Daily Inspiration: Meet Jake Scarbo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Scarbo

Hi Jake, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story started was a senior in college, and all I wanted was to get hired at Cerner! All my friends were landing jobs here, making a decent amount of money, and getting to travel for work – which was always appealing to me. It was everything I wanted at the time.

Fortunately, I did not get that job. In fact, I ended up struggling to find a job for at least a couple of months post-graduation.

I ended up engaging with a Staffing Agency. They hooked me up with an interview at a bank, on the same exact day that I went for an interview to mow grass at the local parks and rec facilities.

The bank interview was immediately following the mowing interview, so I showed up to the parks and rec interview wearing a full suit. I’ll always remember that because everyone looked at me funny, haha.

The interview with the bank went well and they told me they were going to place me there for 90 days – “Let us know how you like it”, the staffing agency said. That 90-day contract changed my life forever.

I was a Mortgage Loan Processing Assistant making just over minimum wage. I knew nothing about the mortgage business. It didn’t matter. I dove in head-first, like I do everything in my life, and started learning everything I could.

Little did I know at the time, but I was at one of the premier banks for mortgage lending in the entire city and, truthfully, in the entire country. Looking back on that now, it’s crazy to recognize the amount of talent that was consolidated at that bank – specifically in the mortgage department.

Once Contract was over, I was hired on full-time as a Mortgage Loan Processor. I was learning from some of the best people in the industry and was excited to have made it through that temp contract and land a real job.

I cut my teeth in a hurry, processing mortgage loans for some of the top people in the entire company. In fact, some of my favorite memories is processing loans for the number one loan officer in the company and here locally in Kansas City. I remember going out of my way to ask for his advice, his council, his secrets to success along the way. I knew one day I wanted to be in sales, but I was happy to put in my time on the operations side of things truly learning the business.

After processing loans for two years, an opportunity presented itself to become a Mortgage Operations Manager. I was 26 years old at the time. The idea of management was great and made a lot of sense from a career growth standpoint.

I had built a decent reputation for myself and was encouraged to apply by the leadership team at the time.

I ended up taking a Mortgage Operations Manager role, working with a team of Mortgage Loan Processing Assistants, Loan Processors, Loan Underwriters, and Loan Closers.

This gave me another great opportunity to continue to hone my skills; giving an in-depth view into every angle of the mortgage operation, what it truly takes to get a home loan completed, and a family into their new home.

After 3 years as a Mortgage Operations Manager, I really got the itch for working with people one-on-one and joining our salesforce.

Equipped with over five years of back-end experience, I ultimately decided to make the jump from a Mortgage Operations Manager into being a full-time, 100% commissioned, Mortgage Loan Officer.

As a Mortgage Loan Officer, I was so excited to be building relationships all over the city, all over the country, and having a real lasting impact on what is typically someone’s biggest financial decision in their life.

I fell in love with it. The idea of helping someone purchase their dream home, or refinancing someone’s mortgage to save them a bunch of money – Whatever it
was, I was hooked!

After being a Loan Officer for three years and experiencing the crazy times Covid brought us, I was well-versed and everything A-to-Z in our mortgage operation.

Then an opportunity came up to interview for a VP of sales position I was encouraged to apply for this, even though there were a ton of other qualified, applicants, both internal to our company and externally as well. After many rounds of interviews, I was hired to be the VP of Sales at 32 years old.

This was a huge accomplishment in my career journey and something that I’m still very proud of today.

I spent a couple of years in sales leadership, when the bank I was working for decided to exit their mortgage lending division as rates started to increase aggressively in 2022.

Amid that massive reduction in force, I was asked to stay back try to help run what was left. However, I ultimately ended up resigning because their new business focus did not align with what I wanted or where I had built my career so far.

After the resignation, I decided to get back into working with people again, building relationships and helping people as a Loan Officer.

I joined Academy and Armed Forces Bank here in Kansas City, have been here for 1.5yrs now, and am extremely happy. Having the right leaders around you is such an important piece to your professional growth.

Resigning from the VP of Sales position (with guaranteed compensation) and jumping into a Loan Officer role, that is 100% commission, was undoubtedly the biggest leap of faith that I have ever taken in my professional career.

Had my career journey been any different, I don’t know that I would have had the confidence to resign and get back to selling, doing what I love.

Today as a Loan Officer, I build my business on service, relationships, and having that end-to-end experience to bring people through a process that is nice and smooth.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road. The road to success is full of failures. My story is no different. There were obstacles and challenges along the way, particularly jumping back into the world of Mortgage Sales, after having been out of sales for two years.

Starting back into sales essentially “cold turkey”, not having any recent past clients and passing off realtor relationships because I was in leadership, the first year back was tough. I’m not stranger to adversity, though.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Today I’m a mortgage professional in Kansas City with a federal license that allows me to lend in all 50 states. I work with every type of potential homeowner, but I do specialize in working with those who have served (or are serving) our country in the military. I have built a large part of my career on becoming really good at doing VA loans. Helping the military and veterans secure financing for the American Dream of homeownership is part of what I love. Also, helping with refinances along the way, to ensure that that American dream stays intact.

What sets me apart from other mortgage professionals is also the same thing that I am most proud of, and that is my journey.
As someone who started their career on the operations side of the mortgage business, it’s typically rare to see that same person in the sales role at such a high level. That A-to-Z, hands on experience allows me to serve clients in a way that provides a competitive advantage in working with me over others.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
On the personal side, I am a husband and father of two beautiful kids. My son is four and my daughter is one. We live in Lee’s Summit and are very engaged in the community. We are also Chiefs season-ticket members. We host a huge tailgate at arrowhead Stadium for every home game, collecting money that is ultimately donated at the end of the year to two different charities – Saint Jude’s and Hope Kids, a local charity hearing in Kansas City.

I also sit on a board at Whiteman Air Force Base called the Base Community Council, furthering my investment in serving those who serve us. This really energizes me and is one of the driving forces that makes me love what I do every single day.

If you want a mortgage professional that has a winning track record and who takes a vested interest in your success, I would love to chat! Check out the linked social accounts in this article and send me a DM. Thanks for having me 😊

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.afbank.com/mortgage/officer/jake-scarbo
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jake.scarbo_60/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551932007443
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-scarbo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MortgageWorldwithJake