Buying a home would likely leave a smile on anyone’s face — but as those working in real estate and lending will testify, getting there usually takes a lot of hard work. Kitsap women in the industry say they wouldn’t have it any other way, and that their work is not about buildings, number crunching or paperwork, it’s about helping someone’s dream come true.
These are some of the local women who help those dreams:
Val Hawryluk, branch manager at Eagle Home Mortgage in Silverdale, has been a mortgage branch manager for 15 years, the last six at Eagle. Starting her career as a loan servicer and later becoming a loan processor and closer, she has moved her way up in the industry over the years.
“I like the pace and the challenges,” she said. “Every single loan and the borrower’s capabilities are different, and the rules constantly change, which is nice if you like change.” Eagle Home Mortgage is one of Kitsap County’s largest lenders, and as a branch manager Hawryluk oversees 10 loan officers and half a dozen support staff. “What attracts me is the people. To be able to put people in a new home, whether it’s the first home or the tenth, is exciting,” she said. “It’s an upbeat business.”
Hawryluk has lived in Kitsap for about 35 years. She raised her family here and hopes this is the place where she someday retires — not that retirement is in the plans.
Susan Felten, a 22-year real estate veteran, has lived on Bainbridge Island for 15 years and has been with Re/Max Unlimited for two. Felten moved with her husband and children from Arizona in search for a new adventure, and found Bainbridge to have the perfect small town feeling yet be close enough to an urban market needed for her husband’s line of work.
Felten was a sales manager for an Arizona golf course resort, but she promised not to go back in to real estate once they moved. After starting a cookie company on the island, someone from her church convinced her to become an agent there, and she’s been doing it ever since. “I see it as a fee for service industry, not as sales. You help people with information they need to make the decision to purchase or sell their home,” she said. “I really…like helping people fulfill their dream of home ownership.”
Roxanne Hersman, vice president of sales and marketing at Pacific Northwest Title of Kitsap County, was one of the first employees when the company opened doors in Kitsap 15 years ago. She said it’s been the best experience in her more than 30 years in the escrow industry.
Hersman started in escrow as her first job — her father was a land surveyor, and helped her get the job at the title company he worked with. “I was fascinated by the whole process and by helping people buy their homes,” she said.
At Pacific Northwest Title, Hersman said she enjoys being a mentor to new agents and loan officers as well as to other company employees. “I was really fortunate to have great mentors during my life, I feel it’s my opportunity to give that back,” she said. She credits Chris Rieland, company owner and friend, with creating the positive experience and a company that is based on integrity.
Jessica Kennedy, branch manager and part owner of Windermere Real Estate/West Sound, Inc. in Bremerton, has been in real estate for 25 years, 12 of those with Windermere. She moved to Bremerton from Seattle as she learned about the opportunity to help build and manage the new Windermere office there, at a time when no one else was focused on selling real estate in the city.
The business went from ground zero to having the top market share, she said, and that took many long hours of hard work as well as hiring the right people. “I’m proud of what we’ve managed to do in the market,” she said. The real estate office, which grew from six agents to 30, still considers Bremerton its niche.
“Real estate changes constantly and it constantly deals with people and their hopes and dreams and that’s very exciting,” she said. As a manager, Kennedy no longer sells homes but instead serves her agents as her clients, adding a new layer of dynamics to her work.
Bek Ashby retired from banking several years ago as the CEO of Silverdale State Bank, after working in banking for more than 30 years. But she found out retirement was too slow for her. For the last two years, she’s been a loan officer with North Bay Mortgage, working in the company’s Gig Harbor, Port Orchard and Belfair offices.
“I like getting the first-time home buyer into their new house, getting people struggling financially into a home,” she said. One of the reasons she was attracted to North Bay was the company’s community involvement. A former Port Orchard planning commissioner and volunteer for several organizations including the school district and youth sports, she’s always been active. North Bay mortgage affords that type of volunteer service, and Asby’s involvement includes being the president of the Key Peninsula Business Association, chair of South Kitsap Relay for Life, and board member of the Port Orchard Chamber of Commerce.
“North Bay Mortgage feels if we’re going to do business in the community, we need to give back to the community,” she said.
Lorna Muller, with John L. Scott in Kingston for eight years, said she’s always been attracted to real estate. After getting tired of the commute to Seattle, she saw the opportunity for a new career in real estate about 16 years ago. As her career grew, her husband joined her as a realtor as well.
“The changes in the industry are exciting,” she said. Changes like the Internet and use of e-mail not only have made the job easier, but have helped buyers be more educated and find more options.
In 2004, Mueller ranked in the top one percent of all John L. Scott agents in the northwestern U.S.
“There are so many interesting people you meet,” she said. “It allows you to know the community and be involved. The people I meet really enrich me.”
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