Grace Reynolds has limitless energy and enthusiasm for everything she tackles.
She’s an award-winning mortgage broker with Northwood Mortgage Ltd, she’s taken on the role as the 2019-20 President of the Women’s Business Network of Peterborough (WBN), and she just scored a big win through the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce as one of the chamber’s 2019 4-under-40 Profiles.
“I love what I do,” Grace says. “And the past few years since coming to Peterborough have been a whirlwind. It’s been overwhelming, but I’m just so happy to always jump in with both feet.”
And she does jump in with both feet — even when it’s an interview which, Grace admits, is a bit weird.
“It’s hard to talk about myself,” she laughs. “It makes me nervous.”
But with her positive spirit, her nerves don’t show and she bubbles her way through a conversation about the line of work that she excels at … after she kind of fell into it.
“I’m not a businesswoman in the wearing of high-heels and carrying a briefcase kind of way,” Grace explains. “That’s not my jam, but I want to help people. I always want to help people and so this was actually a perfect fit.”
Grace moved to Peterborough a few years ago so she and her husband could be closer to family. Her father-in-law had a background in the business, and he thought she would do well as a mortgage broker, so she gave it a try.
Grace was taking courses while she was breastfeeding her son and, by the time he was a year old, she had launched her mortgage broker business. And her father-in-law was right: Grace was really good at it.
Since starting on this new career path, she has scored an award for Best Newcomer Agent at the Mortgage Awards of Excellence and has also been recognized as one of Canada’s top “Young Guns” by Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP), the leading magazine for mortgage brokers and finance professionals in Canada,
Grace says she has succeeded because she treats her clients the way she wants to be treated.
“I am also a consumer and I know that there are a million brokers that you could be working with,” she says. “I love that I help clients on their journey of buying or re-financing their biggest asset.”
And while not everyone thinks to call a mortgage broker first, Grace says she also works with some big banks so she can make those connections too.
“I help people put plans together and as a broker I am highly regulated and audited,” she explains. “I can lean on a whole team when I am looking at a client’s financial landscape and my job is to help them navigate this journey. It is a complex process now, with the new rules and regulations set just a couple years ago.”
Grace has had lots of jobs over the years and she draws on some diverse experience for her current role. She was a bartender and a server and, through every position she has held, she’s always been focused on supporting clients.
“This is really about how people want to be treated,” Grace says. “I am grateful that I get to look at people’s financial back-end. It’s an honour and all I focus on is this: what can we do to help you.”
Helping people doesn’t end with financing homes. Grace is active as a volunteer within her community. Stepping up as WBN president for 2019-20 has Grace pretty excited. For the WBN theme this year, she’s encouraging members to focus on “being you.”
“I am my business, I am my family, and I am here to help my clients and community — this is who I am,” Grace says when explaining her theme. “Our world is so complex, I want to bring people back to who they are and to just love being themselves: just bring it back to being you.”
Grace has also found success as a fundraising champion, one of a group of women called the Mombassadors who have raised thousands of dollars for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s Labour, Delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Her goal to support and care for others comes from a strong belief in working hard and appreciating what’s important in life — from financing a home to supporting moms and babies in need.
“I live in this world and I see what it does for me,” Grace notes. “I want to give back, I want to help others, and I will share all of my skills to make this happen.”
Grace Reynolds is a licenced mortgage broker with Toronto-based Northwood Mortgage Ltd. You can reach Grace at 416-833-3317 (cell) or at grace@reynoldsmortgages.ca. For more information, visit reynoldsmortgages.ca. You can also connect with Grace on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
