In general people do not sell mortgages, instiutions do.The mortgage loan originator or loan officer (MLO for gov't, LO for private sector, the catchall terms) being a employee of a bank ("mortgage banker," think "W2") or an independent contractor ("mortgage broker," think "1099,") doesn't really enter into it.

Happy to discuss privately if you wish.But that's a very blanketed statement in a sector that is very local. 

The employment sector has done exceptionally well, the California unemployment rate currently sits at 4.5%, but if you look at the unemployment rate for tech workers since Silicon Valley heavily influences our area, the unemployment rate for the technology sector is as low as 2.0%, well below the overall unemployment rate.

@Mark Anderson so many possibilities but here's where I'd start:1) What areas have the highest long-term growth and public/private sector investment?  

My first recommendation would be to educate yourself as much as possible on the real estate market, particularly the multi-family sector.

Money that stays in the private sector is spent way more efficiently,  and often has a larger local impact.   

The wealthiest of seniors are well taken care of by the private sector in nursing homes and lesser forms of assisted living situations that start at $5000 per month and can rapidly escalate.

Although I mainly work on commercial, private, and public sector construction projects, I am hoping to use my experience with construction, rehabbing, and contractors to my advantage in residential real estate investing.I am interested in the residential side of real estate investing and plan to focus on the Buy and Hold and BRRR strategies.

Personal reasons that had nothing to do with real estate combined with the heavy amount of competition, particularly in the wholesale sector.

PEW Institute research has shown that the average return on investment for the senior housing/assisted living asset-class, substantially outperforms all others within the real estate sector.