Today we’d like to introduce you to Barb Stewart
Hi Barb, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
It all started when I was a little girl. My mom owned a Title Insurance company and of course when I grew up I wanted to be just like her. Shortly after graduating college at UCF my mom hired me to work at her company! I worked there for a year and then my husband and I moved back to Central Florida where I opened up my own Title Company. I grew my company to 5 offices during a profitable real estate market. As the tables were turning and the real estate market was declining, I became a licensed mortgage broker in 2010 and kept my license ever since. I continued in Title Insurance even though I also maintained my mortgage broker license. In February of 2020, I made the leap to get out of Title Insurance and work in the mortgage industry full time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I opened my own Title Company in 2003 and the real estate market was booming! I opened several offices. Then in 2008 and 2009 the market started declining quickly! The years following, the market started to level off and I made the switch in to mortgages in February 2020 right before the pandemic! This was quite the challenge because everyone was sent to work from home and I was having to do a lot of re-learning on how to do mortgages by myself. On the flip side, this was a very profitable time to be in the market because interest rates were at an all time low and everyone was wanting to buy and/or refinance their homes; however we were working 24/7. Then in 2023 the interest rates started going up significantly (compared to where they were) and a lot of potential home buyers were not able to purchase homes. The last 2 years have definitely been at an all time low for real estate closings. I can definitley say this business is certainly a rollercoaster!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Movement Mortgage?
The most rewarding part of being a Loan Originator is when I help people achieve their dream of homeownership! I especially love working with first time homebuyers because I don’t mind taking the time to “hold their hands” and walk them through the process. This is one of the most important decisions you make in your life and I feel lucky to be a part of that with my home buyers. In addition to that, I enjoy being a “financial advisor” to my cients; whether they are wanting to build their investment portfolio through real estate or if they are needing to refinance their mortgage for a lower interest rate to save money or pay off higher interest rate debts, I enjoy helping them find the ways to achiever their goals.
I am able to achieve this through Movement Mortgage which I joined in April of 2021 and I am amazed by the culture our company has.
Movement was created to be different and they wanted to set forth on a mission to create a Movement of Change in our industry, in corporate cultures and in communities. They have created a model so that their profit creates a long-term positive impact in communities by building schools.
Our mission is to love and value people in everything we do and that’s exactly what I intend to do!
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Honestly I really enjoy FaceBook. For my business, it is a great resource for me to find out what’s going on in the real estate market and our communities. It also allows me to communicate with my referral partners and homebuyers on a more personal level; this way they get to know me ahead of time and can see that I’m more than just a mortgage lender.
Personally, it’s also my social outlet. I love sharing fun events I attend and sometimes just being silly with my posts; it also allows me the opportunity to share photography with my friends. I love taking pictures of the sunrise, sunset, the beach, and our dogs!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://movement.com/lo/barb-stewart
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/mortgages_by_barb.stewart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barb.stewart.505
