Meet Your Banker: Jeremy Sauer

Q: What are some things that you help bank customers with?  

Being a mortgage lender is more than just taking applications and approving loans. It’s a lot about education and helping people understand what it takes to buy a home and what they specifically can do to have a prosperous life in that home. When I meet with home buyers, we talk about their current situation and their overall goals so that I can help them figure out the best way to approach this major purchase and guide them through the process. We discuss different scenarios and loan options to help them consider what loan structure might work best and how much down payment they could or should think about, making sure they have reserves left. There are a lot of misconceptions from past generations about needing 20% down, but many loan programs nowadays only require a 3-5% down payment. In fact, it’s very typical to put less than 10% down. 

Buying a home today is different than when our parents and grandparents were doing it in so many ways. I remember as a kid going with my parents to look at five different houses and then having the luxury of time to discuss it together and choose our favorite. The modern market has created a much faster timeline for decision-making, forcing people to be ready to make an offer the moment they see a house that fits their criteria. I work hard to create an efficient process and respond quickly to customers so that they don’t miss out on an opportunity.  

Q: What are the best things about living and working in this area? 

I was born and raised in Sauk Prairie. I own a home here myself. I love being an advocate for people right in my own community. It’s so enjoyable to know so many of the people who walk through my door. And on the flip side, I get to welcome new people to the area and introduce them to our community. It’s such a great place to build a life, from Devil’s Lake to the Wisconsin River and all the outdoor activities our region provides to the job opportunities and local festivals and everything else. The Merrimac Ferry is so unique. I love that our bank gets involved in so many parts of my community, too. I recently ran into our bank COO at June Tunes, and it made such an impression on me that our organization is filled with down-to-earth leaders who participate and get involved and care about where we live and the people we serve. 

 Q: How did you get into banking as a career? 

I kind of fell into a banking career as I explored different paths and examined what I liked about each thing leading up to this. Coming out of high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted. My dad always wanted to join the Marines but didn’t get the opportunity. That sounded interesting to me, so I enlisted. The Marine Corps opened my eyes to the world and helped me understand my own strengths and interests better. I found that I enjoyed the people-person aspect of sales and did that for several years. Then I took that sales experience and got my real estate license. I loved helping other people find a home, but I realized that I was especially intrigued by the final step of closing and handing people their keys. While working at a title company, I learned more about the loan process and started investigating that piece of the puzzle. Interestingly, mortgage lending enables me to make a deeper connection with people, serving as a resource throughout the entirety of the home-buying experience. I answer to everyone involved, from the home buyers to the realtors to the appraisers and inspectors and title companies. It’s a much more in-depth level of service and a more central role in helping people get where they want to go. I love it! 

Q: What is something you really enjoy about your work? 

On a day-to-day basis, I get to meet so many new people from all walks of life who have different circumstances and different goals. While they all go through the same process in general, every new customer creates a different puzzle to solve in order to provide the best avenue for them to buy a home. Each borrower comes with their own set of circumstances that requires knowledge of the vast array of loan products and programs that could make everything better and easier for them. I’ve helped everyone from the typical middle-class family with no extenuating circumstances to a young buyer fresh out of high school who had to overcome roadblocks of minimal work history but had scrapped and saved every penny for this moment. And then the next person might be a 75-year-old looking for a construction loan to build the home he’s been thinking about since he was 25. I’ll do whatever I can to find the right pieces to make your puzzle come together and get you into the home that fits.