All In!

Happy {soon to be} New Year!  I am very excited for 2014!  For the past several months, I have spent much time thinking about where I am at and where I want to go…

(Image found on Pinterest)

In April of 2013, I ended my time as employee, and began my journey as self-employed.  This has been a very different, but very rewarding experience.  Although I've experienced typical start-up challenges, I've grown more and more excited about my business each and every day.

After much thought and prayer over the past two months, I decided: I'M ALL IN!

Yes, I'm all in.  I've been blessed to have opportunities that allow me to make some changes to my business and give.it.my.all.  Folks, I get to live.out.my.dream!

I'm glad to be at this place, with this mindset.  I feel good about where I've been and even better about where I'm going.

I've been brainstorming, using both my business and creative abilities to make changes that I've long dreamed of and that will benefit both me and those I serve.  Talented people surround me and are working with me to help me achieve my goals.

Image courtesy of Hack College

Here are just a few updates that are already in motion for 2014:

1. New business name
2. New location
3. New website
4. New client services
5. New people at my office

And there's much more on the horizon!

Image courtesy of MyUrbanAccess

I'm going to be unveiling each of these changes over the next two months and I literally can't wait to share them with you.  I'd love to have you connect with me on one (or more) of these social media sites as I announce the details of each change online:

Facebook
Twitter
Linked In

Thank you for your support in 2013!  I'm wishing each of you a very blessed year!

Cheers!

Thank You!

As I take the day off of work to spend time with the ones I love, I'd like to share with you just a few of the things I'm thankful for:

• My wife and children, who bring me the deepest of joys.
• A thanksgiving family gathering at an ice exhibit, even though it involved: waiting in line for an hour, being dressed in a parka, thousands of people in a small space, and wrestling a toddler in my arms!

Can you see the joy on my face?! Haha.

• The mortgage industry, which has allowed me to provide for my family and to serve others.
• The Thanksgiving Turkey Trot that my family participated in yesterday morning.

Ready to run! (Myself, my wife and kids, and my in-laws.)

Jenny and I, post-race

• Leftover turkey, which will undoubtedly be my lunch for the next week!
• Not being a participant in "Black Friday"
• The upcoming joy of the Christmas season, in which we will celebrate the birth of my Father.
• You! 

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Congratulations are in order!

Jo Scheel, of Montgomery ERA Real Estate in Carlsbad, was recently voted "Best Realtor in Carlsbad" by the readers of the Carlsbad Current-Argus.

Jo Scheel, of Montgomery ERA Real Estate

As someone who has worked in the real estate industry for many years, I can attest to the fact that it is very hard to please your clients.  And the reason that it is so difficult is because purchasing a house is typically the BIGGEST purchase of most people's lives.  It is a major decision and there is so much that goes into the home search as well as the mortgage process, so there are many opportunities for clients to become stressed.

Which makes this award even that much more special...her clients voted on her as THE. BEST. REALTOR.  {The greatest sign of a job well done is the client's appreciation of that job.}

Jo is very special to me, not only because she refers her clients to Xcel Lending, but because she is my aunt!  Congratulations Jo on a job well done.  I am so proud of you, and am blessed to work together with you on your real estate transactions.

Wishing you continued success in your profession!

Refinancing: A Good Deal!

I completed a refinance today for a family who will save $295/month on their monthly mortgage payment!  It's one of those closings where you feel really good about what you do, and how you can help people.  Putting an extra $3500/year into a family's budget is great.  GREAT!

Photo courtesy of doityourself.com

Refinancing usually isn't hard and the closing costs can be financed (rolled) into your loan.  Typically you will make back in a year those closing costs with the reduced monthly mortgage payment.

Who else is ready to refinance?!

Freed Family Closing

Congratulations to the Freed Family on their closing today!  We have enjoyed working with you and wish all the best in your new home!

"The ornaments of your house will be the guests who frequent it." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Intensity

The mortgage process is INTENSE!  Let me repeat that: the mortgage process is INTENSE! There are many different aspects of a loan: shopping around for the best rates and fees, completing an application, collecting data and statements, submitting forms and paperwork for underwriting, understanding closing costs, and much more.

Let's be honest: applying for a mortgage is not the easiest thing in the world.

Source

Why?  Because the lender who is loaning the borrower the money wants to make very certain that the borrower is credit worthy.  And all lenders have different requirements.  Which is why no mortgage is ever identical (and why I have to be ready to handle any and every situation).

And also: most people don't purchase or refinance their home on a regular basis; so therefore they aren't completely versed or up-to-date in how everything works.  Applying for a mortgage is more like having surgery (something that happens not very often) than it is going through the drive-through (something that happens often).  It is hard to manage expectations due to the infrequency with which mortgages take place in one household.

I have explored the idea of making some videos to help explain the loan procedure A to Z so that our clients can better understand how the process works.

While browsing around on the Internet, I found this short and easy video about closing costs that I really liked.  (Much credit to the title company who created this video.)

This video, as well as others, has inspired me to work on having a library of information that my clients can turn to for quick and easy explanations.  I will update you as I work on creating a painless, less intense, mortgage process for you!

A Kindred Spirit

Oddly enough the phrase, a kindred spirit, has been coming to mind a lot lately.  Maybe it's because I recently watched Anne of Green Gables, an all-time favorite book and movie from my childhood.  Anne refers to anyone she admires or loves as a kindred spirit!

Well, one of my kindred spirits is moving to the DFW area.  She is one of my oldest bestest girlfriends and we played AAU basketball together for many years.  We spent lots of summers together, literally thousands of hours of basketball playing time.  When you spend that much time with someone, you can't help but develop an awesome bond!  Her move to this area is an answer to prayer and God is good!  I can't even wait for her, and her family, to move here!

1992ish? She is on the front row to the left (#15) and I'm standing up behind her (#11)

Young Guns @ Salt Lake City, UT

National AAU Championships (she on the front row in the middle and myself on the second row to the far left)

She will be here in July, and I am so blessed because Xcel is working on her mortgage and assisting her as she and her husband purchase their very first home!  We love working with our friends!

Happy day!

Everyday I'm Hustlin'

The fact that we now have a Texas license has most certainly taken things up a notch around here!  This week was full of busy-ness and craziness!  Ryan came home with comments like, This feels like the good ole days back when I was a loan officer and I did lots of multi-tasking today and I've got a lot to do tomorrow.  You know, it really feels great to work.  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. --Colossians 3:23

The kids had lots of activities this week, so the dropping off and the picking up combined with the things that needed to be done in the office equaled one busy week.  I worked on our Facebook business page and our CRM system, which is a really sophisticated database management system.  I'm pretty excited about the CRM because it will put us ahead of the game technology-wise, and it will be a huge benefit to our clients.  More on that later.

Also considering creating some videos for our clients to view as they work through the mortgage process.  Ryan speaks Mortgage-ese and I speak Real Estate-ese, but we realize that not everybody (and especially first-time homebuyers) speaks our languages.  So we hope to create some videos that will clearly explain the basics of interest rates, closing costs, the mortgage process, etc.

Realizing that many of our clients prefer social media (rather than telephone), we plan to amp up our social media presence over the next few weeks.  We love social media but we also love good old-fashioned talking on the phone too.  Anybody remember what a land line is?

It feels great to hustle!  Looking forward to a relaxing weekend!

Pop Open the Bubbly!

Well after a very frustrating morning, we were elated to find out this afternoon that our Texas license has FINALLY been approved!  We have been waiting for months to get over this hurdle so that we could start working on some Texas loans.  Two words: Divine Intervention.

We are now ready to serve our Texas clients!

Happy day - we will be toasting with some bubbly tonight!

My Perspective

I'm so proud of Ryan and the perseverance he has in beginning his own company.  Starting from scratch!  He has always been a hard worker with more than adequate dedication to his job, and I admire his ability to build...whether it is building a company, building a family, or building me a desk for my art studio...he always builds with his whole heart.

Xcel Lending will be a place he can pour his big heart into: he can leverage his strengths and enjoy serving the needs of others using his expertise and natural abilities.

We have both laughingly said how exciting and wonderful this time is because it's like when we first moved to Texas and began our careers and we had this whole huge road in front of us with no clue what was to come.  (It's kind-of like when you are dating and you don't know the other person yet but you are just blown away by what you do know.  The infatuation stage!)  This is how the business is for us right now: super exciting, hard to sleep at night, eager to build and serve, challenging in a marvelous way, anticipating the future!

My role for now at Xcel (as we start from the beginning and start small) is accountant, social media helper, and personal assistant (i.e. director of Ryan Grandi's happiness)--ha!  I'm really just trying to use my experience and knowledge to contribute however I can.  I am enjoying this sweet time with Ryan when we communicate throughout the day, work together using our strengths, and problem solve together.  Don't get me wrong, it's not all roses and loveliness--however most of the time it's wonderful and exciting!

Have a great weekend!

A Logo!

We have a new logo for our company!  We like the black and white color scheme; very classic, but we also have the logo in blue when we feel like we need a little pop of color!  The design of the four houses with the "X" in the middle was something that we felt like just fit with our business.

We are excited to start on this new venture, and to use the logo in all of our business correspondence!

Office Photos

I am happy today to share some of the photos that I've taken of Ryan's office.  It has turned out pretty well, although I'm still figuring out how to deal with the yellow-ish walls, florescent lights, and lack of a window.  None of these things are bad, but I think we need a different shade of lighting in his office to brighten things up a bit.  I haven't put my finger on it yet!

A larger view of Ryan's desk, and office space

The wood grain, and contrasting trim and bolts

Beautiful texture

Cropped view of his desk

Dual monitors connected to the desk top, very efficient

Working away

The piece behind his desk that holds all of his accessories

The top of the unique furniture piece, including his antique fan

A close-up so you can see how rusty this piece is!

Awesome leather chair that we took out of our home office

Client chair

Rustic detail of chair

Getting systems set up

We are still working on getting everything put together, but I like how it's turning out so far.

Fabulous Furniture

Ryan and I finished his Canton furniture projects and moved everything up to the office this week.  I want to share one picture I have, with the following disclosures:

• I took this photo with my iPhone
• It is not a good photo, and does not do the furniture justice
• I will soon post updated photos that I've taken with my camera, which will be much more detailed

Ryan finished his desk up with a handsome black matte base and a glossy chestnut top.  In addition, he added some handsome silver bolts to the corners of the desktop.  It's hard to see the contrast and details here, but it looks awesome!

The unique piece behind him holds all of his paper, files, folders, cards, junk, etc.  It is a rustic silver finish and it is in one word: cool.  We pressure washed it and added wheels to the base, but other than that we left it in it's original rustic state.  I like.

We brought up the old fan that Ryan got a bargain on, and it added some additional rustic-ness to the room.  The Texas flag framed up is a nice pop of color to the other neutrals in the office.

Ryan, being the technology lover that he is, made sure that he shoved up all of his cords and power strips under the desk so that they wouldn't show.  His dual screens are pretty cool because not only can he work more efficiently but he can also turn a screen around when he has a client in the office so that the client can view the screen. Which, by the way...the chairs in front of his desk that are for clients turned out well.  We cleaned them up a bit but again didn't do too much because we wanted to keep things rustic.

The big chair behind his desk actually came from my home office.  It's comfy and has a great leather hide on it and is really more fitting for him than myself.  And it also gives me an excuse to find a unique chair next time we go to Canton :)

More pictures soon, I promise.

Weekend Work

I spent the weekend (mostly Saturday since Sunday was Easter) working out in my shop.  My goal was to get the furniture refurbished as quickly as possible so that I could move it up to my new office.  The new office is a little executive suite in the town where we live.  Good-bye long commute every day.

Here are some photos that Jenny had our son (13) take of me working on the furniture over the weekend.

Photographic credits here

Me in the midst of all of our "treasures"

Ready to get started

The beginnings of my "new" desk

Cut the legs down some and stripped the current paint

Sanding the top of the desk

Looking pretty smooth

My little helper

I painted the base black and stained the top walnut

A classic Easter photo 

I'll have Jenny post pictures of the final office set-up once everything is complete.

First Monday

First Monday?

More like First Friday off in a very long time.

This morning Jenny and I left for Canton, TX to something called First Monday Trade Days.

It's about a two hour drive from our house and it was a nice drive without the kids in our ears.  Jenny had been to Canton before to get decorating items so I have to admit I was a little skeptical about spending the day doing something so unmanly.

We went searching for a project....looking for some unique office furniture that I can re-finish.  After eleven years of executive furniture, I'm ready for something cool, rugged, and most importantly: cheap.

The major thing I wanted to get checked off my list was a desk.  And I did it.  Got a really rustic architects desk that I will need to make some alterations to.  It needs shorter legs (more practical for me sitting at my desk all day) and the top needs to be refinished.  Real excited about it and it was less than $200.

Jenny found a really cool dealer who had a lot of random stuff.  He had several bulky furniture pieces and she latched onto one piece that she wanted for her art studio at home.  But after careful consideration, I decided to make the piece mine!  It will look great in my office!

I had the opportunity to visit with a gentleman who brought a whole bunch of "junk" (literally) to sell because he had too many things in his barn.  He had an old fan that caught my eye and after a little negotiation, I made it mine.  Thought it might like cool with my other rustic stuff.

Last thing I found was a couple of chairs to put in front of my desk for guests to sit at.  The best part was negotiating them down to half of what the tag had listed.  Negotiating was the best part of the entire day!  The chairs and other items need some cleaning up, but I think now I've got the basics to start my new office.

After a long (in a good way) day, we headed back home.  We stopped at Fuzzy's Taco Shop on the way home and split a margarita, and I admitted to Jenny that I was wrong to be skeptical of Canton.  It was a great day with plenty of manliness! 

This weekend will be busy--gotta get all of this furniture ready to go so I can start my new job next week.

My partner in this thing called life

Behind every good man is a great woman.  And this is true.

Today's blog post is about my partner--where we've been and where we are now.

I met her my junior year of college and she intrigued me.  I was finally focused on academics (and not  bull riding) and it was in an upper-division finance class that I met her.  She was the lone girl in the class and I admired her from afar but never introduced myself.  One day while talking to our professor I made a comment about my rodeo career.  She overheard this conversation and for some reason she was intrigued.

Later I found out she was interested because she had a sister--a barrel-racing sister who loved rodeo. She thought I could be the perfect match for her sister--a smart guy, a business major, and a cowboy to boot.

Jenny tried to set her sister up with me but nothing ever developed and the following semester Jenny and I shared a business policy class together (I a finance major and she an accounting major) and as fate would have it, we were placed in the same group for this class. Due to the nature of this class we would spend a lot of time together, along with the other two members of our team.  Although we respected each other, our relationship did not develop into anything more than a growing friendship.

I graduated from college one semester ahead of her and I moved about three hours away to pursue my mortgage career while she remained at school to finish her final semester.  It was during this time that something more serious started to develop.  As the old saying goes, distance makes the heart grow fonder.  While she should have been studying for tests and I should have been preparing for my work day, we were instead discussing every topic under the sun for hours on end (via cell phone discussion-texting wasn't even on the scene yet).  I started to visit on weekends and only left at the very last minute in order to be at work promptly on Monday morning.  I slept but my heart was awake. --Song of Songs 5:2

Jenny and I when we began dating

Graduation time came for her and we had to figure out where this left us.  She had worked at a CPA firm throughout college and her boss made her an offer to buy into his business.  But she knew that her college town was not where her heart wanted to stay.  After a couple of months of trying to figure out the next step, we moved to the Fort Worth area together.  Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. --Proverbs. 19:21.

She started her new job as an accounting professional, and I continued to work as a loan officer.  I began my cold-calling.  (Not knowing anybody in the area proved to be a little difficult when you are in sales.)  It was an exciting but stressful time.  We believed in ourselves and in each other and we pushed forward.

I worked.  She worked.  After about six months we were on our feet. We bought our first home, a gorgeous but modest one-story and moved in on Thanksgiving Day.  We celebrated with lunch at Denny's and then went home to unpack.  Fortunately there wasn't much to unpack and we were left with time to beam with pride at our new purchase.

I worked from our {new} home office and diligently aimed to provide great service to my clients.  I also became licensed to sell homeowners insurance and very often I provided homeowner's insurance to my mortgage clients.  In the mean time Jenny was working many hours, especially during tax season.  We were proud of what we were doing--proud of the life we were building.  The following fall after the Thanksgiving move-in, we were married.  Inscribed in my wedding band: A Deal's A Deal.

As I grew from home office to executive suite to professional office building to high-rise, Jenny put her mind to work as well.  She worked as a public accountant, a real estate investor and agent, an insurance agent, and a mom.  So many times she debated whether or not she should come work with me in the mortgage business--whether it be as a loan officer or an accountant or even a personal assistant.  But over and over she decided it was better not to work together at the mortgage company.  From what we had seen from other couples working together, there could be some serious downsides.  We didn't want to ruin our young relationship or create work tension.  But no matter what, we always supported each other in our work endeavors.

Time passed and I worked and worked and worked, and in the midst of this we had children.  Made friends.  Coached sports teams.  Experienced heart-breaking losses.  Emotional roller coasters.  Growth.  A removal of selfishness.  Closeness to God.  Purchased a larger home.  Traveled.  Loved
deeper.  Good times.  Together.

Jenny and I with our family

Life was great.

And then I told Jenny, "You know what, babe?  It's time for a change."   She knew I needed a new dragon to slay, and she fully supported the subsequent alteration in my career path.

And so began the succeeding chapter of our lives: Xcel Lending. A wife of noble character is her husband's crown. --Proverbs 12:4

Welcome to my blog, and my company, Xcel Lending.

This is me now

This blog is the journey of Xcel Lending.

My vision for Xcel comes from my experience:

It began in college as I was completing my finance degree.  I made a decision during my senior year to start writing home loans on a part-time basis for an escrow and mortgage company.  After college I became the full-time sole loan originator in the mortgage division of this company.

Fresh out of college

Eight months later I re-located from New Mexico to Texas to get away from the dust and tumbleweeds! Having no business contacts and fueled with nothing but a desire to succeed, I worked months on end to close my first loan, and then many more months until I had a consistent amount of business.

I made sales call after sales call and over months and then years I had enough business to hire employees and start my own branch.  A few years after managing my branch (while continuing to originate loans), I was promoted from branch manager to vice-president of retail lending.  As I shifted from sales to operations I worked tirelessly, spending many early mornings and late evenings at the office.  I improved at what I did and who I was, and my next title became Chief Operating Officer/Senior Vice President.  It was the highest position I could achieve in the company.  I worked in mergers and acquisitions, compliance, audits, risk analysis, and warehouse line management. For eleven years at the organization I worked my way to the top, and the mortgage division grew from one loan originator (myself) to $100 million per month in production.  I have a lot to be proud of.

But.

Fast forward to this moment today.

I have worked eleven years for this company and it is my last week as a corporate executive. These past eleven years have formed my vision for what I will do next.  I sit in my office with floor to ceiling glass windows and stare at the downtown traffic as I think upon what I have helped build and what I will now build.  In this economy many would say that I am crazy for leaving my corner office.

It is time.

Time to start afresh.

Time to live out my entrepreneurial dream: freedom in making growth decisions, freedom in determining my qualify of life.  Freedom from traffic.  Freedom from an unhealthy amount of stress.

I consider my co-workers.  Many of them have worked by my side for years.  We have grown together.  We have been through ups and downs.  They are my friends...and they inspire me to dream for my own.  My dream for my new business is to create a positive and supportive work environment.  I want to lift others up and value their contribution and importance--not only as employees partners but as human beings.   Teamwork makes the dream work.

I dream of Friday afternoons at the office where my team and I BBQ on the back porch grill as together we celebrate a great week and look forward to the weekend.  I imagine myself toasting a great year at the Christmas party as each employee opens a Christmas bonus check.  When I look back upon the last eleven years, the moments that gave me the most gratification were the ones where I gave of myself, contributed to others lives, and helped individuals take a step up.  I pray I can bless others, give, make a difference.

I dreams of opportunities for others and not just for myself.  It is more blessed to give than to receive.  --Acts 20:35

I dream of growing as a leader.  I dream of passing a legacy onto my children.  I desire the autonomy to make executive decisions on a daily basis.

I dream of treating every client with value.  Of creating a place where all employees respect every client.  Clients who become friends.  Clients who become repeat clients.  I aspire to have a work environment where me and mine are proud of who they serve.  Of being completely humble and gentle and patient. --Ephesians 4: 2

I dream of valued relationships with business associates, vendors, and partners.  Again, those who will be, or already are, friends. I value integrity and no one will question it.  May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. --Psalm 25:21

I dream.  I lead.  I serve.

Fresh out of the corner office

Welcome to my blog!