For mortgage professional Brandon Coll, overpreparation is the key to success. Early in his career, Coll learned that overpreparing his clients and overdelivering on their needs were the best ways to ensure smooth and reliable loan closings. Having followed this philosophy for 22 years, he has built up a network of satisfied borrowers and earned recognition as one of the top mortgage loan officers in the nation.

Today, Coll is a senior vice president of residential lending at Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp.’s Northbrook branch. He works with clients across Chicagoland and Illinois and is also licensed to originate mortgages in 20 other states.

As a loan officer, Coll sees his role as that of an educator, advisor and facilitator. “It’s my job to make sure my clients are prepared,” he says. “I do this a number of ways, including asking detailed questions, letting them know about all documents required upfront and providing informative material they can keep to reference whenever they need.” In post-closing feedback, past clients frequently praise Coll’s proactivity, communication and the surprising ease of the loan process he delivers.

Coll also specializes in challenging transactions, and rescuing loans has become a regular occurrence for his team. “When I attend closings for these transactions, I’m able to see the pure joy on homebuyers’ faces when they get their keys,” Coll says. “These are people who thought all was lost, and with some work, I was able to make their dream of homeownership a reality. I feel honored to be in a position to help people achieve their goals in such a profound way.”

In his free time, Coll enjoys hockey, golf, hiking, camping and vacationing with his wife and two children. He is grateful for a career that allows him the flexibility to be present throughout his children’s school activities and he takes pride in watching them grow up.