What makes Jessica Wright and Reva Bond stand out from the competition when it comes to title services? Let’s start with 40 years of experience in the real estate industry between them. And let’s not forget that title insurance isn’t the only thing Jessica and Reva are professionals at. Between guidance and assistance for FSBO, document preparation, escrow agency, and more than we can mention – it’s one stop, friendly, professional, and comprehensive shopping when it comes to Beaches Title and their services.
Jessica Wright took the time to answer a few questions about herself and her expertise in the industry. See the interview below.
(CS – Create Studios, JW – Jessica Wright).
CS: Both you and Reva had previous employment in law offices before transitioning to the Real Estate and Title Services. How did you become interested in opening your own title company?
JW: We are both unique in that we trained at reputable law offices in Jacksonville. Reva was trained with a large commercial law firm in all aspects commercial title and closing transaction. I was trained in residential title with a beaches law firm. We opened Beaches Title Services in 2005 and have enjoyed the freedom of owning our own business. Our Law Office training can insure our customers that we have the training, experience and knowledge to help with any transaction.
CS: Walk me through a day at Beaches Title.
JW: On a day with a closing, the majority of the day is devoted to that deal. We make sure the lenders, realtors, all parties are prepared for the signing. We believe there should be no surprises at the closing table. After the closing and funding all items on the Closing Statement, we still have work to finalize. During post closing, we get the lender their original documents, recorded the necessary documents, and get out any invoices.
On other days, I like to make sure to “touch” our active files every day to make sure I am on top of the necessary items. Often we must wait for lenders to be ready, but when everyone is ready, we never want our unpreparedness to delay a closing.
Also, after closing, I do the final title, which gives the buyer’s their owner’s policy and lender’s their lender title policy. There is always the non-glamorous accounting and scanning old files. Even though the clients may only be in our office for a hour, we spend many hours on each file from start to the time we can actually shred the file.
CS: How do your services compare to others in Jacksonville? What makes you stand out?
JW: If you read some of our reviews on Google, Facebook, and even our website, there is a trend that our prompt responsiveness and personal service set us apart. Reva and I have decided to keep our company small, so that we can always give personal service to each of our clients. At Beaches Title, there are not multiple layers of people with limited knowledge of the entire closing process. Reva and I are familiar with each file and are always here to help with any concerns. From first time home buyers, multi-million homes, to large complicated commercial transactions, we are there to give everyone the best title service we can. While we cannot control all aspects of a closing, we do our best to ensure a smooth and efficient process.
CS: Beaches Title offers much more that Title Insurance. You offer services to both realtors, home buyers, and for-sale-by-owners. When should each of these kinds of customers stop by the office or give you a call to get the process started on your services?
JW: We can help customers with guidance from the time they decide to buy or sell a home or for realtors when they have a new client. For people selling their own homes, we cannot market their home, but we are able to assist with contracts when they find a buyer. Once a contract is signed, that is really when our work begins. We know the timeline from contract to closing and can assist all parties in each stage. Keeping a file on track is important so that we can close in a timely manner.
CS: Alright, some fun questions. What’s your favorite local restaurant? What do you order?
JW: Caps in St. Augustine is one of my favorites. We often go there by boat for a fun ride. I love the grouper and really anything there. The outside area reminds me a of a fairytale! Also any place with good sushi! MShack is another local favorite of my family’s. I like to get a cheeseburger and their side kale salad, that way I feel like I can balance the good and the bad!
CS: You won the lottery and you just booked your flight. Where are you headed?
JW: We love to travel, anywhere from beaches to mountains. I would probably start in Hawaii but would have no returning ticket coming home. We have often joked that if we won that sort of money we would hire tutors for the kids and start traveling the world all together!
CS: Summarize your business and moral philosophy in 5 words (give or take).
JW: Treat everyone with kindness.
Sometimes you never know another person’s struggles and just treating everyone with kindness can make a big difference to a stranger. I also like to live by the motto of “Vacation Lifestyle”. Living in our great city near the ocean, we live a life that most people only get to live while on vacation.
