Jun 18 2011 12:01 am 

 

 

Maybe growing up as a “military brat” inspired Vonnie Judge to develop the title. Or, it could just be the term is catchy.

 

Whatever the case, the monicker “financial boot camp” is not what’s important to the broker. The phrasing is to show there are people here who are struggling to pay mortgages, and with a little bit of effort, they can work it out.

 

Besides, no one wears fatigues, runs 10 miles in Army gear or crawls under barbed wire. “No, I’m too sweet,” she quipped.

 

“It’s something that is needed in the market,” says Judge, who runs North Charleston-based Carolina Housing Services and is a real estate broker with AgentOwned Realty. “So many people are in turmoil, lost their jobs, are in financial distress,” she says.

 

Too often, people get their credit mended, then fall back into the same problems. “I wanted people to think outside the box, not only in their financial situations but in their lives,” says Judge, who grew up in the Charleston area and graduated from St. John’s High School.

Judge launched her first 12-week boot camp last month. They are 90 minutes sessions once a week on Thursdays and Saturdays at 3236 Landmark Drive in North Charleston, an office building where she has her operations. The seminars are small, with a dozen people or less, but she wants to keep them that way so clients are more engaged.

 

Discussion topics include how to apply for credit, purchasing a new home and the various types of loans available, Judge says.

 

“Everyone comes with different (issues),” she says. But there’s a similarity in the approach to assisting people with financial troubles. “It’s motivating. I want them to stretch themselves, not the physical but the mental. Once you are focused and have a purpose in life, there’s no stopping you,” she says.

 

The financial boot camp ties in with her Carolina Housing Services business. It involves aiding people who need assistance with credit, debt management, foreclosure prevention and debt negotiation.

“Because I’m a Realtor, I talk about the housing part: loan modification, how to purchase a home.”

Judge has been involved in the housing and financial fields most of her career.

 

After two years at Trident Technical College, she graduated from the College of Charleston with an accounting degree. “From there, I decided to go into real estate,” she says. Judge spent seven years as an office manager with national builder Centex in Charlotte before returning to the Charleston area.

 

Judge got her broker’s license and has been with AgentOwned Realty for the past five years. She opened Carolina Housing Services two years ago as a sideline venture, earning housing and credit counseling certifications. She saw so many people with financial troubles with their homes and who needed someone to help guide them. “They get nervous, are not sure how to handle it.”

 

The financial boot camp was a natural extension of her businesses. “I love solving problems,” she says. The current sessions go on until July 29. She is starting another 12-week camp July 22.

 

“With this program, it’s more comprehensive (than simply credit assistance),” Judge says. “It’s something they can use forever.”

 

For more information, contact Judge

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