Val Sutherland is in the business of easing people’s minds.
As the loan program manager at the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, she helps provide loans to low-income people who need to repair their homes.
Many of her clients are senior citizens who need help, but don’t want to ask their children or relatives, she said.
Through her agency’s housing rehabilitation loan program, homeowners making less than 80 percent of the median income can get a zero-percent or 3-percent interest loan to use for essential home repairs. Most homeowners pay back the loan when they sell the property, she said.
Sutherland works with the clients to determine what repairs are necessary and helps them find contractors. She then personally inspects their homes and monitors the construction process while her office handles all the clients’ paperwork.
Common improvements include fixing roofs, replacing outdated electrical panels and making homes wheelchair-accessible for their occupants.
“I’m lucky,” she said. “I get to go to work and help people and they’re appreciative. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Pay range: Program managers such as Sutherland make between $50,000 and $70,000 a year on average, she said.
Hours: About 40 hours a week between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, though she does conduct home inspections some evenings and weekends to accommodate clients’ schedules.
Three things she loves about her job:
* The people she meets while working. “It’s just a warm and fuzzy job,” she said. “Most of the clients are just like your grandma. There’s a lot of one-on-one interaction.”
* The time she gets to work outside the office. She spends up to half her day in the field inspecting clients’ homes. “I really do get to be out in the environment and meet nice people,” she said. “I physically go out there and physically inspect.”
* The chance to do something good for others. “I’m giving back to the community,” she said. “If I wasn’t doing this, I’d be volunteering at other community agencies.”
Career path: Worked as a banker until 10 years ago, when she became a loan officer for Pierce County. She assumed her job at the housing authority seven years ago and has been there ever since.
“I never saw myself as a banker,” she said. “In that job, you don’t really help people. You give loans to people who don’t really need the loan. This is exactly the opposite.”
Education: On-the-job training and some college. She’s taken classes on different aspects of home inspection through NeighborWorks, a national non-profit that supports community revitalization efforts.
Something she finds challenging: “I have to be very patient with people as they make decisions. I’m not by nature a patient person. I’m sort of an ‘A’ personality. It’s actually good for me – it makes me realize everyone’s different and everyone has their own speed.”
Where she’ll go from here: “This is the longest I’ve ever been at a job, because I like it,” she said. “It took me this many years to get this job – I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Family: Two grown children, a grandchild and a dog, a border collie mix.
Guilty pleasure: “I love motorcycles.” She owns a Honda 150 scooter.
Favorite saying: “I say to my kids, ‘You can wake up happy or you can wake up crabby. It’s your choice.’”
If someone were to play her in the movie of her life, who would it be?
“Sally Field. If you ever saw Norma Rae, she’s just a really passionate and strong woman, and also perky, which I think I am.”
Dream Job is an occasional series in the Business section. If you have a job that you love and wouldn’t mind telling us about, e-mail mbenbow@heraldnet.com.
Reporter Melissa Santos: msantos@heraldnet.com
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