For No. 3 producer Shelly Logemann, it is being responsive to her clients, plus having the proper work/life balance which is important to her success as an originator.
Logemann, who works for Emery Financial, Newport Beach, Calif., did $206 million in 2011, similar to her numbers for 2010. She has been in the business and at Emery for 12 years.
Besides Logemann, Emery has another originator in the top 10, Brad Sarvak at No. 8. On the top 150 list, the company has 11 representatives.
She is the mother of five-year-old triplets and is married to a firefighter.
“For me its just about setting expectation with clients constantly, which is just making sure that you’re responsive and I think that is big reason for my success,” Logemann said. “I make sure people get the answers (to their inquiries) right away.”
Both for her personally, as well as for the company, one of the reasons it has been able to maintain a consistent level of business is that it is 100% referral-based. “We work our client base and our Realtors consistently for referrals.” Emery does not advertise, “It is always about referrals,” she reiterated.
Another important point for being a consistent high volume producer shop is that many of the loan officers have been with the company as long as she has, if not longer. “It’s a very stable, family-oriented company, where there’s just a handful of originators that do a lot of business as opposed to a whole lot of people that do a little bit of business.
“And that makes us very strong. Our talent base within the company is great, the knowledge base here is fabulous,” Logemann said, adding the loan officers at Emery work together and help each other. It makes Emery a unique place to work and have a significant presence in the top 150 list.
Then there is the company’s client database, which the loan officers nurture and work.
Her mix of loan originations is 30% jumbo (above $625,000) and the rest is agency. And she noted her share of purchase business is increasing every year as she adds more Realtor referral relationships.
As for the current year, especially in March and April, the purchase business in her market has picked up. As a result, it is likely 2012 will be stronger than 2011 was.
“We have a strong team and we have a great internal system that we track all of our clients. And all of that speaks to why it’s easy do a lot of volume.
“It’s not just me, I have a really nice team of people that helped me get there and my clients know and love. They’ve been with me for a long time,” Logemann declared.
