When it comes to loans, everything to do with them can feel overwhelming and intimidating, surrounded in a thick (and beyond frustrating) layer of red tape. It’s enough to make anyone feel a little defeated, and sometimes even talking with a loan advisor does little to make things better. 

And it’s no wonder. Oftentimes discussions with them end up being a cold and impersonal experience, one that can end in you being handed a denial with no explanation and leaving you with a million unanswered questions. In fact, this exact situation happened to mortgage loan advisor Ethan Brooks when he himself was a first-time homebuyer.

It was a surprising and saddening event for him and his wife, Molly. With no warning, they went from happily shopping around for condos after being pre-approved by their bank to sitting back wondering what they did wrong. Two weeks into their transaction and they were left right back at square one － with nothing to go off of and no idea what to do next. All they were left with was their loan officer’s sympathies and a thick layer of confusion.

Luckily, the couple was connected to an amazing lender and were finally able to buy a house for themselves and their future family. But the entire experience still left Brooks deeply affected. What happened? Could they have done anything differently? Why was their mortgage loan officer not doing anything to help? Why had so many people just shrugged their shoulders at their questions rather than giving them more information? 

It didn’t seem right to Ethan. It didn’t seem like something that should be happening, not after so much time and energy had already been expended through the journey of securing their home. He just knew that there had to be a better way. So, he decided to step up and learned how to do it better himself. 

 Of course, it wasn’t something that happened overnight. The idea occurred to him about five years ago now, sometime after his new lender started walking him through the entirety of the mortgage and home buying process. It was a seed planted that took quite a while to root, just slowly growing over the following days and weeks. But eventually, it did, and Ethan decided to embrace it when it became abundantly clear to him that it was time for a career change. 

Finally making the plunge into the financial sector, Ethan took on a job as loan originator with CrossCountry Mortgage, Inc., a respected area mortgage lender offering a range of loan programs and services nationwide, to get a feel for his new career path and gain some experience within the field. The position served him well and set him up for further success down the road. Yet, it still wasn’t quite what Brooks wanted. 

With an innate drive for ambition and success and a deep commitment to the career path he fell for, Ethan felt moved for something more. He didn’t want to merely find a spot within a great company; he wanted to carve out a niche for himself, to become a go-to resource for mortgage-seekers and offer all the things he didn’t get at first when he was on their side of the table. Thus, Brooks buckled down like always and made the change he knew was needed, moving on from CrossCountry and becoming a mortgage advisor here at Fairway Independent Mortgage Company in the very early days of 2020. 

Despite this career move happening at arguably one of the hardest times it possibly could － right before the COVID-19 pandemic and soon after welcoming a child into the world － it was immediately a perfect match. Brooks fell into a rhythm remarkably quickly and has amassed a huge network of devoted clients, co-workers, and mentees along the way ever since, and this is all thanks to Ethan’s dedication and passionate love for what he does.

As explained by one of the people who had been taken under the man’s wing, it’s more than a job to Ethan. His business is his life. It’s his top priority, second only to family, and he puts the work in to match, taking the time and care necessary to ensure that clients’ short-term goals and long-term visions are always met and that everyone else gets all the support and assistance he can offer.

It’s an earnest, eager approach that could leave the loan officer in question completely drained. But instead, he thrives on it － and the people around him do, too. Just through Google Ratings alone, Ethan Brooks has 153 positive reviews and has maintained a perfect five-star rating, with client after client applauding him for his ability to make the home buying process smooth, stress-free, and easy. 

That’s quite a feat for any loan officer or mortgage advisor to obtain. But for Ethan, it truly is a massive accomplishment. He’s done what he’d set out to do: offer the lending services and solutions that had seemed out of his own reach. After helping hundreds of clients around Wisconsin close on time and secure the mortgages they need to move onto the next stage of their lives, he’d be forgiven for taking a small step back. 

Yet, he’s done no such thing. If anything, Brooks has only become more ardent in the mission to help people with all their lending needs, now not only advising clients on the entire mortgage and home purchasing process but also offering free education through the use of his educational modules and crafting a team of equally-devoted individuals who are ready to provide aid at every step of the loaning way. It’s a lot, but it’s the Ethan Brooks difference.