In her own words: loan advisor Sandi Brown-Nordemeyer

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us about your company and your position.

Sandi Brown-Nordemeyer: I am employed with American Pacific Mortgage, one of the largest mortgage banking companies, which was established in 1994. They are one of the best companies I have worked for; they are people-oriented, they truly care and listen to their employees.

My duties as a mortgage loan consultant involve listening to my clients and figuring out the best loan product and best interest rate possible to fit their individual financial needs. While listening to the client's needs and wants, I obtain the necessary information and documentation for submission for loan approval.

NNBW: How did you enter this profession?

Brown-Nordemeyer: I originally got into the mortgage business shortly after I graduated from high school. I moved to Fresno, Calif., and was hired by a mortgage company. My duties were to obtain information from real estate agents, type all the acquired information onto appraisal forms, and forward it to the appraiser. It was interesting to me and has stayed interesting ever since.

NNBW: What's the most important thing you have learned in your career?

Brown-Nordemeyer: It's important to treat people the way you would like to be treated, and for me that would be with kindness, respect, integrity and honesty. You need to be up front and disclose the good with the bad and remain in communication with all parties involved at all times. Communication in this business is a must!

NNBW: How did the recession change the way you do business?

Brown-Nordemeyer: Other than doing a little more marketing, the recession really hasn't changed the way I do business. My clients have always been my top priority. I continue to be visible and available to them and continue to do what is best for them.

NNBW: What was your first job?

Brown-Nordemeyer: I was a junior in high school and I worked for a mortuary addressing and sending out postcards for advertisement.

NNBW: Tell us about your dream job. Why aren't you working it?

Brown-Nordemeyer: I love the fact that I am able to help someone fill their American Dream into home ownership; however, I have always dreamed of owning my own mortuary business, as morbid as that may sound. There will always be people wanting to purchase their dream home, but I can remember my dad saying to me, "Pick a career that you know will always be in demand." My dad would always joke around and say, "Do you know why they have a fence around the cemetery? Because people are dying to get in!" Even though he was making a joke, he's right. Unfortunately people pass away every day, and being a compassionate person I would love to provide a service to lessen the painful experience in people's time of sorrow.

I checked into purchasing a funeral home that was for sale a few years ago, but it was in Hawthorne and I did not want to make a move out of the Reno-Sparks area and didn't feel I could do the business justice being an out-of-town owner.

NNBW: Have any advice for someone who wants to enter your profession?

Brown-Nordemeyer: Look the other way and run! On a serious note, being in this business for as long as I have, it has its ups and downs. You can make great money one day and be penniless the next. It has been more difficult to get loan approval because of the stricter guidelines investors have placed onto each loan product. If someone wants to consider the mortgage lending profession, my suggestion is to make sure they have a nest egg of savings for at least a minimum of four to six months to help them through the lean months of non-closed loans.

NNBW: What's the most fun you have had on the job?

Brown-Nordemeyer: The most satisfying thing in my job is having that final loan approval from underwriting with all prior funding conditions being met, loan documents for signatures, borrowers have funds to close, and then the final closing and recordation of the deed into their name. Knowing that they are living the American Dream of home ownership and to see their faces of happiness is an accomplishment.

NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Brown-Nordemeyer: My dad would always tell me to treat others the way you would like to be treated and to be kind, treat people with respect, be an honest person and do not steal. Also, to have God in your life as He will help you with the good and the bad and help you make it through.

NNBW: What are your favorite hobbies or pastimes? How do you spend your time away from work.

Brown-Nordemeyer: I enjoy going on dinner dates and movies with my husband. I also enjoy outdoors sports, watching football and baseball. The Dallas Cowboys are my favorite team along with the L.A. Dodgers. I also enjoy spending time with my daughters and my grandchildren. My husband and I try to set a vacation each year to a location we have not been before. So far we have been to three of the Hawaiian Islands, New York City, Washington, D.C., Washington state, California, Florida, Texas, Cape Cod and the Indy 500 to name a few!

NNBW: If you could live your life over again, what one thing would you change?

Brown-Nordemeyer: Maybe I should have gone to law school and become an attorney or pursued an acting or modeling career and moved to New York or Los Angeles after I graduated from high school. The path would have been different and more than likely I wouldn't have met my previous husband who had a part in giving me our two beautiful daughters and my four grandchildren. It also would have changed in the possibility of not meeting my current husband. So, knowing what I have had and currently have, the answer would be that I wouldn't change a thing. I have been blessed and have lived a good life.

NNBW: What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?

Brown-Nordemeyer: I wanted to be a model, but the thought of moving to New York City was a little scary for me. I thought I could act just as well as Erica Kane on the soap opera "All My Children."

NNBW: What can you do that someone else can't?

Brown-Nordemeyer: Give the gift of life. My brother was diagnosed with kidney disease prior to 2004. I volunteered to donate my kidney but he refused it because I had children. As time passed there wasn't any immediate hope for him so I asked him again if he would accept my kidney as a gift. He was deteriorating quite quickly and said yes. In February of 2004 we checked into St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles and the kidney transplant took place. My kidney was placed into my brother and his body accepted it and performed as if he never had any prior issues or difficulties. He was able to have another five years of life without dialysis three times a week. Unfortunately he passed away in May of 2010.

NNBW: Why did you choose a career in northern Nevada? What do you like most about working /living here?

Brown-Nordemeyer: I originally came to northern Nevada from Tulare, Calif. I was working with a title company in Visalia and requested a transfer within the company to Reno. I was only 22 years old when I moved to Reno, and I did not know anyone living here. I knew I wanted to go somewhere I could spread my wings and grow. I have been here ever since. We have the best of all worlds. We have lakes for swimming and boating, rivers for fishing, mountains for snow skiing or hiking. We have history in Virginia City, entertainment in downtown Reno or Sparks and Lake Tahoe. Plus, the traffic is nothing compared to other large cities.

The basics:

Name: Sandi Brown-Nordmeyer, mortgage loan consultant, American Pacific Mortgage

Number of years in this profession? More than 25 years combined

experience in mortgage lending, real estate sales and title and escrow

Education? College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif.

Last book read? "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent

Favorite flick? "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Just Like Heaven," "The Guardian," "Sweet Home Alabama"

What's on your iPod? I don't have one, but I do have an iPhone 4

Spouse, kids or pets? Ron is my spouse, and we have been married for 12 years. I have two daughters and 4 grandchildren; he has two daughters and one son. We have a German shepherd named Keelo (he's 8-years-old and weighs 145 pounds). Our other dog is an Australian shepherd named Kadie. She's 13.

Know someone whose perspective you want to share with NNBW readers? Send contact information to: rsabo@nnbw.biz or call 775-850-2146.