With a young child at home and a newborn baby on the way, Marla Barch realized her 24-hour shifts working as a paramedic were not conducive to parenting. She began searching for a new career that would allow her to dedicate time to raising her children while also serving the community. Her job hunt ended when she discovered mortgage lending.
In her 16-year journey from rookie loan officer to her current position as vice president of mortgage lending at CrossCountry Mortgage, Barch has regularly earned prestigious industry awards and accolades.
“I work with an extremely diverse clientele, from first-time homebuyers and credit-challenged clients to business owners and real estate investors,” she says. “They all appreciate that I go the extra mile and look out for their best interests.”
Barch carefully constructs personalized homebuying plans, empowering clients through education. “I compare all options to figure out which is the most cost effective and best matches their goals, budget and qualifications,” she says. “Some of the best loan programs are not very well known and, in my opinion, extremely underutilized.”
Barch’s more advanced investor clients appreciate her comprehensive, long-term strategic planning and custom deal analysis spreadsheets. As a real estate investor herself, she brings more than a decade of real-life experience to discussions about renovating homes, renting properties and building portfolios.
Passionate about education, Barch often holds training sessions — often coordinated with real estate agents, businesses and community organizations — on topics such as buying a first home, improving credit, “house hacking” by purchasing 2- to 4-unit buildings, and securing rehab loans.
After nearly two decades of success, Barch looks forward to many more years of leveraging her expertise and passion to assist with the creation of generational wealth. She gives back by building homes with Habitat for Humanity, and in her spare time can be found in nature, whether camping, hiking or enjoying the beach.
