Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Garcia.
Hi Daniel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started my career in real estate back in 2005 selling new homes. The builder I worked for was also a mortgage broker. I was offered a position with that company, and within six months, I obtained my license to originate loans and was promoted to a loan officer. When the “Great Recession” hit in 2007, I was definitely affected financially. In order to not lose my home and the other things that I worked so hard to obtain, I had to seek supplemental employment to make ends meet. A local non-profit organization that provided housing counseling services offered me a part-time position as a “Foreclosure Prevention Counselor.” By chance, this was also the same organization that I received homebuyer education and down payment assistance from when I purchased my first home back in 2006. I was quickly offered a full-time position as a housing counselor with the organization. Since that time, I had spent nearly 10 years working in the non-profit sector.
In 2013, I was recruited by another non-profit economic development agency to develop and implement a mortgage lending division that would be headquartered in Dallas, Texas. This division has since expended millions of dollars in down payment assistance funds throughout Texas.
In late 2015, I decided to take a stab at starting a financial services agency and mortgage company. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. Having to reset and refocus, I moved back to my hometown, Waco, TX. During this time, I wasn’t really sure what exactly I wanted to do. I was working part-time as an outside loan originator with a mortgage company which eventually led me to accept a position as a full-time loan assistant with a local mortgage team. My time working on this team, in my opinion, was pivotal to my now success.
In 2018 is when things came full circle for me. I was offered a position with the bank I now work for, here in Dallas, to lead the community and affordable mortgage lending activities for the DFW market. Through my work, I also met my now wife, who is a real estate agent. We have been married now for 3 years and have 2 kids.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It most definitely has not been easy. From nearly losing my home, failed relationships, unsuccessful businesses, and a deconstruction of my faith, life has had its challenges. However, all these challenges have just prepared me for the life I have now.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I currently work as VP & Senior CRA Lending Officer for First Horizon Bank. My role is to lead the bank’s efforts in providing affordable lending solutions to first-time homebuyers and low-to-moderate income buyers. I accomplish this through loan originations of the bank’s affordable lending mortgages, expending of grant funds, developing and maintaining relationships with local affordable housing organizations, and teaching homebuyer education classes. I sit on the bank’s community activity committee where we lead the bank’s efforts in community service and volunteer activities. I am also a member of HUD’s Housing Counseling Federal Advisory Committee.
In the past, I served as the President of the Lewisville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; First Vice President of the Hispanic Bankers Association, and Treasurer for the Texas Plano Garland Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals. I don’t have a formal college education. Most individuals in my position have some sort of higher education. I feel that I have always had to work harder than most and strategically position myself to create opportunities. This is something that I take great pride in.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.firsthorizon.com/daniel-garcia
- Other: https://pro.experience.com/reviews/daniel-garcia-208621
