Alex Lavander, Centum Home Lenders

Mortgage advisor

CENTUM HOME LENDERS

Age: 28

Years in the industry: 3

Having grown up in the restaurant industry, Alex Lavender was happy with the life he was carving out in the hospitality business – until he went to get a loan to purchase a rental property and was declined. After being offered no guidance, he took it upon himself to learn everything he could about mortgages, taking the mortgage broker’s course and eventually amassing enough knowledge to broker his own real estate deals. That’s when he realized there was an opportunity in the space.

“The mortgage industry was the perfect fit for me,” he says. “I love problem-solving with numbers and finding solutions to complex problems that others can’t. It is very gratifying helping clients get approved who have been declined everywhere else and assisting them when they are in a time of need. That sense of accomplishment truly drives me.”

Lavender’s success has been duly rewarded: He was named Centum’s New Agent Entrepreneur of the Year for 2018 and reached Optimus Gold status in his second year as a broker.