We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Samantha Armbruster. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Samantha below.

Samantha, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar your firm earns is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

When I began in the mortgage industry, I was fresh out of college and assisting a high producing loan officer with marketing and clerical duties until I earned my loan origination license. While I was content in my assistant role, I began expanding my knowledge base with both loan products as well as client facing interactions. My goal was to someday begin originating loans in my own name, however at the time I was giving any potential clients to the loan officer I worked under since I lacked experience and confidence in the actual writing of home loans. One day, my desk phone rang and it was a former coworker looking to get pre-approved for a home as she knew that my team specialized in working with people who had imperfect credit. Seeing this as an ideal opportunity to help a former coworker, I went to work performing trial and error scenarios to get this nice couple pre-approved for a home loan when most other loan officers would turn down such a complex and unique situation. I find it imperative to note that this was March of 2020 when business was booming for those who were well established in the business and most tenured loan officers were swimming with applications since rates were at an all time low. Although my clients had some hurdles in the way, I took the time to research options and avenues for them to ultimately purchase a beautiful home that they are still raising their family in to this day. These clients became friends along the way as they appreciated me giving them a chance when many would not have taken the extra effort to work with them and get them the opportunity to purchase a home. This one transaction also helped me earn the respect of both their real estate agent and the seller’s realtor, both of which I have closed countless transactions with since.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I grew up showing horses competitively from age 8 until college. In February of 2017 I was having dinner with my horse trainers and they asked me what my horse-related goals were for that upcoming season. Having just come off of my most successful horse show season to date, (winning a world championship in Tulsa, OK as well as the largest horse show in the world here in Columbus, OH), I told them that I was planning to graduate in the spring and needed to land a job to begin my professional career. When asked what industry I wanted to join, I simply replied that I had no idea but was happy to work my way up so long as I liked what I was doing. My horse trainers then connected me with another client of theirs who was a mortgage loan officer looking for an assistant to help with marketing and clerical duties. I started at Priority Mortgage in the Spring of 2017, going full time as a loan officer assistant and then eventually getting my license to originate home loans as well. I closed my first loan in March of 2020 and began closing a few transactions a month until I was confident enough in the sales role to separate from my former team and go on my own. I developed some great relationships with other loan officers at my past office, one of which led me to join the current team I am on at Union Home Mortgage. My team of fully licensed ladies helps prospective home buyers in Ohio, Florida, Texas and Tennessee and we can also assist Spanish speaking customers as well. Individually, I specialize in helping first time homebuyers as well as rural families purchase with little to no money down. The thing that makes my team special is that we offer unparalleled customer service and are available nearly 24/7 for our clients and referral partners. We go the extra mile and even show up to our closings to answer any last minute questions and congratulate our clients in person once the papers are signed. I have travelled up to 200 miles just to attend a loan closing. Unlike most lenders, we also service our loans after closing so that any time our customers have a question, we are available to help since their loan is still in-house. Our company’s headquarters is local to Strongsville, OH with our branch office in Worthington to aid any customers who need to meet in person to exchange documents.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

YES! Here are some of my favorites-

Together is Better by Simon Sinek. Easy to read in one sitting but a great reminder that winning is succeeding with the aid and companionship of those we surround ourselves with. I am so grateful for my team so this one really hits home.

The Coffee Bean by Jon Gordon. Another easy read that’s all about positivity. The current market we are in can break down even the most successful of loan officers so this was a powerful message to remain cool under pressure.

Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard. One of the principals of Union Home Mortgage. This book teaches how to go the extra mile for our clients and in turn, creating clients for life.

Happy Mind, Happy Life by Rangan Chatterjee. A great reminder about work/life balance, how to handle and cope with stress while focusing on the positive aspects in life.

Infinite Giving by Ivan Misner. Great read showcasing the theory of “givers gain” that I try to apply daily.

The Go-Giver by Bob Burg. Another great story about giving in relation to success.

The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn. This one has held with me for years and shows how even people in jobs that are not seen as influential can still make a difference.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me typically comes from real estate referrals. Realtors have a tough enough job finding new clients- the financing aspect should be one of the easiest pieces of the puzzle. Realtors love working with me due to my calm demeanor, ability to explain and relate foreign concepts to first time buyers and my extreme availability. It never fails that clients always seem to have questions or need an updated pre-approval letter during the Ohio State game, at 10pm or on Christmas Day. I have quite literally been able to send an updated letter to one of my realtors during a wedding ceremony which led to us securing a home for some amazing buyers. I also go the extra mile to update and inform the seller’s agent so that everyone is on the same page for the entirety of the transaction. Realtors and other real estate professionals love that I over-communicate, am extremely detail oriented and am a true problem solver.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.uhm.com/sarmbruster/#bio
• Instagram: @financedbysamantha
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/financedbysamantha
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/samantha-armbruster