#1: 2011 Fewest Years in Business
> Volume Rank: #162
> Closed-Loans Rank: #109
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When we say that Julie Long has the fewest years in the mortgage business than anyone else on our Top Originators list, it’s not quite right. It really should be the fewest months in the business.
A loan officer with Commonwealth Mortgage in Massachusetts, Long didn’t start originating until June of this past year. And that means she was able to close 257 loans, totaling more than $61 million in volume, in just seven months. “I took advantage of the refi boom and worked all sorts of hours,” Long says. “I work every single day, Monday through Sunday. I’m always working and I’m always available.”
That availability is important to Long’s success, she says. “One of the most important aspects in the industry right now is to make yourself available, because borrowers are still skeptical,” Long says. “They don’t want to deal with any shady business.” Refinances are another key factor in her success, and they make up 97 percent of her total volume. “Refinances are in such high demand right now,” she says. “I came into the industry at such a good time that the most difficult thing for me was familiarizing myself with the rules and regulations of Fannie [Mae] and Freddie [Mac].”
Although this was Long’s first year as a mortgage originator, she’s not unfamiliar with the housing market. A real estate paralegal for six years, she was working for the owner of Commonwealth when he encouraged her to try her hand at the mortgage business because he thought she’d be good at it.
It seems his instincts were right.
—Jennifer E. Garrett
