Lending Relationships for Life – Carrie Sanders and Melissa Brackley GMFS Mortgage
Carrie Sanders and Melissa Brackley, GMFS Mortgage Covington, Featured in Aug 2012 Edition of Sophisticated Woman
GMFS Mortgage Covington Loan Officers, Melissa Brackley and Carrie Sanders were interviewed for The Northshore’s Best Sophisticated Woman August 2012 publication.
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Lending Relationships for Life — Carrie Sanders and Melissa Brackley of GMFS Mortgage
It is easy to love your profession when day after day you watch people achieve the dream of owning their own home. For loan officer Carrie Sanders and her colleague, Melissa Brackley, licensed loan originator, every day at GMFS Mortgage is quite a pleasure. “It is always a thrill for me to see someone move into their first home,” Carries says. “But the process to get to that point can be confusing, both for first-time homeowners as well as people who have purchased a home in the past. This is where we come into the picture. We also handle refinancing of current home loans, so we can help clients with every aspect of their home financing.”
At different phases of their lives, Carrie a happily married mother and grandmother, and Melissa a happily married mother of two young children — both women and work toward the same professional purpose. Educating their clients and walking them through the multi-step process in obtaining a home loan is their ultimate goal. “Our job is to navigate the process for people looking for a new mortgage product, or seeking to refinance their current mortgage,” says Melissa. “We pride ourselves on taking an in-depth look at every client’s profile to determine what product is right for them, and what needs to be done to obtain that product. We realize that not every person who walks through our doors fits the same mold.
With so many options – conventional mortgages, FHA Loans, Rural Development Loans, VA Loans (with 100% financing) – GMFS Mortgage is poised to walk everyone from the least experienced first-time client to the senior citizen in their golden years, through the proper steps to find a product that will suit their needs. Carrie and Melissa each possess exceptional financial proficiency, with a combined twenty-plus year experience in finance. “One of my mentors once told me to always do right by the customer,” Melissa remembers. “And that is what we do every day. We will not recommend a mortgage or refinance option solely based on obtaining another client.”
As a long-established company that began in Baton Rouge, and now has a presence in over 25 different states, GMFS Mortgage is a place where every client is given the full opportunity to get what they need. “If someone comes to us and for some reason they are unable to qualify at the time, we determine the problem and take the proper steps to help them reach their goal, by working collaboratively with the client,” Carrie says. “Everyone here is so well-rounded and has so much experience that we are able to work on the structure of every loan.”
Because the entire loan procedure is handled in the GMFS Mortgage office, clients have a faster, more accurate and more efficient result. “We are like a little family here,” Carrie notes. “Our loan processors are here in our office, so instead of sending an email or placing a phone call to someone in another state, we simply walk down the hall and have a face-face discussion.” For clients, this means a solid relationship with everyone involved. “Clients benefit from this too, because they can come in and meet the processors and they can correspond with them and ask questions,” Melissa says. “Many places do not offer this opportunity. We all work together towards the same goal.”
Ultimately Carrie and Melissa are focused on building trusting relationships with their clients. “The key in choosing the right person to handle your mortgage or refinance is to find someone you are comfortable with and whom you feel that you can trust,” Carrie says, “if you are uncomfortable, you are not in the right place.” Both ladies recommend consulting a loan officer at least three to six months before you plan to purchase a home to begin getting everything in proper order. “You have to find the person who has your best interest at heart,” Melissa says. “And the person working with you should be accessible to answer any of your questions. I have had first-time clients who emailed me on a daily basis, and that is why we are here.”
As a born and raised Northshore resident, Melissa and her husband, Thomas, have chosen to raise their own family here as well. “We like to fish, swim and hang out with our family,” she says. “And of course we are huge Saints fans.” Somehow, she and her husband find the time to coach their son’s soccer team as well. Melissa is also active in raising money for cancer research through her annual participation in both Relay for Life and Light the Night events. “As a local, I appreciate everything the Northshore has to offer,” she says. “It is so great to be able to live and work in my own community, and feel like I am helping people reach a goal in the process.”
Carrie is also fully immersed in her life here on the Northshore. From taking an active mentorship role in her church alongside her husband BJ, to her affiliation with the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce, the women’s Council of Realtors, and the Professional Women of St. Tammany, she thoroughly enjoys the Northshore. “I am loving life here. I enjoy meeting so many wonderful people both through my professional and personal life,” she says. “And I am fortunate to have my family close by so that I can enjoy my children and my grandchild. Someone wise once told me to do what I love and to love what i do, and I truly am. This is what makes it so worthwhile and so very gratifying.”
