Meet Artemus Norman | Mortgage Loan Officer, Rapper, & Owner of ‘More Than a Village Foundation’

We had the good fortune of connecting with Artemus Norman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Artemus, why did you pursue a creative career?
Since an adolescent, I’ve always had a passion for music, helping others, math, and numbers. My math passion started in 4th grade when I won the multiplication challenge and beat everyone in my class. When I was introduced to Algebra, I became obsessed with finding X and Y. I always took gifted math but no other subjects. As soon as I was able to start tutoring, I did. I went on to become a math major in college and started working in corporate America; bouncing around. I went from Accounting to Finance to Financial Analytics to Pricing Analytics. I did all of this in my first 5 years of my career.

In 2023, my dad passed away and it put a lot in perspective for me. I realized that at my age, my dad had lived half of his life. I know my dad didn’t enjoy working his job. I know he just held onto it for the benefits and perks. After he passed, I realized that whatever you spend most of your day doing is ultimately what you spend most of your life doing.

Even though I’ve always had a passion for numbers, I learned quickly that playing around in Excel or building reports in Tableau to tell some man (whom I will most likely never meet) about how his business is performing, did not satisfy me. I decided to jump head-first into some of my other passions. Now, I create music and it’s so freeing. I also coach high school football players, sell mortgages, and run a non-profit for kids. My dad’s passing inspired me to try to make my passion work for me. It made me value my time more. I figured that even if I make less, it will ultimately be worth it at the end if I love what I do and do it intentionally.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m a Loan Officer licensed in North Carolina, Georgia, Maryland, Virginia, and DC. I’m known as “The Mortgage Homie.” I am very professional but I approach the business with a more laid back approach–hence the name. I market to Millennials but I work with everyone. I also work with the #1 Mortgage Broker in Georgia and I have a lot of support. What sets us apart as a team is that we are quick, reasonably priced, knowledgeable, and good. It’s hard to find all 4! We also refinance for free for the life of the loan!

What sets me apart as an individual is my hunger, availability, and service-driven mindset. Realtors want a loan officer who is responsive, proactive, and solution-oriented. I’m one of the most resourceful loan officers out. I’m most excited about building my book of business. I can’t wait to get to the point where my clients become like family.

I’ve always had a curiosity for the mortgage industry but I wasn’t sure how I’d fit in. I talked to a few realtors about becoming a realtor and based on the feedback I received, I decided that may not be the role for me. A few different realtors I spoke with said they wished they were loan officers instead. They mentioned that as a loan officer, you don’t have to show a bunch of houses and you can work from home and in multiple states. This seemed like more of my speed.

I got on Google one day and searched “Loan officer near me” one day and just called the closest one. Turns out, the owner of the brokerage was a fan of me and NC State Football. I played for the Wolfpack from 2010-2014 and I led the team in sacks each year. The brokerage owner recognized my name and invited me to his office. He offered to sponsor me as a loan officer if I could pass the test. About 30-35 days later, I took the test, and became official. Since then, I’ve moved from Virginia to Georgia and switched bosses but that is how I got started!

Since I’m relatively new to the career, I wouldn’t deem it easy or hard just yet. Right now, everything is a grind and I think I will have more of an opinion on the field when I build my book of business and know how to close loans without any help.

I want the world to see me as I am. I’m young, black, educated, knowledgeable, and professional. While I do have a laid-back approach to my marketing, and like to have fun; it’s always business at the end of the day. I’m passionate about what I do and I love people who love people.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m from Atlanta but I moved away in 2010 when I got a football scholarship to play for NC State. In 2020, I got bored and decided to move to the DMV for 3 years. I just moved back to Atlanta at the end of 2023; so this is like my first year living here as an adult. With that being said, I’m still trying to find all of my favorite spots. Some of the more notable spots that I like to check out include Stone Mountain Park, Arabia Mountain, Piedmont Park. These are all great spots to walk/hike as long as the weather permits. For food, I love Toast on Lenox, Poor Calvin’s, Bomb Biscuits, and The Optimist. I’m sure my list will continue to grow as I get settled here.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout ‘The Committee’ for always simultaneously keeping me grounded while lifting me up. The Committee is made up of 5 of my best friends from all walks of life. In 2020, I put them in a group chat (and named it ‘The Committee’) so they could all get to know one another. It consists of 3 women and 2 men. I met Aliyah and Rozeina in high school and Jaz in college. I met both Tyson, and KJ in college and been friends with all of them since. They all love me so much and the feeling is mutual. They are all so easy to talk to and I never have to question the intent behind anything they say or any advice I may receive. I’d do just about anything for them. I love my chosen family.

Website: https://mtvfoundation.org

Instagram: @themortgagehomie / @ItsMePriicy

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/art-norman/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsmepriicy