About Michael Mapes

When you’re born and raised in a small town like Poquoson, Virginia, you can’t help but be connected to your neighbors and learn the value of community.

Although I was the third of four children, my two older brothers are over 15 years older than me. So when my parents divorced when I was 4, I had to learn responsibility at a young age. My mother worked long hours in the real estate business so I had to learn how to take care of business at home - making lunch, getting homework done and taking care of household chores. Despite my parents divorce, my family was close and from them I learned values that I have carried with me through my life; values of stability, financial security, and the importance of family.

My parents worked very hard for everything they earned and they wanted life to be better for their kids so they sent me to Hargrave Military Academy for my high school years. For most kids military school is used as a threat, but for me it was a great learning experience where I developed the self-discipline that has gotten me through many difficult situations. It also taught me the communication skills necessary to work successfully in a team.

For college, I chose to go to a small private college in New Hampshire. After graduating with a degree in Economics, I joined the Marines and served until my honorable discharge in 1992. Serving in the Marines drove home the personal rewards that come from serving others and knowing you’ve made a difference in their lives. After serving in the Marines, I accepted a position with a small local mortgage company called First Bancorp Mortgage. I had three loves when I went to college: Law, Investment Banking and Banking. It was not very long after I started my mortgage banking career that I realized it was a perfect fit. I am now into my 15th year in a career that brings me a lot of satisfaction .

At 28 I was lucky enough to marry a beautiful woman whose loving good humor taught me how to be a responsible person. Eight months after we were married she died of cancer. When something this random and life altering happens, you understand on a much deeper level the value of stability. By “stability” I mean: Having money in the bank in case of emergencies, being able to sleep peacefully at night knowing there are no financial worries, being able to spend quality time with your family instead of having work to pay an ever growing mountain of bills.

Six years later, Love smiled upon me again and I re-connected with a great lady I had dated in high school. We married and in 2005 she gave birth to our son who is adored by his older half brother. In my darkest days after losing my first wife, I had no idea how much life could exceed my dreams. I now have a loving wife and two sons. I love what I do for a living but my most important job is showing my boys how to live a life of abundance.

In the Mortgage Business, experience counts. In my 15 years in mortgage banking, I figure I’ve processed some where around 1000 loans ranging from $45,000 to $650,000. I’ve arranged mortgages for starter homes to dream homes. Not every potential client I meet is ready to buy a home when we first meet. Sometimes the desire is there but they’re not in a financial position to be able to qualify for a loan. For these cases, I’ve developed processes over the years to give them the tools to position themselves to be ready to qualify for a loan.

Today as a Mortgage Banker for American Home Mortgage, I begin my 10th year in a organization that feels and operates on the basic principals that I do: that every customer deserves choices, honest and upfront communication is the key to earning trust and the customer is the reason we are in business not vice-versa.

So as you move forward, I hope you give me the pleasure of ensuring that you can move forward with confidence. Knowing that all the bases are covered.