From Homebuyer to Lender

Heather Akins can still remember when her family moved into their first house. It was a modest home, but it felt like a mansion.

Seeing the pride in her parents’ and grandparents’ eyes that day left an indelible impression on Heather and caused her to pursue a career in mortgage lending.

Her experience was not unique. Her colleagues, Katelyn Watkins and Kay Smith, purchased their first homes in their early 20s, and now use their knowledge to help more Kentuckians experience the dream of homeownership.   

Heather and Katelyn work as loan officers for Stockton Mortgage and Ruoff Mortgage, respectively. They connect buyers to their perfect home and the perfect price, all with the help of KHC products like our $10,000 down payment assistance, a program Kay Smith promotes the Commonwealth.

We sat down with these three to learn their stories, to find out what homeownership means to them and to see why they found their home in the mortgage lending field.