Doni Strickland

n high school, all I wanted was to join the Air Force and work on planes. I loved the idea of taking something that didn’t work, pulling it apart, putting it back together, and making it fly. I took all the testing, scored well, and sat down for my last meeting with the recruiter. “Now let’s talk about the physical requirements,” he said. “You’ll need to be able to put 80 pounds over your head.”

I burst into tears. I’m all of 5’4″, and back then I was lucky to weigh 103 pounds soaking wet. No number of hours at the gym was getting 80 pounds over my head.

About six months after graduation, I stumbled into my first mortgage job. Over time, I figured something out. A loan file is something I can lift. I can pull it apart, put it back together, and make it fly. Best of all, it isn’t just a machine. It’s someone’s dream. I was home.

That was 1992. Since then I’ve worked in nearly every seat in the building. I’ve originated, processed, underwritten, and closed loans. I’ve been a wholesale account executive, managed projects, built corporate training, and led teams at the branch, regional, and national levels. So when I look at your file, I’m not only seeing it from the sales side. I’m seeing it the way the processor, the underwriter, and the closer will see it, before they do.

Complex files don’t scare me. Honestly, they’re my favorite part. I’ve personally underwritten a file with 23 LLCs and 19 properties, and I’ve processed refinances involving 111 properties, where 17 were refinanced to fund 13 new acquisitions. I tell people “number Tetris” is my favorite game, and I’m only half joking. If your scenario has made other lenders go quiet, I’d like to see it.

Solving the puzzle is only half the job, though. The other half is teaching. For borrowers, that means showing you how to think strategically. We’ll talk about getting you into this home and also about how the financing fits your long-term plans, so it supports the goals that come after. For real estate agents, it means sharing financing strategies that help your clients go after the home they actually want, not just the one they assume they can afford. For loan officers, it means passing along what 30-plus years across every part of this business has taught me.

I’m committed to doing things the right way, which isn’t always the easiest or fastest way. My two core values are integrity and making a difference in the lives I touch. Everything else I do comes from those two.

My husband has always called himself a jack of all trades. I’m the counter to that. I’m a one-trick pony, but I know my trick really, really well.

Today I’m a Sales Manager and Mortgage Loan Originator at Acrisure Mortgage in Las Vegas. You might be buying a home, looking for a lending partner who will protect your deals, or already one of the partners I’ve been lucky to work with for years. You might also be a loan officer who wants to learn the whole building, not just the sales desk. In any of those cases, let’s talk.

Arizona Mortgage Banker License# 0922681. California – DBO Finance Lenders Law License# 60DBO-44688. DBO Residential Mortgage Lending Act License# 4131257. Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act.

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