Broker reveals how her business surged – and says overdelivering for clients has remained a key focus
Mortgage brokers are well aware of the current market challenges. Rates remain high, making affordability a significant challenge for many potential customers. However, one loan officer might not be fully aware of the challenges of the current market, as it’s the only market she has known.
Stella Khavo, a loan officer at Edge Home Finance, began her career at the end of 2023, well after the low-rate environment of the post-COVID era had brokers swimming in mortgage loans.
After immigrating from Vietnam, she needed to find a way to support her family and grow a business with flexibility quickly. In less than two years, she has had tremendous success. She said the key to that is to overdeliver for her customers, to the point where new clients seek her out.
“I do things beyond their expectations,” Khavo told Mortgage Professional America. “That's how I built my business. My business is relationship-based, and I do it from home. I don't attend many events like other people. New business comes to me because of what I give people, and they recognize that.
“I don't appeal only as a salesperson who just wants to make a profit. I view myself as a helpful and trustworthy person.”
She said she has used her social media to reach out to customers. She said that’s also how new clients have reached out to her.
“I'm a problem solver to help immigrants understand the system here, so that people constantly come to me to ask for solutions,” Khavo said. “That's how I connect with people. I connect with one marketing channel: my social media. I didn't have time to go out for social networking. I used only one marketing channel and focused on it.
“I understand my target client, what they want, what they need, and what I can do for them. I build my personal brand in the best way so that I can convert to sales.”
Making the most of opportunities
As someone who has made the most of the opportunity to come to the United States and work as a loan officer, she believes that her clients also need to find the right opportunities in their lives.
“It’s about opportunities first,” Khavo said. “Life always changes. They get married, get divorced, move out, or change jobs, and may need a bigger space. There are always opportunities out there.”
One of the opportunities she was able to take advantage of was offering second lien loan products to borrowers who are tied into low-rate mortgages. Many of those customers aren’t interested in refinances of their first mortgage, because they don’t want to give up that low rate.
Instead, they opt for second lien mortgages, such as a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a fixed-rate home equity loan (HEL). So, when the time came to help current customers, Khavo started to focus on HELOCs.
“I learned how to find a new market,” she said. “The interest rate was so low a couple of years ago. Right now it’s higher. People don’t want to change their interest rate so that they will need a HELOC. I learned how to do HELOCs because people want the equity to continue to invest. In my first year, I did a lot because that was all we could do in the high-interest rate market. People want equity, so I focus on home equity lines.
“I see the rise in demand for HELOCs, so I figured out how to do them. From there, they can continue to purchase new property for investment. That’s how I deal with the challenges in the market.”
Remaining optimistic
Despite the challenges that brokers face in the current economy, Khavo doesn’t let that affect her drive to continue to grow her business.
“The economy is not good, but I never think about that,” she said. “I don’t think about the past. I think about finding a new opportunity every day. I don’t want to think about challenges. If I have challenges, I will find a way to solve them.”
Her optimistic outlook on the current market, despite the volatility caused by tariffs and elevated interest rates, may be due to the fact that she is a new broker. She hasn’t been through the good times.
In a volatile mortgage market characterized by high rates and affordability issues, Tyler Hodgson (UMortgage Executive Vice President of Growth) stresses the critical importance of mortgage brokers prioritizing their mental health.https://t.co/VPDWtMJCxp
— Mortgage Professional America Magazine (@MPAMagazineUS) July 17, 2025
“I’m new, having started last year,” Khavo said. “I didn’t know how good it was in the past when the market was good. I came into the business when the market was not good. But I don’t want to be negative about the market and just focus on my opportunity. I was not in the business, so I don’t know the difference. I just focus on the current market and my opportunity.”
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