Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Maldonado.
Hi Stephanie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Stephanie Maldonado and I was born in Choluteca, Honduras in 1992. I later moved to Waco, Texas during my teenage years and where I attended Waco High School, I later transferred and graduated from Alvardo High School and then attended and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in December of 2016.
I’ve been truly blessed and like many of us, we all have a story to tell. I was adopted. The adoption saved me from a very dysfunctional abusive childhood. I think the adoption was the key to the life I have today and for that, I will be forever grateful. Being an adoptive child doesn’t always mean things are given to you. On the contrary, for many adoptive children there I am constant struggle of trying to find a place of belonging and can very easily become lost. Not really knowing what I was doing I see now that God had a bigger plan for me.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I made up my mind early in high school that I needed to graduate early because while my friends were celebrating prom, or throwing graduation parties I was trying to figure out where I was going to live. There was a point in my life that consisted of trying to figure out which friends would let me crash at their place, house, apartment because I couldn’t afford a place of my own. I applied to the University of Texas at Arlington and at that moment I not only wanted to go to college, but I needed to get accepted into a university with dorms or apartments because that would solve my living situation. Once accepted to the university I could live on campus and come up with something more permanent while getting my education.
I couldn’t go back to my adoptive parents because I was not their responsibility anymore and they had already done enough for me. Getting through college while working full time was no easy task but I am grateful for the people that crossed my path when I was at my lowest.
Feeling without a home, feeling lost made me realize that I wanted to do more because I didn’t want my children to go through the same things I went through. I knew staying in school was very important for me to have options in the future. I graduated college, I got into real estate at first by buying homes I could rent out long term and Airbnb, my spouse and I built our real estate portfolio, and when I was given the opportunity to become a Mortgage Loan officer, I took it and ran with it. I truly love doing what I do not only because I’m great at it but because I get to help people every single day to obtain a piece of the American dream of becoming homeowners.
We’ve been impressed with Team Maldonado with Fairway Independent Mortgage, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My Team is dedicated to providing an amazing purchasing experience for all of our clients every day. We provide a wide variety of products, such as Government, Conventional, or Jumbo loans, and the ability to partner with specialty lenders to offer products not available through agency product offering. We provided outstanding support, speed, and early delivery of closing documents and loan funds.
Our core values are
1) Humility First
2) Foster Growth & Knowledge
3) Have Fun
4)Create an amazing experience for you
5)Speed and Response
6)Seek wise counsel
7)Respect listen and stay balanced
8)Committed to serve
9)Consistent, Honest, Communication
10) Family Focused
Our core values define who we are and what we strive to accomplish every day. These values guide us in how we work, how we interact with each other, and how to best serve our customers and team members.
What do you think about luck?
When I graduated college, I felt the need to do more, I wanted to start a career and I also needed something with higher pay. The position I had at that time did not allow me to earn any bonuses and I felt stagnant. Thankfully the company I was with had openings for Home Lending officers. I was also very fortunate to have met a friend who told me the good and bad of the position. The information she gave me made me realize I could do it! She saw my work ethic and she truly believe I could do it! When I started as a Mortgage Loan officer, I was getting paid very little until I started closing loans. I didn’t let that discourage me and I put all the effort I gather to make it work. Within a 12-month period, my production was exceeding a lot of the other Loan officers in the branch. I was only 23 years old at that time and switching to Home Lending was one of the best decisions of my life. I love what I do, I love helping my customers and guiding them through the Home Financing process. It’s the most self-rewarding position I’ve had and I don’t see myself doing anything else.
Contact Info:
- Email: s.maldonado@fairwaymc.com
- Website: https://www.fairwayindependentmc.com/Stephanie-Maldonado
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephaniemaldonad
- My google page: https://g.co/kgs/Nj63pS
