Conversations with Sandy Krestan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Krestan.

Hi Sandy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Tell us what got you into this crazy business. Mortgage lending is not a career choice you hear about in high school and college. The familiar ones, like doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, and accountants, could have sounded more appealing. So, while trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I worked in my parents’ shop in Oak Lawn, Illinois. It was a motorcycles, snowmobile, and personal watercraft dealership, and I was the “girl Friday” that handled all of the office paperwork, financing contracts, ordering, and customer service calls. One of their clients was Mike Allen, the owner of Crown Mortgage. He owned all the toys we sold and serviced and frequently stopped in for parts or service. One day, he commented that I was awfully detail oriented for someone so young and that he could use someone with my skills to process loans for him. I had no idea that there were even two g’s in the mortgage, and yet, as he explained to me what was involved and that the possibility was there to advance to a career as a Mortgage Loan Officer, I was intrigued enough to take him up on his offer to come and work for him. We’ll call it baptism by fire. Interest rates were dropping; the market was moving, and hundreds of files needed to be processed. I was a quick study and, as many have, accidentally landed in the most meaningful career choice I could have ever made.

What are you passionate about?
You know, the question was what are you passionate about, and my answer is that my what is made up mostly of Who. My coach walked me through life planning years ago, and this picture of a funnel emerged. I’m a super visual person, so this was life-changing for me. In order: Faith, Family, Fur Babies, Friends, Finances, and Work are the filters for my passions. I’m a pretty simple girl. Part Italian, part Polish, my family is rowdy and close. My Grandma Lil fueled my passion for animal rescues. She’d say that humans often misunderstood her, but her dogs gave her unconditional love, and she returned the gift by rescuing them. I grew up as a tomboy, and the usual “girl” pursuits were not nearly as enjoyable as my adventures with my dogs and, later, my horses.

Do you have any mentors?
I have been blessed with several mentors, each at just the time in my life I needed them most. My parents and grandparents get the most credit. Those little adages like “God gave you two ears and one mouth. Use them accordingly.” One of my Grandma Lil’s favorites was “Good things come to those who wait,” she constantly demonstrated patience with me. My parents instilled in us that “working hard never hurt anyone,” and we didn’t get away with half-measures. In business, it started with the example and mentoring of David Bernat, and then I met coach Kate in 2001. She knows when to push me and when to hug me and has taught me that surrounding myself with people who are not afraid to share with me and challenge me is a gift.

What is your favorite documentary or movie?
Call me late to the party(the movie came out in 2006), but in 2015, I saw “Facing the Giants,” and it has become my favorite movie. In summary, it’s about a coach, a school, a last-place football team, and their faith journey. They go through a series of bad news moments, and as they do so, they begin to face their fears. They get to a place where their faith conquers their fears. At that point in my life, I had some limiting beliefs, and then I heard the coach say, “Your actions will always follow your beliefs. He then told the story of two farmers, both of whom were praying for rain to end a longstanding drought. Both of them prayed. One of them went out and prepared his land. Who do you think trusted God more to send the rain?” Sometimes you have to remember that God’s got this and get out there and leave it all on the field.

What are your morning rituals?
I’m now officially an empty nester, so the days of getting my kiddo ready for school and running like a chicken with my head cut off are over. There is a saying, “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” My days start with coffee, my dogs, and gratitude affirmations. Once I take my fur family for a morning walk, I go into my office and sit in my thinking chair. It may sound corny, but it will be an excellent day to focus on what I’m thankful for and who I can help today. I log into what I’ll call my community holder (my database) and confirm what I’ve committed to doing today.

What obsessions do you explore on evenings or weekends?
Three things fuel me. My sisters, their spouses, and mine love to meet and listen to local musicians in the evenings. On the weekends, my dog Sarah and I love to go hiking in the mountains, where we have been known to encounter the occasional rattler and a lot of beautiful sunrises and sunsets. You will likely find me on a desert trail getting one-on-one time with my horses. My greatest obsession, however, is photography. Back in high school, I got a 35MM Nikon for a birthday present. I still have it. I am mostly the family chronicler of life events like engagements, rehearsal dinners, graduations, etc. Some pretty crazy stuff has happened while pursuing this passion. I was lining up a shot out on a golf course, taking engagement photos for my Nephew and his wife-to-be, when javelina came into focus in the background. Then another one and another one. Shortly after, a pack of 20 javelinas chased us off the course. I can’t make that up. I got the shot.

What topic would you speak about if you were asked to give a talk on something outside of Real Estate?
My days are built around being a teacher, mentor, and coach. My experiences in the mortgage industry have taught me how little we do to set our young people up for financial success. I see people swimming in credit card debt, student loans that will take a lifetime to repay, and who have never had much mentoring or coaching on making sound financial decisions. Many have tough handicaps to overcome that could have been prevented with some early intervention. So, I love to go into middle and high school classrooms to talk about Want vs. Need, starting good savings habits early, and making sound financial decisions.

Do you have a quote you often think of or think of?
I don’t know who said it first, but I was in a coaching program with author Michael J Maher years ago, who wrote 7 Levels of Communication. I had heard it before, but this time, my head and heart connected to the idea that we must “Give our best to our best.” It’s a filter I use every single day. If I give my best time and effort to the wrong people, I will have nothing left for my best (my family). Time is very egalitarian. No matter how rich or poor we are, we all get the same amount. I want to spend mine where it will have the most positive and memorable impact. For instance, I never missed one of his sports games while my son was growing up. I wanted him to know that he was more important to me than anything else. In business, if I give away time and effort to the wrong people, time wasters, and stealers, I have nothing left for those who are doing their best and giving me their best. So, this filter helps me to keep things simple in life and business.

What advice would you give your 20-, 25-, or 30-year-old self? And please, place where you were at the time and what you were doing.
Like many others, I went through a painful divorce at the age of 30. It was a very vulnerable time, and I was super insecure. In 2014 I heard the lyrics to a song by Mercy Me, and the song was entitled “Dear Younger Me.” The final refrain goes to every mountain, every valley. Thru each heartache, you will see. Every moment brings you closer to who you were meant to be.” I would give this advice to anyone in that age group. From me to you. You are enough. God doesn’t make mistakes.

Tell us something about yourself that most people don’t know.
As a kid, I loved gymnastics. I carried something forward from that, and my good friend, Tara, loves to pull it out and get me to demo it. Even at the age of 58, I can still do the splits. Now, if my friends egg me on to try and get me to prove it, I get them to donate to animal rescues that I support. Just call it a silly human trick.

Do you have any interesting hobbies or talents?
I know this is recurring, but it is so important to me. I have been rescuing dogs and horses for as long as I can remember. It is such a part of who I am that it is a mission of mine to donate to animal rescue $100 from the profits of every loan we do.

Last parting words?
Experiential learning and passion trump everything. There are a lot of brilliant people who are afraid to take a chance. You may scrape your knees or make a fool out of yourself but get up, laugh it off, and try again. Working hard doesn’t mean that it has to be complicated. It means you’ll have some breathless moments, blisters, and pivotal learning experiences. The older you get, the more you realize how true the saying is that Life is Short. I encourage anyone who needs to hear it to take the shot; you have one life to live. Live it to the fullest. Regret is hard to fix.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t know anybody that would call life and business a smooth road. Every bump or pothole has led me right here, just as I am. I am grateful that this world has granted me grace and my family. We grow, and we get better.

Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am proud to have been helping families with their home loans for 39 years. We look out for their best interest first and are there for them forever. Every year has taught me something that I build on. I will always remember, “You can’t beat someone that never quits.” I never quit.

What do you think about happiness?
I have several things that just thinking about can make me smile and laugh; first, my family. We all live within 10 miles of each other. My son is currently on active duty Army and is not living locally. Then it is my animals. I have dogs and horses that fill my soul. Without my family, I don’t have anything. They are my why.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheKrestanTeam.com
• Instagram: sandyhermeskrestan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069653588485
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandykrestan/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0dujJUuIFqHKv7PodOk8A