no’ from many lenders in the past, but my job was to show her how to do it again. We met every month for a year to go over her plan, and this year she became a homeowner,” Clermont said. “We all cried at closing as it was truly an awesome thing to be a part of.”
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But not all her closing transactions had a fairy-tale ending, Clermont admits, and she always feels awful when telling her clients that their goals cannot be achieved.
“Their home is in your hands, and then a carefully crafted plan for their mortgage faces a challenge that we might not be able to fix. Sometimes it’s documentation we thought we could get that we learn we can’t; sometimes it’s something the client missed sharing that we find out about down the line, or sometimes it’s an issue with the property,” Clermont said. “I do everything in my power to ask every possible question upfront to avoid challenges down the road, but with as many moving parts and people involved, it is inevitable that occasionally, people are disappointed.”
Ultimately, what counts is that you put your heart and soul into your work, Clermont said. She knows how easy it is to get caught up in the logistics of getting to the closing or lose focus on the people and families you are working to help. So take a moment to think about the difference you can make, she advised.