Funding more than $73 million in home loans last year, Sales Manager Jeff Zulauf and his team at loanDepot.com LLC expect to reach closer to $100 million this year. That makes them among the top eight loan officers in Georgia, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association of Georgia.

Zulauf works with any client who wants to apply for a mortgage to purchase or refinance a home. “We have products to meet just about every need out there,” he says. They include doctor, portfolio and bank statement loans. “We do a ton of VA loans for our veterans, because my business partner is a retired Army first sergeant and Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient.”

Clients want quick approval for financing, Zulauf noted. “Fitting the puzzle pieces together and helping families achieve the ultimate dream of owning their own home is what gets me up every morning,” he says. “When someone closes on their home, there is nothing better than the priceless look on their face.”

An MBAG Diamond Award winner, Zulauf was named among the 2018 Hot 100 mortgage professionals in the nation by Mortgage Professional America magazine. He finished in the top 10 in Georgia for sales volume last year.

A member of the Chairman’s Elite Club at loanDepot, Zulauf is among the company’s top 5 lenders in the country based on sales volume. The firm is the second-largest nonbank lender in the nation, he says.

Zulauf’s brother, Jay, inspired him to join the lending industry 15 years ago. Zulauf’s academic distinctions, including a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a business minor and a master’s degree in human resources, along with his experience training employees, were a good mix for sales, he says.

Zulauf played basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, and he enjoys playing the guitar, playing tennis, working out with his wife and watching his children compete in their respective activities.

loanDepot.com, LLC NMLS ID 174457. Georgia Residential Mortgage Licensee, GA Mortgage Lender License 24020.