Leigh Reid Hope of First Trust Mortgage

CW: When did you decide to go into the business you are in?
“I went into banking when I graduated from the University of Georgia. I spent 10-plus years at a corporate bank and then opened my own mortgage company.”

CW: What habits do you implement in day to day life that you attribute to success?
“I feel like the habit that I have implemented in my life is to help everyone — a mobile home purchase and a $3 million home purchase are just as important. It is the family behind the purchase that matters, not the money.”

CW: What things do you find difficult?
“I find it very difficult to decline a loan application. I will work 20 different ways with different products and scenarios before I decline a loan. When I do have to decline a loan, I will give the applicant a game plan on what they need to do to improve their loan application.”

CW: Tell us about how you grew up and what or who shaped you into the woman you are today.
“I grew up in Albany, Georgia. My 89-year-old parents still live in the home that I was raised in.”

CW: Who influences you in your life currently?
“I am so lucky to have four wonderful children from ages 21 to 28. I have raised them as a single mom, and they are my heart and soul.”