June 2023~ Jacksonville Real Producers

JACKSONVILLE

PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Paul Wagner Milestone Title Services LLC

RISING STAR

Ryan Harms

GIVING BACK

Jax Real Producers Volunteer Day at ReThreaded SPRING FLING EVENT

RAY SONNY& DOWNEY RIVERA

TOP PRODUCERS

This section has been created to give you easier access when searching for a trusted real estate affiliate. Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the businesses sponsoring your magazine. These local businesses are proud to partner with you and make this magazine possible. Please support these businesses and thank them for supporting the REALTOR® community!

ART

John Beard Collection

(904) 860-6690

johnbeardcollection.com

ESTATE SALES

Blue Moon Estate Sales of Jacksonville

Valerie Sprague (904) 477-4871

bluemoonestatesales.com

HOME BUYER

Mac Home Development Inc

(904) 887-4015

machomedevelopment.com

HOME WARRANTY

2-10 Home Warranty

(904) 652-5931

2-10.com

First American Home Warranty (904) 718-3685

firstamrealestate.com

Old Republic Home Protection (904) 994-6620

ORHP.com

INSPECTIONS

AmeriSpec Inspection Services (904) 448-5016 amerispec.com/locations/fl/ jacksonville

LunsPro Inspections

(904) 249-6523

LunsProFlorida.com

River City Home Inspections

(904) 654-4732

rivercityinspect.com

INSURANCE AGENCY

Brightway InsuranceThe Pihl Agency

Michele Mcilmurray (904) 262-2886

BrightwayJax.com

MORTGAGE / LENDER

Atlantic Trust Mortgage

(904) 338-9356

AtlanticTrustMortgage.com

CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC

(904) 829-8631

crosscountrymortgage.com/

My-CC-Team

Dan Ribler (904) 575-3290

FiberMortgage.com

First Coast Mortgage (703) 627-1775

FirstCoastMortgage Funding.com

Future Home Loans

(904) 494-6000

future.loans

Gaye E. Jones (Annie Mac) (904) 599-2551

GayeJones.Annie-Mac.com

Heroes First Home Loans (904) 539-3790

heroesfirst.com

Jet Home Loans (904) 479-7468

JETHL.com

Loan Depot

Tracy Hayes (904) 513-7950

Loandepot.com/branches/ jacksonville-fl

Mortgages By Linda (904) 591-3662

mortgagesbylinda.com/

Movement Mortgage

Carlos Wilcox (904) 253-0940

NEXA Mortgage (904) 614-1146 scottneeley.com

North Florida Mortgage Brokers

Timothy Newman (904) 755-0307

northfloridamortgage brokers.com

MOVING COMPANY

Jaguar Moving (904) 323-6978

JaguarMoving.com

Ocean Movers (904) 269-4430

Oceanmovers.net

OUTDOOR LIGHTING

JoyLights (904) 474-1768

WeBringTheJoy.com

PEST CONTROL SERVICES

Kingfish Pest Control (904) 595-5300

KingfishPest.com

PHOTOGRAPHY

Renee Parenteau

Photography (904) 236-5337

ReneeParenteauPhoto.com

PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Collage Day School (904) 900-1439

CollageDaySchool.org

REAL ESTATE

PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOS

The Listing Edge (904) 994-9176 listingedge.net

REAL ESTATE SCHOOL

Eagles World Real Estate School (904) 337-1392

eaglesworldrealtyjax.com/ real-estate-school/

ROOFING

Mighty Dog RoofingJacksonville FLA (904) 867-7859

mightydogroofing.com

ROOFING & CONSTRUCTION

South Edge Construction (904) 799-8000

southedgeconstruction.com

SPORTS TEAMS

Jacksonville Jaguars (904) 633-3348

Jaguars.com

TITLE COMPANY

Atlantic Coast Title & Escrow (904) 853-5591

atlanticcoasttitleand escrow.com

Landmark Title (904) 367-2525

LandmarkTitle.com

Milestone Title Services (904) 716-7285

milestonetitlesvcs.com

Omega National Title Agency, LLC (904) 456-0858

Omeganationaltitle.com

Woods, Weidenmiller, Michetti & Rudnick, LLP

Josh Rudnick (239) 325-4070

TITLE SERVICES

Covenant Closing (386) 986-4623

covenantclosing.com

VIDEOGRAPHER

Matthew Manyak (508) 344-9417 matthewmanyak.com

WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Whitacre Wealth Management (410) 961-6548

WhitacreWealth Management.com

BOUTIQUE EXPERIENCE. CONCIERGE SERVICE.

WE’RE ATTORNEYS DEDICATED TO YOUR SUCCESS

Our goal at ACTE is to handle every transaction with white-glove service. We understand as a title agency that communication and punctuality are key. As a boutique agency, we are equipped to handle any need that may arise leading up to and during your closing. We work with realtors to ensure that each transaction will be seamless and compliant. 1525-B

note

GPS GPS is a LIFE LIFE pub

By Kristin Lunsford

Traveling is a love of mine and my family, and we depend on GPS to help us reach our destinations across the United States and beyond. I often think of how similar going through life can be to going on a trip and using GPS.

A Global Positioning System (GPS) is a navigation system that plans out the road ahead. Without this plan, it makes the journey more difficult.

Life is the same way. Without a plan, things get hard. It’s like a rudderless ship drifting along with no direction. With no plan (GPS), it is difficult to arrive at a goal (destination).

Life can often feel like a journey full of twists and turns, with unexpected detours and roadblocks along the way. However, just as a GPS system guides us toward the best route, we can navigate through life’s challenges by carefully planning our itinerary and adjusting our path when necessary.

The first step before going on any vacation is determining our destination. Similarly, in life, we must

identify our goals and what we hope to achieve. In the case of the trip, once we have a destination in mind, the GPS will help us plan the best route. It will consider factors such as traffic, road closures and construction to determine the most efficient way to get there.

Same thing in life. Our goals and subsequent plan to get there is life’s version of Waze. Chart the path (set the goal) and begin. There will be roadblocks and obstacles along the way, so we must get good at rerouting when necessary.

I love how GPS sets an accurate time for when we should arrive at our destination based on a realistic set of circumstances, such as traffic patterns and roadwork. Our kids often look at the screen to see how far away we are from our destination. When setting life’s goals, we also need to lay out an expected arrival time and check in often to see how it’s coming along.

And always remember to enjoy the journey to your destination!

partner spotlight

By Brandon Jerrell

FOR THE INDIVIDUAL

With big business becoming evermore omnipresent, personal interactions are more and more rare. For a small business, the individual matters, and often matters the most. This is just one of the privileges of working with a smaller business.

Enter Paul Wagner of Milestone Title Services, LLC who makes sure to capture this personal touch in every interaction and subsequent transaction. Paul, who is the vice president of Milestone, makes certain that his clients know that they are cared for and are as comfortable as possible when working with his team. Milestone Title Services is a full-service title company providing services for residential purchase, refinance and commercial closings.

Education and Persistence

Paul was born into an Air Force family and has therefore lived all around the globe as his family moved from base to base. In his younger years, his family lived in Thailand and the Philippines. They settled in Dayton, Ohio for ten years where he became a lifelong Ohio State Buckeye fan.

WAGNER PAUL

MILESTONE TITLE SERVICE LLC

Paul shares a story from his childhood that defines the type of person he is. “When I was in sixth grade, my defensive football coach gave me an award at our end-of-year banquet. It was not a normal award that was given out, he actually gave me his coaching hat. He made a speech that he wanted to give an award to a player who never asked for anything but would do anything he asked of him. I had no idea it was me until he said my name. My parents were so happy that they talked about it for a few weeks after the banquet.”

Paul moved to Tampa for high school. “After spending three years in Florida, I was not moving back to Ohio for college,” he shares. He received his degree from the University of South Florida. He was then hired soon after by Merrill Lynch in Jacksonville in 1992.

Big Bank, Big Lessons

He credits much of his industry knowledge to his 23 years at Merrill Lynch — both the what to do and the what not to do. A core belief he

learned while at Merrill is to never say “no” to your clients.

Now being in the title business Paul says, “I have learned how to find ways to make things work rather than just give up and let a deal die. My clients and vendors love this about me. I want to do business and will do all I can to make a deal work. With my background working on the denied files at Merrill, I have come up with ways to save deals with the lenders I am working with.”

During his tenure at Merrill Lynch, Paul worked originating loans on the broker/correspondent channel, and as a problem-solver working directly with the underwriters to find a way to approve a denied loan.

Paul’s career as a lender ended when the company restructured. “Merrill Lynch was eliminating my position and was going to make me a 100% commissioned loan officer at Bank of America,” he explains. “My current boss offered me the job at Milestone Title, and once I was released from my role at Merrill, I opened up the North Florida office for our company.”

The Milestone Way Milestone Title Services is able to address each and every client on a personal level. Paul compares the amount of care to a “concierge service.”

“I work directly with the REALTORS® so they always know who is working their files and who to communicate with should they have questions.”

A significant service that separates Paul from others in his space is that he will meet with sellers prior to the mortgage closing so they don’t have to attend the closing.

These meetings are typically done at the seller’s residence to allow them the comfort of signing in their own

home and is a service that they and their REALTORS® appreciate.

Family, Fun and Giving Back

Like many in small business, Paul places his family high on his list of priorities. “My dad and stepmom live here in Jax and my stepdad is close by in Lakeland, Florida. I have a beautiful daughter that is currently in school in Tampa at my alma mater, USF.”

“I enjoy doing anything outside. I love the beach, golf, and my Buckeyes. I coached my daughter in softball for 10 years and we were lucky enough to win a USFA World Series title in softball. We also took second and fifth in the USSSA World Series in her younger days,” Paul recalls.

Giving back is important to Paul as is the top fundraiser for the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb. Paul explains, “I have participated for 12 years now and have been the top fundraiser in 10 of those years and second twice. This year I set a personal best record by raising over $10k for the climb. For the 12 years, I am now over $74k raised.”

For a hands-on title service ready to assist clients and agents, then look no further than Paul Wagner and Milestone Title Services.

Website: milestonetitlesvcs.com

I WORK DIRECTLY WITH THE REALTORS® SO THEY ALWAYS KNOW WHO IS WORKING THEIR FILES AND WHO TO COMMUNICATE WITH SHOULD THEY HAVE QUESTIONS.

Paul and his daughter, Erin, who is currently attending USF, Paul’s alma mater.

Paul is a huge Ohio State Buckeye fan.

Paul has participated in the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb for 12 years raising over $74K himself.

FROM MANAGING RESTAURANTS TO CLOSING DEALS

HARMSRYAN

RYAN HARMS is a REALTOR® at Coldwell Banker Vanguard in Jacksonville. He joined the real estate industry in 2018 and has quickly become a respected member of his community.

PIVOT POINTS

Before he became a real estate agent, Ryan worked in the family restaurant business with his mother and father. He managed the stores and assumed he would take over the company someday. However, when his parents decided to retire, they instead sold the restaurants.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” recalls Ryan. My parents compensated me for the many years I worked with them. My wife and I had a one-year-old at the time so I decided to take a job in the healthcare industry as an aftercare coordinator. I would help patients find housing and a treatment plan once they left the treatment facility. This new job was a major cut in pay, but I was able to spend a lot more time with my wife and young son.”

After a year, he realized he needed to find a different type of work that had more opportunity for financial growth. Ryan read a book about real estate and decided to give it a shot. He learned a lot about networking and client services during his time in the healthcare industry, and that role would ultimately benefit him as he made the transition to real estate.

Ryan attributes much of his current success to the relationships he has built with his customers and other people in the real estate industry. He strives to go above and beyond for his clients, making them feel like they are the only person he is working with. His goal is to build long-lasting relationships that last beyond the closing table.

OVERCOMING ADDICTION

Ryan’s past has shaped a lot of his views and actions today. He struggled with alcohol from the age of 12 to 25, and admittedly hurt family and friends with his behavior. He finally found a treatment center and started working on himself after he completed the program. Slowly he began to rebuild his life. Today, Ryan is over 10 years sober and is passionate about helping others who struggle with addiction.

GENERATIONS OF JAX NATIVES

Ryan was born and raised in Jacksonville by his parents, who were also born and raised here. He grew up in East Arlington and still resides there now. He attended Sandalwood High School and then completed some college.

Photos by Scott Golmic

After remaining sober over the first two years, he then met his wife, Ashley, who is also a Jacksonville native. They got married in 2015 and have two children: a son, Hendrix, and a daughter, Harlow.

Ryan grew up playing baseball, enjoying the beach, watching football, golfing, fishing, and spending time with friends and family. His favorite time of year is football season when he’s cheering on the Jags and participating in his fantasy football league. Ryan stays active by jogging and running 5K races.

However, Ryan’s absolute favorite thing to do is travel. He has been able to visit Spain, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and a lot of the United States. His family also loves all things spooky and the Halloween season. Ryan and Ashley recently bought an RV and are excited to travel the country together as a family.

A RISING STAR

REALTOR® Ryan Harms puts his clients first. He is passionate about helping them achieve their real estate goals and building long-lasting relationships. He’s also passionate about helping others who struggle with addiction, which he was able to overcome himself. Ryan is a respected member of his community and is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of those around him.

Congratulations, Ryan, on being this month’s Rising Star!

Ryan and his wife, Ashley. Ryan loves being a dad and having fun with his wife Ashley and kids, Hendrix and Harlow.

By Zachary Cohen

RAY SONNY & DOWNEY RIVERA

CHANGING WITH THE TIMES

Over the past five years, the real estate market has shifted dramatically. The market was thriving through 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic upended the global economy. Contrary to what many people forecasted during the onset of the pandemic, the resulting market was one of the most active real estate markets in recent memory. Although business has slowed over the past year, it remains a strong seller’s market. Meanwhile, more technology continues to burst onto the scene, and the way REALTORS® are doing business continues to evolve. Clients have more access to data than ever, and agents are being asked to do more. Responsiveness, efficiency, and a technologically intelligent approach have become necessities.

Brokers Sonny Downey and Ray Rivera have had a front-row seat to the ever-changing market conditions. Their understanding of what it will take to succeed in the future of real estate has led them to make significant strides in their business, moving toward a more agent-friendly and tech-savvy approach.

One of the shifts is their move from EXIT Real Estate Gallery to United Real Estate Gallery in October 2022. The move is more than a name change; it’s a representation of their approach to the future of real estate.

EXIT Real Estate Gallery was founded in 2007. The brokerage was forged in the fire of the Great Recession and grew through it, so Sonny and Ray know what it takes to survive tough economic times. They have taken that wisdom with them as they embark on their newest venture.

“Our whole business model has changed,” Sonny says. “With our previous brand, our business model was driven, quite frankly, by recruitment.

With this new business model, the focus is on the agents and their personal brand. We offer more aggressive compensation structures, giving agents more control over their marketing dollars. They can spend the money where they see fit.”

Photos by Renee Parenteau

“It was a big decision for us,” Ray adds. “We’d been with EXIT for about 15 years. When the time came for our last renewal for our franchise, we reviewed our options… The market has really shifted in the last four to five years. Agents are getting paid more. Consumers are paying less. We looked at what the best choice for us was moving forward. We felt this company is in the right position in the industry — high commissions to agents, they own their own tech, and it’s an international brand. It checked all the boxes for us.”

With United Real Estate Gallery, Sonny and Ray are able to provide the same level of service while putting money back in their agents’ pockets. It’s a win-win.

A BROKER’S PERSPECTIVE

To survive the current low-inventory market conditions, Sonny and Ray are advising their team of over 370 agents to go back to the basics, like following up with their sphere of influence, checking in with their database, and being active in the community.

“Everyone has to go back to the basics,” Ray says. “Second, we are known in the market for our training. We have a big focus on lead generation, and we embrace technology. For example, we’re partnering with a lot of buyer portals, like Opcity and Zillow Flex, to be able to supplement business for agents. We want our agents to focus on what they do best.”

Sonny and Ray have seen the most significant reduction in sales in the

high-end market, while low to midtier sales haven’t been as deeply impacted. So, they are encouraging their agents to get in front of potential first-time homebuyers, too.

“Any local buyers that you told to sit out over the past two years, reach out to them. A lot of those are first-time buyers. Those firsttime buyers are not as heavily impacted by interest rates as the higher-end consumer because the focus with those buyers isn’t interest rate; it’s payment,” Sonny says.

NEW NAME, SAME SERVICE

Sonny and Ray may be leading their brokerage under a new name, but their culture remains the same. As Sonny says, “It’s a culture of giving.”

“Our motto is, ‘Always do the right thing.’ Sure, it’s about making money, but it’s more so about doing the right thing. Service the customer. The way we treat our agents is the way we expect them to treat our customers,” Ray explains.

One of the primary motivations for the move to United Real Estate Gallery was to find a growth partner that would allow the brokerage to expand in Northeast Florida. Despite the down market, Sonny and Ray remain on a path of expansion.

“I want everyone to know it’s still Sonny and me,” Ray says. “We’re the same people as we were before, and for the people that loved us before, it’s still us. We’re not going anywhere, and with the new partnership with United, we can offer agents more resources and better compensation than ever before.”

THE WAY WE TREAT OUR AGENTS IS THE WAY WE EXPECT THEM TO TREAT OUR CUSTOMERS.

What is your favorite summer memory?

Those were the days of free-range parenting. HA! After the parade, Mr. Steve took us to get snowballs with marshmallow sauce on top. It started raining that light summer rain and the smell of watermelon and sweet blue raspberry with a touch of wet asphalt rose up while we slowly bumped along in the truck….not a care in the world! We all felt safe! I think of that day whenever I smell wet asphalt. We live in Avondale now; it’s a tight-knit community and my block is the best block; granted I’m a little biased, living here has brought back those neighborhood experiences for my children. We did a big pumpkin carving party this year and it was such a fun way to celebrate life and be together and thankful as neighbors.

LAURA RANNEKLEV

Florida Welcome Home

My favorite summer memory is time in the backyard pool of our home, floating on a float with music playing!

TERRI BENNETT

Keller Williams Atlantic Partners

GAYE JONES

AnnieMac Home Mortgage

We took a 3-week camping vacation out west when I was a child – Mt. Rushmore, The Badlands, Sequoya National Park, San Francisco, Yosemite, The Ozarks and Disneyland. Great memories!

DAWN NIERMAN

Florida Life Realty and Investments

Summer at Universal with my out-ofstate cousins and their kids. We all had fast passes (not many people had them at the time). There were 12-15 of us and we ran from ride to ride laughing. The kids rode one water ride over and over. We had a ball!

PAUL WAGNER

Milestone Title Services

My favorite summer memory was going to visit my dad in Florida. He lived in Florida when I was in Ohio so going to the beach all summer long was just awesome.

DANNY FONTAINE

RE/MAX Relations

7 years ago (2016) we took the best trip on a 44-foot catamaran for 10 days sailing through the British Virgin Islands! We snorkeled, swam, visited a bunch of islands, and had a great time together with family.

TIMOTHY NEWMAN

North Florida Mortgage Brokers

My favorite summer memory is taking my wife Christine, and little 2 boys, Truett & Bennett, to Adventure Landing and watching them run and ride the slides for hours before getting cheese fries and relaxing by the wave pool!

MICHELE ROSSIE

Ponte Vedra Club Realty

My favorite summer memories were our family trips to Kingsley Lake. My mom would fry chicken and make her homemade potato salad and my dad (from Massachusetts) would make his famous Boston baked beans. The cooler was loaded with drinks to serve in those old-fashioned

arrived we would jump in that lake and swim until it was time for lunch. We spent the obligatory one hour after lunch (so we didn’t get stomach cramps) at the Kingsley Lake arcade. We swam until the sun started to go down then went to the bath house to shower and get dressed and then we slept all the way home.

My brother, mother, father and my best lake friend have all passed. I will always love and cherish that summer memory.

JOCELYN DAVIS

eXp Realty

In the neighborhood where I grew up, it seems like we celebrated every holiday together. The summer Fourth of July celebration was the best! I remember when all the kids from the court piled up in the back of Mr. Steve’s truck and he took us to the downtown parade where we sat on the curb and waved little mini flags the city had stuck in everyone’s yards.

My favorite summer memory is the summer of 1980. I had just moved to Atlantic Beach from NY and got a job working at the Le Chateau Restaurant, I was 19 and it was my first summer on my own. I was living the beach life, learning to water ski and made so many amazing friends. I knew after that summer I would never live anywhere else.

MICHELE DALY

Keller Williams Atlantic Partners

Playing “Kick the Can” with neighborhood kids, staying out until dark without a care in the world.

BAILEY JORDAN

Navy to Navy Homes

Always taking family trips to the water parks - Summer Waves in Jekyll Island was a favorite and White Water in Atlanta, Georgia!

TRACY HAYES

LoanDepot

Summers growing up on Cape Cod. Working on the sportfishing boats, pulling lobster traps and meeting up with friends at the Cape Cod League Baseball games.