Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Durand.
Hi Lisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have been in the mortgage industry for 38 years, and while the business has changed tremendously over that time, the part I have always loved most has remained the same: helping people navigate one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
I began my career in the mortgage business in New York and eventually had the opportunity to own and operate my own mortgage company in the Albany area for 15 years. Being a business owner taught me far more than just the mechanics of lending. It taught me how important relationships, communication, accountability, and trust are when someone is depending on you to help them purchase a home.
Throughout my career, I have held several different positions within the mortgage industry. Each role gave me a different perspective on the lending process and helped me develop a depth of knowledge that can only come from years of experience. I have worked through changing markets, changing interest rates, new regulations, new loan programs, and just about every unusual lending scenario imaginable.
Today, I am proud to work with Veterans United Home Loans. While Veterans United is best known for serving veterans and active-duty military families, I am able to offer a variety of mortgage options to help borrowers with different needs and financial situations.
One of the things I pride myself on most is my knowledge of the mortgage business. There is rarely a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to financing a home. My job is to understand the options available, look at the entire picture, and help my clients determine which path makes the most sense for them.
Just as important to me is accessibility. Buying a home can be exciting, but it can also be stressful and confusing. I never want a client to feel like they cannot reach their loan officer or that they are simply another file moving through a system. I make myself available to answer questions, explain the process, run numbers, and help solve problems when they arise.
After 38 years, I still believe that people deserve to understand the mortgage they are getting rather than simply being told what to sign. I enjoy educating my clients so they understand their options and feel confident about the decisions they are making.
My experience has also taught me that some of the most rewarding loans are not necessarily the easiest ones. Sometimes a client comes to me after being told they cannot qualify, or they have a situation that requires a little more knowledge and creativity. I enjoy looking beyond the obvious answer and determining whether there is another solution available.
For me, this career has never been only about mortgages. It is about people, families, homes, and milestones. I have had the privilege of helping thousands of people through those moments over the course of my career, and I still find it incredibly rewarding.
Thirty-eight years later, I am still learning, still adapting, and still passionate about helping people find the right way to finance their next home. The technology may change and the market certainly changes, but good service never goes out of style.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. After 38 years in the mortgage industry, I have worked through just about every type of market, from booming real estate cycles to rising interest rates, housing downturns, tighter lending guidelines, and periods when the entire industry had to adjust almost overnight.
One of the biggest challenges for me personally was starting over and rebuilding my referral network after relocating. I had spent many years developing strong relationships and referral partners in New York, so moving to a new market meant essentially starting from scratch. In a relationship-driven business like mortgage lending, that takes time.
I had to introduce myself to new real estate agents and other professionals, earn their trust, and prove that I could be a dependable resource for both them and their clients. You can have decades of experience, but when you enter a new market, people still need to see firsthand how you communicate, how accessible you are, and how you handle difficult situations.
The changing markets have also taught me the importance of constantly adapting. What worked five or ten years ago may not work today. I have learned that longevity in this business comes from continuing to educate yourself, staying flexible, and never taking relationships for granted.
Looking back, those challenges have actually made me better at what I do. Starting over reminded me that relationships have to be earned, and changing markets have reinforced the value of experience. After 38 years, I know there will always be another change around the corner. The key is knowing how to adjust without losing sight of the people you are serving.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Interestingly, I never intended to have a career in the mortgage industry. I have always loved art, design, and creating things, and when I was younger I imagined myself doing something much more creative. I started working in the mortgage business while I was still in high school, and it simply came naturally to me. One opportunity led to another, and before I knew it, what started as a job had become a career that has now lasted 38 years.
What I eventually realized is that I did not have to choose between the analytical side of mortgages and the creative, entrepreneurial side of my personality. Throughout my career, while continuing to work in the mortgage industry, I started and later sold several businesses, including a hair salon, a title company, a women’s fitness center, and what became one of the largest consignment shops in Upstate New York.
Those businesses gave me an outlet for the creative side of myself that I always loved. I enjoyed developing the concepts, designing the spaces, marketing the businesses, building a customer base, and then watching something that started as an idea become successful. I think that entrepreneurial experience has also made me better at what I do today because I understand business owners, I understand taking risks, and I understand how important it is to think beyond the obvious solution.
In my mortgage career, I specialize in helping people understand their options and finding solutions that fit their individual circumstances. I work with many veterans and military families through Veterans United, but I also offer a variety of mortgage programs. I have always believed that knowledge and accessibility are two of the most important things I can give my clients and referral partners. I want people to know that they can call me, ask questions, run scenarios, and get a straightforward answer.
I think what sets me apart is the combination of experience, problem-solving, and a genuine willingness to be available. After 38 years, I have seen a lot of different markets and a lot of unusual situations. I do not give up easily when a loan is complicated. Sometimes the answer is no, but many times the answer is simply that we need to look at the situation differently.
What I am most proud of is that I have been able to build a career that has allowed me to help people while still finding ways to create, build businesses, and challenge myself. My career did not follow the path I originally imagined when I was young, but looking back, I think that is what has made it so interesting.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I have definitely taken some significant risks throughout my life, but I have always looked at risk a little differently. I think there is a difference between being reckless and being willing to bet on yourself.
One of the biggest risks I ever took was when I was just 25 years old. I had recently had my first child, and I realized that the mortgage company I was working for was not going to give me the flexibility or work-life balance I needed as a new mother. Rather than accept that, I decided to create it for myself and opened my own mortgage company.
At around the same time, I purchased a vacant 7,000-square-foot commercial building and completely renovated it. Eventually, that building became home to several of my business ventures, including a hair salon and a women’s fitness center, both of which I later sold.
Looking back, that was a tremendous amount of risk to take at such a young age. I was building a mortgage company, renovating a commercial property, starting additional businesses, and raising a young family at the same time. I am not sure I fully appreciated just how much I had taken on, which may have worked in my favor.
My thinking at the time was actually very simple: I was young, I believed in what I was doing, and if I failed, I had plenty of time to recover and start again. That mindset gave me the courage to take chances that I might have overanalyzed later in life.
Those experiences shaped the way I think about risk today. I do not believe you have to know with absolute certainty that something will work before you pursue it. Very few worthwhile opportunities come with guarantees. I believe in doing your homework, understanding what you could lose, and then deciding whether the potential reward is worth it.
Some of the best decisions I have made began with a certain amount of uncertainty. Taking those risks taught me to trust my instincts, adapt when things do not go according to plan, and most importantly, never be afraid to create the opportunity you need when it does not already exist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://clarksville.veteransunited.com/lo/lisa-durand/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisadurand/
