brokersoff-the-clock
In mortgages and municipal government, Darnelda Siegers works to achieve understanding and a clear action plan BY LISA GORDON
BROKERING COLLABORATION
W
hether she’s building a mortgage deal or leading a local council meeting, Darnelda Siegers is used to navigating a sea of constant change. A mortgage broker since 2007 and the mayor of the District of Sechelt, B.C., Siegers wears a few different hats and is certainly well versed in time management. In her role as a mortgage associate with Mortgage Alliance – Enrich Mortgage Group Ltd., Siegers thrives on the fact that no two deals are the same. With a teaching degree and a major in math, she makes it a priority to ensure her mortgage clients are educated about the entire purchasing process. In fact, first-time buyers are her specialty. “I love working with first-time homebuyers,” she said. “I really like working with people who don’t understand how it works. I walk them through it until they are comfortable.” Siegers always takes the time to understand her clients’ goals, and that begins with a frank discussion to find out what they know about the home-buying process and what they are hoping to buy. “I explain what I do and how I support them. We start at the beginning and I walk them through it, all the way to signing at the lawyer’s. If the ratios are a bit tight, I’ll have them send me the listings so we can run the numbers to make sure it will work for them.” Siegers’ mortgage business accounts for about a third of her working hours, with the other two thirds belonging to her mayoral role. To help keep her mortgage deals moving while she’s serving at council, Siegers employs a fully licensed mortgage associate, Jennifer Bell, who handles all of the paperwork and shepherds deals through to conclusion.
In 2009, Siegers and her husband moved from Calgary to Sechelt, located on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast. Two years later, she successfully ran for local council. “I did two terms as a councillor, seven years in total, and then ran for mayor in 2018,” Siegers told Canadian Mortgage Broker. “My job as mayor is to connect people, organizations, non-profits and businesses to facilitate achieving the future we all see for the community – whatever that is.” One of the challenges she encounters
as mayor is collaborating between the four governments on the Sunshine Coast: the District of Sechelt, the Town of Gibsons, the Sechelt Indian Government District and the Sunshine Coast Regional District. This year, in fact, Siegers serves as Mayor of Sechelt and the Chair of the Sunshine Coast Regional District. “Through the role I have in municipal government, I sit on all kinds of committees: the homelessness advisory, housing, seniors’ planning table, Sunshine Coast Community Forest and Sechelt Downtown Business
Right: Darnelda Siegers was 'locked up' for the Jail 'N Bail fundraiser held to support Cops for Cancer. Opposite (top): Siegers wears many different hats between her work as a mortgage broker and being mayor of the District of Sechelt; (below) Attending an event at the local SPCA as part of a fundraiser. Far right: Siegers and her husband Adrian own a sailboat and she enjoys getting out on the water. 38
I WINTER 2022 CMBA-ACHC.CA
CMB MAGAZINE
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