Anyone who has been involved in a real estate transaction knows that it takes a surprising number of professionals to make each sale happen, with the title company right there in the trenches. This presents a unique staffing challenge for title companies, with the goal of hiring professionals who thrive in a team comprised of often-conflicting personalities—from real estate agent to title researcher. In this post, we follow Executive Vice President Molly Mallet and her staff at Texas Regional Title in Beaumont, TX, as they face this staffing challenge. In the process, the company learned that working with our Beaumont staffing location improved their hiring process in other ways as well.
When HT Staffing Regional Manager Rebecca Turcotte first worked with Molly Mallet, Turcotte was leading the HR team at a Beaumont, TX, bank that had recently acquired Mallet’s self-described “mom and pop” title company. Turcotte was faced with the task of learning the ins and outs of title-company staffing. She quickly discovered that staffing success in the real estate arena hinges on balancing three major factors: personality, personality, and personality.
“Real estate agents comprise a large portion of our customer base. They are the rainmakers and need answers quickly. To agents, time is money,” explained Mallet.
On the other side of the spectrum are title researchers. These professionals are responsible for sifting through large amounts of data pertaining to properties from taxes and deeds to court judgments and liens.
“Our researchers are, by necessity, more methodical and prefer to work thoroughly and deliberately,” added Mallet.
Both groups of professionals are equally productive. However, they don’t naturally follow each other’s timelines or communication styles. The task of coordination between these two groups falls to the escrow department; the folks Mallet describes as “the peacemakers.”
“Escrow officers tend to be very detail oriented and are required to juggle a lot,” she explained. “They need to respond quickly to real estate agents and lenders while giving the research department time and space to work.”
Eventually, the title group spun off to become Texas Regional Title, independently serving Beaumont, Port Arthur and communities throughout Jefferson County and the Golden Triangle. Recently, when Mallet needed to hire a new executive assistant, Turcotte was there to help once more, this time with HT Staffing’s Beaumont staffing resources behind her. However, with a 20-person staff in two locations, Mallet and Texas Regional Title President and attorney Ken Whitlow were worried that their firm wasn’t large enough or had the resources to work with a staffing agency. But, as it turns out, those factors are exactly why HT Staffing turned out to be a great partner.
“Our management team is actively working all the time, so taking the time to hire is an issue,” said Mallet. “Also, we don’t have the prescreening capabilities of a large firm, so having HT Staffing handle the vetting process was invaluable.”
Rebecca’s team at HT Staffing had a solid grasp on the type of job candidates who would be a suitable match for the executive assistant position, taking both capability and personality under consideration. With HT Staffing’s help, Texas Regional Title filled its executive assistant position within days, not the weeks or even months it could have taken independently.
“Our history with Rebecca – and knowing that she is a consummate professional – drew us to HT Staffing, and we’re glad that it did,” said Whitlow. With Mallet adding, “HT Staffing presented a high caliber of candidates, the team was helpful and they wasted no time following through.”
Image 1: Courtesy of Texas Regional Title
Image 2: romantiche / 123RF Stock Photo
