Northshore’s Top Dentists

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 32

MANDEVILLE, LA

www.sophisticatedwoman.com

Enterprising WomenCarrie Sanders & Melissa Brackley

Loan Officers GMFS Lending, LLC

August 2012 The Northshore's Best

Lending Relationships for Life—Carrie Sanders and Melissa Brackley, GMFS Lending

IT IS EASY to love your profession when day after day

you watch people achieve the dream of owning their

own home. For loan officer Carrie Sanders and her

colleague, Melissa Brackley, licensed loan originator,

every day at GMFS Lending is quite a pleasure. “It

is always a thrill for me to see someone move into

their first home,” Carries says. “But the process to

get to that point can be confusing, both for first-time

homeowners as well as people who have purchased

a home in the past. This is where we come into the

picture. We also handle refinancing of current home

loans, so we can help clients with every aspect of

their home financing.”

At different phases of their lives, Carrie a happily

married mother and grandmother, and Melissa a

happily married mother of two young children—

both women work toward the same professional

purpose. Educating their clients and walking them

through the multi-step process in obtaining a home

loan is their ultimate goal. “Our job is to navigate

the process for people looking for a new mortgage

product, or seeking to refinance their current mort-

gage,” says Melissa. “We pride ourselves on taking an

in-depth look at every client’s profile to determine

what product is right for them, and what needs to

be done to obtain that product. We realize that not

every person who walks through our doors fits the

same mold.”

With so many options—conventional mortgages,

FHA Loans, Rural Development Loans, VA Loans (with

100 percent financing), reverse mortgages—GMFS is

poised to walk everyone from the least experienced

first-time client to the senior citizen in their golden

years, through the proper steps to find a product

that will suit their needs. Carrie and Melissa each

possess exceptional financial proficiency, with a

enterprising women І CARRIE SANDERS AND MELISSA BRACKLEY

WRITTEN BY AMY BOUTON PHOTOS BY STEVE RANDON

LEFT: Carrie Sanders RIGHT: Melissa Brackley

combined twenty-plus years experience in

finance. “One of my mentors once told me

to always do right by the customer,” Melissa

remembers. “And that is what we do every

day. We will not recommend a mortgage or

refinance option solely based on obtaining

another client.”

As a long-established company that began

in Baton Rouge, and now has a presence

in over 25 different states, GMFS Lending

is a place where every client is given the

full opportunity to get what they need.

“If someone comes to us and for some

reason they are unable to qualify at the time,

we determine the problem and take the

proper steps to help them reach their goal,

by working collaboratively with the client,”

Carrie says. “Everyone here is so well-round-

ed and has so much experience that we are

able to work on the structure of every loan.”

Because the entire loan procedure is

handled in the GMFS office, clients have

a faster, more accurate and more efficient

result. “We are like a little family here,” Carrie

notes. “Our loan processors are here in our

office, so instead of sending an email or

placing a phone call to someone in another

state, we simply walk down the hall and have

a face-to-face discussion.” For clients, this

means a solid relationship with everyone

involved. “Clients benefit from this too,

because they can come in and meet the

processors and they can correspond with

them and ask questions,” Melissa says. “Many

places do not offer this opportunity. We all

work together towards the same goal.”

Ultimately Carrie and Melissa are focused

on building trusting relationships with their

clients. “The key in choosing the right person

to handle your mortgage or refinance is to

find someone you are comfortable with and

whom you feel that you can trust,” Carrie

says, “If you are uncomfortable, you are not

in the right place.” Both ladies recommend

consulting a loan officer at least three to six

months before you plan to purchase a home

to begin getting everything in proper order.

“You have to find the person who has your

best interest at heart,” Melissa says. “And the

person working with you should be acces-

sible to answer any of your questions. I have

had first-time clients who emailed me on a

daily basis, and that is why we are here.”

As a born and raised Northshore resi-

dent, Melissa and her husband, Thomas, have

chosen to raise their own family here as well.

“We like to fish, swim and hang out with our

family,” she says. “And of course we are huge

Saints fans.” Somehow, she and her husband

find the time to coach their son’s soccer team

as well. Melissa is also active in raising money

for cancer research through her annual par-

ticipation in both Relay for Life and Light the

Night events. “As a local, I appreciate every-

thing the Northshore has to offer,” she says.

“It is so great to be able to live and work in my

own community, and feel like I am helping

people reach a goal in the process.”

Carrie is also fully immersed in her life

here on the Northshore. From taking an

active mentorship role in her church along-

side her husband BJ, to her affiliation with the

St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce,

the Women’s Council of Realtors, and the

Professional Women of St. Tammany, she

thoroughly enjoys the Northshore. “I am

loving life here. I enjoy meeting so many

wonderful people both through my profes-

sional and personal life,” she says. “And I am

fortunate to have my family close by so that

I can enjoy my children and my grandchild.

Someone wise once told me to do what I love

and to love what I do, and I truly am. This

is what makes it so worthwhile and so very

gratifying.” GMFS Lending is located at 114 Terra Bella Unit

A, in Covington in TerraBella Village. To contact

Carrie, call 985-231-1648. To contact Melissa

call 985-231-5382. To learn more about products,

services and locations visit www.gmfslending.com.

“It is always a thrill for me to

see someone move into their

first home,” Carrie says.