2017 Women in Professional Services: Jean Partridge of Benchmark Title Agency, LLC

Name: Jean Partridge

Title: Chief Counsel and Managing Member

Company Name: Benchmark Title Agency, LLC       

Years in real estate: 33

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? New York State Land Title Association, NYS Bar Association - Real Property Section, Westchester County Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association of Westchester County, National Association of Realtors, Real Estate Law Institute at Pace University School of Law.

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? The most significant obstacle I encountered was trying to achieve the perfect balance between family and career. I am lucky to have a superb family support system and the good fortune of working for companies that understood the interplay between both and encouraged my success in both arenas. At Benchmark, we understand the importance achieving this balance. Less stress at home translates to more success at work.  More success at work translates to greater efficiency which allows us to meet to the needs of our clients in an attentive and smooth manner. I also have worked on honing my time management skills, which can often be an obstacle for success. I feel good time management skills are crucial for success in any profession.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? I am a people person. I have always prided myself for having good social skills in both formal and inform settings. This has allowed me to develop strong relationships with our clients, their lenders and our vendors. These types of relationships are crucial in the title business, since this field has a small circumference. I am also an excellent problem solver; this coupled with having strong relationships often helps in resolving problems quickly. I have learned to understand and be attentive to the specific needs and priorities of our clients, which I believe is crucial in any business. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year? On the residential side of real estate, the trend I am seeing is rising prices and low inventory leading to more bidding wars than we have seen in many years. On the commercial side, I am seeing grave concern over possible revisions to the tax code which may affect real estate and more particularly transactions where tax credit investors are involved. I have also seen a trend to increase cyber security procedures and protocols due to a tremendous increase in cyber-crimes, including email hacking and wire fraud scams. 

What do you do for fun? I enjoy going to the theater and traveling with family and friends. I also would never turn down a good novel, particularly while on the beach.