Meet Jennifer Hernandez | Mortgage Loan Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Hernandez and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, what is the most important factor behind your success?
looking back over a 27 year career, if I had to put a message in a bottle it would be this:

Show people you care, do your very best, and do the right thing.

I truly believe that with this mindset, it helps me continue to evolve, and be sure that my clients and referral partners feel heard, understood, and ultimately cared for.

It has become the foundation of my business.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been a risk taker. So when a friend asked me in 1995 to join his mortgage company and be a 100% commission loan officer, at first I thought he was crazy. I had just finished paying 100% of my attendance to Texas A&M University, and now I had bills, student loans and life to pay. It was scary. But I trusted my instinct. So I jumped in.

As I look back over the last 27 years, I realize that the pivotal points in my career and life, have been based on instinct. Gut feeling.

Yes there have been struggles. My most profound struggle was in 2008. I had just closed a mortgage branch, and transitioned to another company. From closing the branch, I had past invoices to pay, so I put it all on Amex. I refused to declare bankruptcy. That was not the right thing to do. I had spent that money. In addition , I didn’t change my spending habits, and in a span of 6 months, the debt grew to 106 K.

At that same time, business was unexpectedly way down due to the 2008 financial crisis. Telling my husband that we were in the debt was the lowest point in my life and my marriage. He was inches from divorcing me for withholding this info from him. There would be days , or maybe even weeks , that we did not speak. I deserved all of it. I had really messed up big time.

It was time to dig in. I changed my habits, and no matter what, I made sure to always do the right thing. There were days I had pennies in our checking account, but I never paid not one bill late. The experience of surviving 5 years of college on my own dime had served me well. I knew how to be creative.

Over the next year I paid off ALL of that debt, and then proceeded to have the best years of my career , Since that struggle 15 years ago, Fernando and I have been able to set aside amazing savings for our family, as well as donate almost 500K to charity

That hard lesson in that dark time was the importance of mentorship and coaching. I had tried to go in alone and solve the debt problem by myself. Probably mostly from shame , but also not having structure and systems.

In fact, in the midst of my dark days and paying off the large debt load, I was introduced
to the person that would later become the most amazing mentor I have had ever had, Rick Ruby. For the next 12 years I would be a part of his amazing coaching organization not only as a student, but as one of his leading coaches.

Had I not struggled, had I not experienced on my own, what it meant to surround yourself with others that you want your life and business to reflect, I would likely not be here where I am today.

That coaching journey from 2010 to 2022, inspired me to become a better coach for homeowners. I have been building my mortgage education library on You Tube since 2019. (LoanWithJen)

As I write this article I have over 400 videos on any small topic you can think of for homebuyers. My passion has become to make complicated topics easy to understand, so that people can make the best decisions for themselves in this age of over information. Real Facts No BS is how I see it.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
NASA is always a favorite. It’s an all day affair in South Houston. Go early and leave early enough to stop in Seabrook for the Kemah Boardwalk. Lots of amazing seafood at any of the Landrys eateries. And stroll the boardwalk along the water or take a dinner cruise!

The Uptown / Galleria is a must . Stroll the shops along Westheimer , Highland Village and the River Oaks Shopping District . The eateries there are all in a plaza that feels like a European open air eatery. Toulouse is my favorite. Then hop over to Post Oak Blvd to Uptown for more outdoor shopping. Late pm snacks or dinner at Urbe .

Downtown has many activities such as theater, ballet, music. The Post is the old Post Office that has a rooftop view of the city at night. Dining at Birta Porettis the best pizza ever! Being a native Houstonian I remember having their pizza most Friday nights as a kid. They have been in Houston since the 80’s! Another dining option is to travel a bit east of downtown to EADOto Ninfas. The original location for the Mexican Restaurant will not disappoint!

West houston towards Katy is Top Golf, Homerun Dugout for baseball fun, Andrettis indoor go carts and Asia Town for the best Asian Cuisine and some Boba! Also a lazy afternoon in Katy at the No Label Brewery is a must. Food trucks, crawfish , live music, and a great family friendly atmosphere.

Back towards town is the Heights. Charming bungalows from early 20th century , lots of culture and artsy charm. The Art Car Museum on Heights Blvd, or a bit to the west is the beer can house in Rice Military on Malone St. Drive east on Allen Parkway toward downtown for the most beautiful ire of our city! Near Sabine Bridge there are bike rentals and you can ride trails along the bayou there too! Amazing views!

The medical center area hosts many museums, and one of our most elite neighborhoods, West university . Driving this area , with expansive oak trees and home architecture from the 1920s has a great charm! The sunset Blvd/Morningside area had outdoor shopping. I love Katz Deli, or tapas at Mi Luna. You have to top it off by going a bit north up Kirby drive to River Oaks Blvd. The most elite and expensive street in Houston.

A trip to Galveston Island , about an hour from Houston. to walk the sea wall, and stroll the strand for those ocean lovers! Eat at Gaidos, and visit the Pier Amusement Park !

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I met Rick Ruby of the Core Training Inc in 2009. For the next 12 years he was my mentor and coach. His organization coaches top lenders in the nation, and I was also honored to be one of their lending coaches for a decade. His mentorship and leadership hands down shaped the person and business person I am today.

The other person I would like to thank, is my husband Fernando. For the last 25 years of our marriage he has been the ultimate wing man. He cheers, he listens, provides feedback, but most of all, he makes sure that our family is taken care of so that I can focus on business every day. I would never have been able to develop the business I have without his support.

Website: Www.loanwithjen.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/loanwithjen?igshid=MjEwN2IyYWYwYw==

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loanwithjen

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loanwithjen?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@LoanWithJen

Image Credits
Danny Nguyen Photography