The Power of Women in Mortgage with Gina Myers

Bridget: Welcome to CCM Talks. I am Bridget Linton, and I am joined by Regional Vice President and Branch Manager Gina Myers. Gina, first of all, congratulations on being the number one female originator in the state of Virginia. Such a huge accomplishment and honor. I also love that your branch is all women-owned and operated. Why is it so important to you?

Gina: Yeah. So thank you so much. It is, it is very important. Although it’s not something I, you know, made sure to happen. It wasn’t like I focused on that. I’ve had women work, women and men work for me in the past. But, you know, it just sort of happened naturally. I do think, though, it’s really important to our clients, our referral partners, because, you know, just whoever you decide to work with, you want that comfort. And especially with buying a home, it’s a really big decision, especially financially.

And so I, I have heard from other, you know, female realtor partners or female clients that they just feel more comfortable. And that’s really the name of the game when you are making a big financial decision, because I can tell that when clients feel comfortable and confident that they will move forward. And so, yes, they definitely will seek it out.

And I think the realtor partners experience by working with us, having that, you know, successful, you know, situation with, with the clients moving forward, if they’re a woman, they feel more comfortable working with us. But it’s, I love men, I think they’re great. And, you know, would love to work with all the men. So, it’s a sign.

Bridget: You’re not bias. You’ll be welcoming anyone to your team.

Gina: Exactly.

Bridget: But I do want to focus a little bit more on women, because you have been so successful in this part of your career. So for any woman that’s considering a career at CCM, what would you tell them?

Gina: You know, I think in general, CCM is super inclusive. In my past, and I don’t know that it’s the right way to say this or not, but like, I have worked for companies that were like, you know, had, had the boys club, you know what I mean? And there was that stigma.

Here at CCM, it’s all inclusive, all welcoming. And you are, you know, applauded by your success. And so the company is extremely transparent, supportive, it’s, it’s black and white. So that’s really important when you’re trying to run a business. So I would say for women I’ve, I’ve loved it. I mean the autonomy, the control. I’m treated exactly the same. And I feel that and I also feel that the company treats everyone the same. So. Yeah. No, I, I love it here. I’m thrilled.

Bridget: Well, that was a great attribute to CCM because we do work together as a team and it’s amazing. How has CCM helped you personally grow your career?

Gina: Oh, tremendous. I mean, like I said, tons of autonomy, a lot of control. So in the past, you know, just to be able to compare, I would have to ask, can I do this? Can I do that? And it would slow things down. Now, when I run a successful business, I can make those decisions on the fly and trust that the company has my back.

And it’s such a big company. I mean, obviously number one retail lender in the country goes a very long way. And so there’s been situations where I needed that support. And when I made a phone call, it was, it was there. So it they kind of just like let you run. I mean, when I first joined, I said, is anyone going to, does anyone need, need to report to you. And it was like, no, you’re doing great. Right? So the, the support is there if you need it. But, I love having that control and autonomy to run the business the way I want, because I do think that as a loan officer, you know, it’s not one-size-fits all. You can be whoever you want and run the business however you want, and the company supports that.

Bridget: Can you talk a little bit more about the culture at CCM? Because I love everything you just said, and I think that is a reason why people should join CrossCountry Mortgage because of the culture that we have.

Gina: Yeah, the culture is awesome. I mean, obviously really laid back, very inclusive, supportive. The technology is phenomenal. So it makes it easy to communicate. There were definitely times when I thought about making a change from a more regional lender to like, national lender, and that was scary, right? But at the same time, the, the technology, the communication, the support, everyone’s super humble. No one, you know, wants you to fail. Everyone wants you to succeed. And this the operations folks are amazing. So, yeah, just kind of like a really easy, relaxed, but very available culture.

Bridget: Yes, absolutely. And then for you personally, you work a lot with first-time homebuyers.

Gina: Yeah.

Bridget: So can you talk a little bit more about that and the first steps.

Gina: Yeah. So first-time homebuyers and you know it’s interesting because they’re, they’re getting a little bit older now too because it’s affordability is, is very challenging. And because of technology and internet, I find that sometimes they want to answer their own questions. And so I, I get really excited and I get a lot aha moments when I speak to them about the products that we have here. And they’re like, wow, I didn’t even know that was available to me.

And so I want to kind of shake them a little bit and say, yes, you know, everyone has their own unique situation and yes, you can do research online. That’s lovely. But like, you deserve the, you know, the specific scenario to you. And here at CrossCountry, we have so many different products specific to income where they live now, where they’re buying, and there’s grant money and down payment assistance and, and better interest rates.

And so I love talking to those buyers because right now they’re getting the best terms, basically the best interest rates. And, and they have no clue. So I just really take it as a first meeting and a video call. And I love reading them. And I can see their excitement after that first initial meeting because they’re ready to get started.

Bridget: I love that, and it’s, it makes me happy to hear that you’re able to help so many people, especially when it comes to first-time homebuyers. But you also work with buyers who currently own a home and often have a lot of equity. So do you advise them to use their equity and what strategies do you recommend?

Gina: Yeah. So it’s interesting because especially in the past few years, a lot of people have been hunkering down because low interest rates and they’ve, you know, have now had this incredible appreciation. But then how do they get to their next home? So I’m having a ton of conversations with move up buyers about how do they utilize that equity.

So there’s many different structures. But what I love here at CrossCountry is I always have a fallback to a specific loan product, like the bridge loan. I mean, and especially I live right outside Washington DC, home values are very high. So there’s a lot of equity in these properties. And, you know, they need it to buy their next move up home.

So we talk about using the bridge loan to get access to that equity before they buy. Or one of my favorite products Buy Now, Sell Later. The Non-QM products have just really given us so much support because if it just makes sense, the company is there to, to give you these offerings. And then a lot of times clients will be able to sell first or not. But I always have their back with the with multiple options, again, so that they feel comfortable with moving forward.

Bridget: And you talk about so many popular products that we offer at CrossCountry Mortgage. Another one is Bye-Bye PMI. Why do you think it’s so popular? And can you talk a little bit more about the benefits?

Gina: Sure. Yeah. And so there’s still this stigma around mortgage insurance. Right? I think mortgage insurance does certainly lend itself to putting less money down and being able to get a mortgage loan and being a homeowner. But there’s the stigma of paying that monthly mortgage insurance. And so I have buyers who have saved a lot of money, right, for 20% down in the DC market, that’s a couple hundred thousand dollars sometimes. And they’re saving and saving for years.

And, and then when they go to put, you know, get their 20% down payment, I just say, hey, are you interested in looking at this potentially lower down payment option? There’s no mortgage insurance and it’s the same rate. And so they just immediately light up because they feel like they’ve, they’ve won, you know, because life is expensive, you know.

And just the cost of living and, and life in general is just so expensive. So it’s, it’s nice to keep some money in your pocket, put it in a high yield savings account, have it available for situations, and then be able to, have a mortgage payment that they’re comfortable and excited about with no mortgage insurance.

Bridget: You’re such a wealth of knowledge and I love hearing everything about your career, but I want to know something about you. Can you share a fun fact with us?

Gina: Okay. Fun fact, one that most people can’t really, well, maybe picture was I was, a Division One softball player. I was a catcher, and I played at the University of Virginia, and, yeah, so I love my catching days. It’s a lot of getting down into squads and, you know, but no, it was a great time. My, my teammates are my best friends. And that’s probably where I learned a lot of like that team camaraderie and, you know, working with my team now, it’s very similar. But yeah. Softball catcher.

Bridget: Well, I love that. Well you are and continue to be such an inspiration. So thank you for all you do here at CrossCountry Mortgage. If you are looking for a career with CrossCountry Mortgage, make sure you visit CCM.com and we hope to see you on our next episode of CCM Talks.