Feb. 2023 Partner Spotlight: GAYE & BRITTANY JONES

Providing More

Gaye and Brittany Jones

AnnieMac Home Mortgage

By Brandon Jerrell

There are basic expectations of a mortgage loan provider. Since there are many providers available, they can’t simply stop at the basics. They need to bring more.

That is what Gaye and daughter Brittany Jones of AnnieMac Home Mortgage strive to provide: “more.”

AnnieMac is “dedicated to providing our borrowers with more — in the way of loan programs, customer service, knowledge and experience,” Brittany shares.

GAYE JONES

Gaye began her employment right out of high school with her local Arc. Working with the developmentally disabled for 10 years taught her patience and empathy, which she carried forward on her career path. She earned her real estate license in Indiana in 1985, and in 1990, she moved to Atlanta, where she continued her real estate career. Gale worked as a buyer’s agent with one of the top REALTORS® in the country for six years before starting her own team. She learned so much about negotiating contracts, building and nurturing a team, and the value of hard work during that time, and credits that experience to the future success of her own team.

THE DIAGNOSIS

In 2004, Gaye was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through several surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy, and 19 years later, she is still cancer-free. Gaye recalls, “I learned a lot from cancer, mostly that it affected my entire family. It was easier on me because I had control of how I mentally dealt with the process. My family could only sit back and watch.” Her battle with cancer made her realize how quickly life as you know it can change, how important family and friends are, and that you must always stay positive, taking one day at a time.

HOME IN ST. AUGUSTINE

Eventually, Gaye and her husband purchased their first vacation home in St. Augustine and decided to make it their permanent home in 2005. “During my years as a REALTOR®, I would, many times, get involved in the financing end of the transaction. When we decided to relocate to Florida, I wanted to partner with REALTORS® instead of competing with them. The 20 years of real estate experience is a big contributor to my success as a loan originator,” Gaye says.

In total, Gaye has been a part of the industry for more than 35 years.

She and her husband, Bill, have been married for 37 years. Together, they have four children, six grandchildren and one angel granddaughter. One of those four children is her loan partner, Brittany.

Brittany Jones

Brittany grew up east of Atlanta, but she has called Florida home since 2005. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and her master’s degree in digital entrepreneurship from Strayer University. She founded Uncorked Occasions in 2013 — a wedding and event planning company serving clients locally, nationally and internationally. Brittany continues to be the “fearless leader of her girl gang” at Uncorked Occasions, but she took a step back from planning in 2020 to expand her knowledge and talents to the real estate world. She puts those planning and organizational skills right to work in her new role at AnnieMac.

Brittany says her mom’s battle with cancer truly shaped her outlook on life at an early age. She was in 10th grade when her mother was diagnosed, and she says, “While most of my girlfriends were busy being teenagers and fighting with their parents, I was watching mine fight — and beat — cancer together.” Those tough circumstances in life remind her of what’s important, and

Brittany says that she is unapologetically doing what she loves, chasing the dreams, goals and adventures that fill her cup, and spending her time wisely with her loved ones.

“I am grateful for my past and every individual or circumstance that encouraged me, challenged me or impacted me, whether that was positively or negatively. I have been employed since I was 15, and every boss, client and experience in the workplace has strengthened my dedication to hard work, determination and finding something positive to take from every circumstance.”

Brittany’s greatest joys in life are being “Aunt B” to her six “amazing” nieces and nephews and traveling the world. She may be sometimes working in a different time zone, but she will always get the job done.

PROVIDING MORE

Gaye explains that everything they do on her team is in-house. “I can reach out to an underwriter and get an answer before I tell a customer that they are approved. We also have the ability to broker out a file for specialty programs,” she elaborates. “We believe clients deserve more from our industry. We believe people are more than their paperwork, and it is our job to take their information and present a file that makes sense and is approvable according to guidelines. I am proud to have a closing ratio of over 99%.”

“The systems AnnieMac has in place for lead capture, follow-up and REALTOR® training are the best in the business,” Gaye says. “We believe that if we can assist agents in growing their businesses, in turn, our business will grow. As a former REALTOR®, I learned to first always be the calming factor during a transaction and second, to answer my phone and return calls. Bottom line: REALTORS® want to know that the loan will close (and close on time). That is what my team does best!”

We treat every client as we would our own family with regard to the best program, rate, decision, etc., for them, not what is best for us.

Brittany adds, “There is no better feeling than getting a person or a family to the closing table!” Gaye continues, “The absolute best is when someone doesn’t think they can buy a home, and I can figure out how to make it happen!”

Brittany explains that they never overpromise and that they always give honest advice and resources for current or future lending decisions. “We treat every client as we would our own family with regard to the best program, rate, decision, etc., for them, not what is best for us,” Brittany concludes.

When working with Gaye and Brittany Jones, there is no doubt that you will get “more” with them on your side. gayejones.annie-mac.com