Sue Botelho has built a career on connection, consistency, and compassion. She has become a trusted guide for homebuyers across the Emerald Coast. After moving to Destin in 1983 to be closer to family, she turned firsthand experience as a young homebuyer into a long, successful path in mortgage lending.
- Today, as Branch Manager at Waterstone Mortgage, Sue begins each morning with coffee and quiet prep time before diving into presentations, loan scenarios, and mentoring fellow loan officers. Her people-first mindset remains at the center of everything she does, no matter the loan size or the client’s background.
Are you a life-long local, if not, where are you from originally and how did you end up in the area?
Born and raised in Washington, DC and moved here when my daughter was 2 months old in 1983. We had a condo in Destin when I was growing up and my family had moved here so we moved here to be close to them.
What’s your current job title and where do you work?
Branch Manager, Waterstone Mortgage
What’s your morning routine?
First and foremost, a cup of coffee!! I usually spend about 30-45 minutes in the morning on social media and following up on emails from the evening before. It gives me an idea of how the rest of my day is going to go.
Describe what a typical workday looks like for you.
There is no ‘typical’ workday in the mortgage business! I have been doing a lot of presentations so many days I will spend time working on those; I also like to make at least 30 outbound calls a day (yes, my phone gets close to losing all battery power every day!).
As the branch manager, I assist the other loan officers with loan scenarios and collaborating on our marketing ideas. I am on the Product and Programs committee here at Waterstone and the Elite Force Planning committee so I am on a LOT of Zooms these days with other colleagues here at Waterstone to help improve our ‘menu’ of programs we can offer (I think the last count I had was 605 sets of guidelines here at Waterstone) and to help our newer loan officers to get better at their craft.
What’s the first thing you do when you get to work (or start your workday)?
The first thing? I make ANOTHER cup of coffee! 🙂
What tools, apps, or gadgets can’t you live without?
My CRM, which is my lifeline! And I am a HUGE ChatGPT fan (I call mine ‘my best friend, Gee’).
Apple or Android?
Apple
What’s your go-to coffee (or tea) order?
Mocha Latte with extra Espresso
What’s your go-to lunch spot or work snack?
My go to lunch spot, truly, is my desk. I tend to eat at my desk A LOT. My work snack would have to be Skinny Pop popcorn. I’m addicted!
What’s one local business you love supporting?
Get The Coast! 🙂 I’ve known Jared since he was in elementary school and Laiken since she was in high school!
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?
This is going to sound lame, but it’s the Golden Rule – to treat others as you would like to be treated. We have clients that are buying $75,000 manufactured homes and others that are buying multi-million dollar beach homes. They ALL get treated exactly the same – purchasing a home is a huge undertaking no matter what the cost and it’s where they’re going to create family memories and generational wealth.
Having been a single mother who was trying to purchase a home (a long time ago), I know how it feels to be treated differently because it wasn’t a huge price or because I didn’t have impeccable credit. I don’t want anybody else to have to feel that from me or from those that I work with.
If you could give your 20-year-old self a piece of advice, what would it be?
Learn about credit scores, budgeting, and taxes — you’ll use those lessons far more than algebra.
How do you unwind after a long day?
When I first get home, I like to sit down, watch TV and not really talk to anyone at all! Remember, my phone is almost dead every afternoon so one hour of not talking a lot is priceless! I do enjoy gambling, so I will occasionally go to BINGO here locally! (Yes, I’m old!)
Early bird or night owl?
NIGHT OWL! For sure!
Most used emoji?
The heart emoji
Music while working — yes or no?
Yes. I like classic rock, 90’s R&B, and 80s/90s pop (thanks to my kids!) but NO COUNTRY!
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you?
Letting go isn’t weakness; it’s trusting that peace is worth more than control
Standing desk or sitting? Mix?
Sitting
If you could give any advice for someone getting into the same field as you, what advice would you give?
Play the long game. You’re not building a transaction-based business — you’re building a reputation. Focus on relationships, not rates.
Anything we missed that you want to add?
None of what I do would matter without my amazing family and my boyfriend, Bobby. I have two adult children, Ashley and JJ, and four amazing granddaughters, Joplin, Greta, Adleigh and Harper. They are all my inspiration and motivation and I try to be a good role model to them and show them they can be and do anything they put their minds to.
