Needing funds in the midst of rehabbing a property, Natasha Robinson decided to take a job at a mortgage company. She held positions she excelled at in several different departments — closing, accounting and loan processing — until she found the job that suited her perfectly: loan officer.
“After working with many loan officers and closing high volume, I decided I wanted to become a loan officer,” says Robinson, vice president of renovation lending at Guaranteed Rate Affinity. “Based on my experience in the industry, there was a demand for loan officers who knew guidelines and how to structure loans.”
Once she saved enough money to complete her rehab project, she stepped out in faith and became a commission-only loan officer. “I fell in love with originating,” she says. “The ability to master guidelines and know more than or the same as the underwriter has allowed me to grow in my field and pushed me to an entirely new level.”
After the market crashed in 2008, Robinson returned to processing loans to make ends meet. She did not go back to originating until about five years ago, but since then, she has become a member of Guaranteed Rate’s President’s Club and has been ranked a top 1% originator by Top Agent Magazine. “It’s not about the higher offer all the time,” she says. “It’s about the one that is going to actually close on time.”
This year, Robinson decided to build a team of loan originators pushing to become top producers and stay there. She recently transitioned from working under a branch manager to become a branch manager herself, working with agents at the Coldwell Banker office in her neighborhood. Ultimately, her goal is to create a streamlined process to close volume and work toward becoming a $100 million producer.
“I have a passion for collaborating with others,” says Robinson. “I want to help bring generational wealth to the community.”
Guaranteed Rate Inc. is a private corporation organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. It has no affiliation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture or any other government agency.
