Savannah Bentley
WHEN INTEREST MEETS OPPORTUNITY
Savannah Bentley grew up in Vienna, Virginia where she spent her early days shuffling between school and lacrosse practice. It wasn’t until she attended finance classes at the University of Virginia that her true interest in real estate began. She went on to earn her bachelor’s in finance and real estate and landed her first job post-college at a litigation consulting firm, which ended up being a stepping stone to her current career at Freddie Mac Multifamily.
Savannah originally started as an underwriting analyst at Freddie Mac. Over the course of two years, she learned the products inside and out and wanted to grow her skillset by joining the production side of the business. She expressed her interest to department leaders and when an opportunity arose, she interviewed for the role and landed it.
Savannah uprooted and moved to New York City to join the Conventional Production & Sales team in 2020 and is now a senior producer for the Northeast region. Her day-to-day consists of working with Optigo® lenders, alongside underwriting and capital market counterparts, to structure and quote deals, as well as managing a few Select Sponsor relationships. When she isn’t getting deals under app as efficiently as possible, Savannah likes to spend her time traveling and taking care of her dog, Millie.
Savannah hugging her dog Millie.
Let’s hear more from Savannah on what it takes to be a successful woman in multifamily.
March is Women’s History Month. Do you have any female role models that you admire?
A: The first people that come to mind are my younger sisters. Throughout my life, they’ve pushed and inspired me in a lot of ways. I’ve also been lucky to have many female leaders who have helped me navigate my career at Freddie Mac, like Geri Borger and Meg McElgunn, who have both held vice president roles in our Production & Sales team.
The number of women in leadership roles at Freddie Mac is really inspiring. I’m a big believer in women helping women, especially in a historically male-dominated industry. I’m involved in the Women in Multifamily Business Resource Group (BRG) and enjoy networking and making connections — both with women who I’m inspired by and those who need a hand.
What trait makes a great teammate or ally?
A: Trust. It’s empowering. When there’s trust, you feel confident to do your job. It cultivates a healthy working environmental for growth and allows you to delegate work to others as well.
Favorite part about working at Freddie Mac?
A: The people and the opportunities. I firmly believe there’s no better place to start a career in the industry. The amount of deal flow you’re exposed to and the connections you can make are incredible. And the people feel like an added bonus! The Northeast team I work on is the smallest production team, but we’re very close and collaborative, which makes every day interesting and exciting to go to work.
What is one piece of advice you’d give your younger self?
A: Don’t be afraid of things you don’t know, but instead view it as a learning opportunity. Freddie Mac is a great place to learn that fosters inquisitive minds. So, ask all the questions and raise your hand at opportunities that interest you. You’ll be surprised at what you learn along the way.