SitusAMC Power Pro: Sally Jeon

Name: Sally Jeon 
Title: Assistant Vice President at Securitization  
Location: New York City and Remote  

Day-to-day: I basically do every aspect of securitization support for my clients. Specifically, I focus on the commercial real estate side of securitization. My team helps clients to prepare all the relevant documents of the securitization. That includes drafting loan summaries and relevant footnotes of the commercial mortgage loan that goes into the deal. With those documents, buyers can understand what loans are going into the market and they can make an informed decision on their end. 

Inspiration: My team is my inspiration. I love to work alongside talented individuals who know a lot about the commercial real estate market. My job is always about the teamwork. We create synergy, through bouncing ideas off each other and pushing boundaries, and facing the challenges of everyday work life. And that synergy is truly exciting for me. Each member of my team brings their own unique expertise, talents and perspectives to the table, and that enhances our ability to tackle complex challenges.  

My clients: I consider my clients to be everyone who works in the commercial real estate market. More specifically, my clients are the issuers of the CMBS deals in the market. But I also work with loan sellers who contribute their loans to the CMBS deals. My main responsibility is to provide securitization support to my client, but we provide commercial real estate advisory services as well. So whenever investors or bankers want help with a project, we always try to hop on and help in any way we can.  

Essential traits for the job: When people join our team or interview for a job, we tell them that securitization is not a 9-to-5 job, because you often work late and on weekends. Flexibility is the essential trait that allows my team and me to adapt to changing circumstances or deadlines. The commercial real estate market is fast paced and constantly changing, so you need to be flexible to keep up in that environment.  

First job: Shortly after I arrived in the United States from my home country of South Korea, I got a job as a tutor at a community college in New Jersey. That experience was invaluable for me in developing my social and presentation skills. I also worked closely with students from many different backgrounds, and that was invaluable as it taught me how to communicate with all kinds of people. The job also taught me how to explain complex concepts in statistics and math. I gained so much confidence in my communication style, and how to present complex concepts in an engaging and clear way. 

Fondest memories: When I was 7 years old, I had to stay in the hospital for three weeks for what turned out to be kidney failure. At night I felt sick and was in pain because of the side effects of the medication, and that is certainly not a fond memory. But during the daytime I was always running around the hallway with my friends and playing with the doctors and nurses. And years later I remember those times so fondly: the cheerful conversations I had with the nice doctors and nurses and the fun games they would play with me to try to distract me from the difficult medical situation. And now I am totally healthy. That experience really made me stronger.  

Greatest strength: Resilience is my greatest strength. My resilience helps me to overcome the adversity and challenges that I face in my life. I’ve cultivated the ability to bounce back from setbacks stronger and embrace obstacles as an opportunity for growth and development. My resilience enables me to navigate uncertainty and tackle whatever comes my way. 

Advice to my younger self: I don’t want to give any advice to my younger self. I had many ups and downs in my life, and made a lot of mistakes, but the mistakes I made became the foundation for my success today. Those mistakes shaped who I am now. So, if I saw my younger self and had a chance to talk to her, I probably would just want to say, “Hey, you are doing a great job, and don’t worry! Keep challenging yourself and learn from your mistakes, and you will be just fine.” 

Dream destination: I haven’t been to my home country of South Korea for the past seven years, because I was busy with school, work and of course the pandemic. So I haven’t seen my father or grandmother in seven years. I am planning to visit them this year, so that is my dream destination. It’s a long flight from New York, like 15 hours.  

Personal motto: I always tell my team: We suffer together. Which means that whenever there is a deadline going on and people are working hard at all hours of the night to meet the deadline, even if the project isn’t my specific responsibility, I still like to stay online to support my team. In doing so, I am communicating to them that we suffer together, and that if they need help, I will be right there. I feel this applies also to my personal life with my family and friends. I always try to be there when my family and friends face difficult circumstances in their lives.