“I love dancing. If there’s music, I’m dancing, and the world is good. I wish I could say I’m good at salsa, samba, you know, fancy dance steps like ballroom. But if the music is danceable, I’m dancing. I don’t need to know the words. I just need to feel the beat."
While it’s unusual to begin an article about a mortgage professional by discussing one of her hobbies, it presents a powerful analogy. The passion and joy Amorette (Moe) Hernandez puts into her dance is a reflection of how she approaches life in general, both personally and professionally.
Moe joined the industry in a retail bank in the late 90s, moving through many roles from bank teller to international private bank relationship liaison. The jump into mortgages happened after the birth of her first child and was driven by the need for flexibility. As often happens with a new child, she realized the flexible options were not bendable enough, and she chose to focus on home and her new daughter.
“This was an opportunity and a blessing. I am forever thankful to my husband for always supporting our family. I returned to the mortgage industry in 2005 after purchasing our first home. We were pre-approved and shopping with our Realtor when he suggested that we speak to his mortgage broker. The broker won our business, and we developed a relationship that lasted well after our transaction. A few months later, I started working on her database management, then marketing, then file and admin support until I finally stepped into the production role again.”
Moe, always a go-getter, became licensed and learned first-hand what it takes to be an independent business owner. “The years have taught me about grit, sacrifice, tests, failures, lessons, vulnerability, design and redesign, goals, family support, making friendships, building relationships, and everything in between. After almost two decades in the mortgage broker industry, balancing harmony in my career and my family remains a priority. I've been fortunate to have amazing support from my family and colleagues. That same support has fueled me to push myself and live unafraid, relentless yet flexible, on the journey towards my goals.
“Joining the CMS family in 2023 was the opportunity of a lifetime. It has allowed me to continue fueling my passion to provide the ultimate mortgage experience for my clients and referral partners. It has given me pillars of support and empowered me to collaborate while building the communities I serve. It has granted me beautiful chances to help others along their journey while uplifting them. It ensures I can bring my flavor, spin, and perspective to the task at hand while helping find solutions and ideas to spark the next goal.
“Reaching across the table has always been, and remains, paramount for me. Being the Growth Architect for CMS has given me the freedom to design the life we've worked hard to achieve over these last two decades. This is my biggest accomplishment so far. I can't wait to experience what's next. The best is yet to come.”
Moe is a believer in failing as many times as necessary to achieve success and is not a person who counts regrets in life. She looks forward, reaching for the other side of an experience, knowing there’s value in having gone through it.
“I will say one of life’s biggest challenges is learning how to get out of our own way. Our egos can deceive us, and the sooner we learn to leave ego at the door and work towards the greater good of the cause, the better.
“I think my greatest personal success is my family. They are the biggest testament to the sacrifices my husband and I have made. Our children enjoy a healthy academic and sports lifestyle. They’ve pursued their goals and have learned many lessons while working toward them.
“This quote by Dr. Martin Luther King is special to me because my life is led by my faith. It is beautiful and precious to know every step brings us closer to Him and closer to the goal at hand. We are on earth to do amazing things, help each other, and experience the beautiful world through the gifts He’s given us.
“This Psalm quote is also special to me. My life can be filled with lots of anxiety, stress, and worry. I love this reminder that He is already making the way ahead of me, and I must be still and trust in Him.”
Moe is a boots-on-the-ground type of leader. She does not ask anyone to do something she’s unwilling to try or do herself. Process and flow are important, as is continual reinspection to ensure partners, clients, and team are being attended to and are on the same path to success. Moe is also pragmatic and visionary, two traits she credits as critical to her success.
“My strengths include being a hard worker, a problem solver, and a leader whose viewpoint comes from outside the box. My attitude is usually upbeat, nurturing, and honest. I also find both strength and solace in my vision to empower the consumer and to serve the community.”
Moe, as a female leader in a male-dominated industry, recognizes she leans heavily on her point of view. She has been known to disregard the distinction between male and female leadership, believing the best person in any leadership role can be any gender. That said, she especially admires the skill and commitment of women who successfully juggle managing their home and family and their book of business.
“I love how this industry gives us the ability to help families understand the power within their hands to create generational wealth and follow a path to real estate investing. As a mortgage broker, having the opportunity to find the right combination of product, pricing, and service to help every family is a WIN!
“It is important to me to keep a clear vision, one that includes bringing value to the table for the teams I am fortunate to work with and ensures continued learning and growing as I push myself to new heights and challenges. No vision is complete without balance, so enjoying my family as each chapter comes for my children and seeing my husband retire and start to enjoy the next chapter of his life as well as helping my entire family through the milestones life brings, cannot be discounted. Simply put, my vision is to be happy, have physical and spiritual health, and have freedom to enjoy life.”
Family is at the heart of what drives Moe, and family is woven into every aspect of her life, including her career. She and husband Jorge were high school sweethearts. Daughter Alessandra is in college studying business and cyber security. Her goals are to work for the government and law enforcement investigation. Son J.R. is in his senior year of high school. He is a student athlete with swim and track teams. His goal is to attend university and study engineering. Moe considers raising her children to have been a joy, and she feels blessed to experience this time having a wonderful relationship with them as young adults. Her husband and she enjoy traveling with them and sharing many of life’s adventures together.
Travel is another hobby she enjoys. She and Jorge are looking forward to his retirement in a few years from government service, which will give them the time to travel to a few places they have delayed seeing.
“I would love to visit Europe, I would love to go to Rome, Spain, and Jerusalem, and I would love to see Israel. I would love to see the old world. Here in the United States, we have colonial times. In Arizona, we have a lot of Native American artifacts, the desert dwellers living inside of the mountains. But I would also love to see the old world, like in the 1600s, 1400s. So many places have rich cultures I know little about.
