|
|
Proud to Be a Work at Home Mom
Diane St. James, Copyright 2001
I am a WAHM and proud of it!
After all it took me long enough to get
here!
I started a website while still commuting 100+ miles/day to my
mortgage underwriting job near Philadelphia, PA. I came up with the
idea nearly 2 years ago out of a desire to help people understand
mortgages better and guide them as to the best type for them. Let me
back up a little. I have spent the last 8 of my 20 years in the mortgage
business as an underwriter. What is an underwriter? To put it plain
and simple, it is the person who approves or declines <gulp> your
mortgage.
Through the years I've seen too many people get into a mortgage that
wasn't right for them, just because someone talked them into it.
Also I've seen people paying more in mortgage points or closing costs
than they really should have. By the time I got a file, it was just my job
to make a decision on the loan. It had always been too late for me to
tell the borrowers this wasn't really the best thing for them.
So I thought about what I could do to help people outside of my day job
and turned to the Internet. I set up my unique mortgage consulting
website to be 'different' from the other mortgage websites out there in
cyberspace. People who come to my site looking for mortgage rates,
won't find any. I am not a mortgage broker, (even though there are a
few links on my site for those wanting to check out mortgages). I
started out offering live on line consultations and then added
personalized written reports since people have such busy lives! A
quick questionnaire and they'd have their answers.
My day job was keeping me swamped though, and it was to the point
where I was constantly bringing work home evenings and weekends.
Weeks turned into months, and months into over a year of so much
work, my poor girls were forgetting my name!! Not really, but they
might as well have. I worked so much, and my website suffered for
it, not to mention my family! Talk about your guilt trips! The sad part
is, my girls were growing up before my very eyes. How many times
do we all say that? Last year when my oldest daughter turned 12
I realized she was going to be a teenager soon and where had I
been?? Stuck with my face in yet another loan file.
So last August after I had been working in an office environment most
of the last 20 years, and doing this long commute for 2 years, in order
to make the big bucks (and make it I did), I informed my boss that I
was offering to do my job at home. After all I had a computer, phone
and fax machine and my brain...what else did I need? She turned me
down of course, which I could have predicted. So, what did I do?
I didn't logically say "Just thought I'd ask" and go back to my desk.
I gave my 2 weeks notice and never thought twice when I walked out
the door 2 weeks later. Luckily I have a husband who supported my
decision.
People thought I was crazy since I didn't have another job waiting for
me but I was determined to make family my priority and be there for
my girls. At least this way I will have more memories of the last
years of their childhood.
So what happened? I'm doing great! I picked up some work doing
post closing audits part-time. Then over the winter I wrote my first
ebook "How to Get a Mortgage" filled with vital tips to save
borrowers headaches and money! I publish a great mortgage e-zine
called Diane's Mortgage Tips + Other Tidbits. I've also expanded
my website to include, Automated Underwriting Services, Mortgage
Related Resources, Realtors, and a full page for Work at Home
Resources since I believe in it so much!
My girls? Well, my older daughter played on the basketball team
at school for the first time, my youngest is on a softball team, also
for the first time. When either of my kids are sick, they know they
can stay in bed and have Mom wait on them hand and foot, then
slip out to 'work' in the room next door. I actually can volunteer at
their schools once in a while and dinner is never at 7:00 p.m.
anymore!
Looking back, I know this sounds so cliche but I honestly can say
the only regret I have is not having done this 10 years ago.
Related Articles:
How
to Really Make Money at Home
There’s a secret to making money that very few people will ever
share with you. Probably because they don’t even know that this
secret exists. I’ll share the secret with you in a few seconds...
How
To Make Money With Auctions
You've no doubt heard about eBay and other online auctions, and you
may have wondered what all the fuss was about. Well, let me tell you:
it's the ultimate open market experience...without the crowds, the
noise, or the hassles.
She
Must Be Crazy, She Actually Likes Her Job
The thought that you actually like your job can make others shake
their heads and tell you right to your face that you're a complete
wacko (they're just jealous). But what's really crazy is that many of
us don't put the two together - our special interest and how to make
money at it.
How
to Find Legitimate Home Employment
Finding legitimate home employment is always frustrating. There are so
many scams and get-rich-quick schemes out there...
|
|
