Written By: Theresa Furzland, Op-Ed Writer
It’s the time of year when we all start watching for those long awaited signs of spring, especially here in Northern Minnesota, where I live. It almost seems to be a sport, or at least a lively competition. We are currently enjoying my favorite...the maple sap is flowing. It means more work for us, and busy days and some late nights for the next few weeks as we will be making two trips into the woods daily to gather, then the process of “boiling” down. During the process over the next two weeks we will see the snow disappear and by the time we’re all done the ice will be off the lakes and the trees will start budding and spring will be well underway.
The benefit of our labors will of course be a supply of natural maple syrup to enjoy throughout the coming year, but more than that is the process. The enjoyment and experience that we gain we will appreciate for the rest of our lives and into new generations. My mother taught us when we were young, and I hear this year that the practice is spreading to the nieces and nephews of our family and their children are learning this special skill.
In the mortgage industry we also have our signs of spring. We are seeing them this year already. As the weather warms up and snow starts to melt, the phones start to ring. Purchase transactions are on the rise and in the last week already we are seeing lender’s turn times increasing. The slow pace of the long winter is over. And this has been a LONG winter. We have survived more industry “storms” than snow storms here in Minnesota. And so here we are. It is now spring and we are all going to be getting busier, not to mention facing the steady flow of “storms” we’ve all grown used to expect. We will be working longer hours, spending a few late nights and adjusting - again. During the next couple of weeks we will be dealing with the new compensation rules and FHA program adjustments just to start with.
By the time the ice is off the lakes up here in MN and the maple syrup is all in jars, we in the mortgage business will be adjusted to the new operating procedures and looking forward to our next challenge.
The benefit of our labors? Of course it’s a paycheck, but at the end of the day we know that it is more about the process. The daily challenges of “keeping pace” in our career and the satisfaction of knowing that we’ve done our jobs well and improved ourselves and by doing that we improve the entire industry.
The enjoyment and experience that we gain we will appreciate for the rest of our lives and into new generations.
About The Author
Theresa Furzland - As an op-ed writer, Theresa Furzland has 25+ years of experience ranging from origination, processing, closing and post closing. She is currently a producing Branch Manager for LendSmart Mortgage, LLC and own and operate Willow Wood Mortgage Services, Inc.
