YOUNG GUNS 2016
SARAH DAVISON Mortgage broker QUANTUS MORTGAGE SOLUTIONS Age: 35
Sarah Davison is in a period of transition – at the beginning of July, she opened her own office in Grand Prairie, Alberta. She looks back on what inspired her to go into the mortgage industry in the first place. “After several years with RBC and Scotiabank in personal banking, I wanted to focus on lending, specifically mortgages,” she says. “It was attractive to have more options for my clients and be able to specialize. Although the big banks gave me my start, there was an immediate income ceiling in my salaried position, and I wanted to be in the driver’s seat for my earning potential. I’ve never looked back.” It’s that ambition that eventually led Davison to want to call the shots – but is she worried about launching her own business during a dismal time for the Albertan economy? “Oil & gas has hugely affected our unemployment rate, and housing values have fallen too,” she says. “It’s definitely more of a challenge now. We are facing underwriting restrictions too. Everything is cyclical, though – it will come back around.” To prosper in a challenging economic environment, Davison and her team are doing everything they can to meet the evolving needs of clients. “I think our typical buyers are doing more research into homeownership in general before we meet them on terms, rates and even us, their broker of choice,” she says. “I don’t necessarily think these are negative things – reform to some lending practices was a safe change in a time of economic uncertainty. Clients researching the biggest purchase of their lives creates a vested interest and hopefully a more financially savvy and prepared buyer.”
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