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EP # 232 Rising from Bolivia to Business Leadership: Allie Pelham's Journey in Title Insurance and Community Connection
Imagine moving from Bolivia to Naples, Florida and rising to the top of one of the city's longest-standing title companies. Allie Pelham, President of Action Title Services, shares her fascinating journey and the pivotal role of title insurance in real estate transactions. With 26 years of experience under her belt, Allie sheds light on the industry's evolution post-2008 recession and demystifies common misconceptions surrounding title insurance. Her unique perspective, shaped by both her rich cultural background and professional challenges, offers invaluable insights into the world of real estate and business ownership.
Our conversation with Allie doesn’t just stop at industry insights. It touches on the importance of community, the joy of connecting with neighbors, and the sometimes unglamorous side of running a business. We wrap up with a heartwarming reflection on building local bonds and encourage our listeners to nominate their favorite businesses for future episodes. Join us in celebrating the spirit of community and entrepreneurship on the Good Neighbor Podcast, where stories like Allie’s inspire and connect us all.
Action Title Services Naples
Allie Pelham
3733 Tamiami Trail N
Naples, FL 34103
(239) 262-2200
apelham@actiontitlenaples.com
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Cabo Jim.
Speaker 2:Schaller. Welcome Good Neighbors to episode number 232 of the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have Good Neighbor Allie Pelham from Action Title Services Welcome.
Speaker 3:Hi, how are you Cabo? I am awesome today.
Speaker 2:Yes, pleasure to get to have you on the show and share with our listeners what you do. So let's jump right in. And why don't you share a little bit about what you do for Action Title Services?
Speaker 3:Yes, absolutely Well. Thank you for having me first of all.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:It was great meeting you and it was meant to be obviously.
Speaker 2:So here we are.
Speaker 3:Yep it was great meeting you and it was meant to be obviously so here we are. So I am the president of Action Title Services down in Naples. The office has been established doing title insurance for Southwest Florida since 1988. Wow, I know a long, long time. We probably are one of the oldest title companies in Naples. I mean there is other ones, but one of the few that are still going Still around, yeah.
Speaker 3:Still around after all this time. I joined Action in 1998, 10 years after it had been established, and I became owner of the company in September of 2021, when the owners retire.
Speaker 2:Very nice.
Speaker 3:So I've been in charge for the last almost four years now, and we had a challenging time during COVID. But now you know, now that we're out of COVID, it's completely different than it was back then.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. So let's back up your story a little bit. How did you get involved in the title industry to start with?
Speaker 3:It was actually by coincidence. I moved down to Naples in 98. I am originally from Santa Cruz, bolivia. Moved to the United States to go to college in 93, got married, didn't finish college to be closer to my mother. My mother was living here and I had a small child, two-year-old, and I needed an assistant. Obviously, like anybody, that is that young and just starting up, I met Patty Deckard, the former owner of the company, at a happy hour event and we kind of clicked and she told me she was looking for people to hire and then I gave her a call and the rest is history the rest is history, and here you are, four years into owning the company now yes, yes
Speaker 1:yes great.
Speaker 2:So you mentioned it before with with COVID. But you know, obviously taking control of a business, being part of a business, is a challenge enough in itself, but being the owner of the business is challenging as well. Are there certain challenges, whether personally or professionally, that you've gone through that have helped develop and make you who you are today?
Speaker 3:I think it's a part of being a foreign national. You know now that I am a US citizen. I have been a US citizen for a long time, but I think it's like, given my background, I come from other country. I would say I can put myself in somebody's shoes easier than other people because I've seen what other, you know how people behave in other countries and other cultures, and I think that kind of prepared me to be a little bit more understanding. I guess Be a little bit more understanding. I guess Handling a business is not usually as flattering or as glamorous as you think it is. The one part that nobody likes is to be the bad guy, and unfortunately somebody has to be. You know, it goes with the territory, I should say.
Speaker 2:Well, you're doing a good job, so let's talk about maybe some of the myths or misconceptions surrounding the title industry that we can maybe clear up for our listeners today.
Speaker 3:Yeah, title insurance is basically a lot of people. When I tell them this is title insurance, you're buying this to protect your interest on your investment, people think that it's not important. I have been in situations where I have seen it how important it is, and I've been doing this for the last 26 years. I've learned that it does not matter how much you know the seller, how much you know the realtors or the area. Sometimes people make mistakes and all those searches the title searches are done by professionals. They're thorough and they will make sure that the investment that you're taking on is protected. That's what we do. We sell insurance to protect your investment in your home. The American dream. Everybody wants to have a piece of that dream and what better thing to do is that insured. You know you always have peace of mind.
Speaker 2:Yep. Because, something is probably going to happen. You just want to be prepared for it, right?
Speaker 3:And even if it doesn't, I mean you know the few bucks that you spend on it is a one-time investment, unless you refinance, so you don't have to pay it, but once in your life. So it's basically just a peace of mind. You know, even if you don't need it, it's there. It's kind of like an education you may never need your degree, but if you do it's there.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I love it. So do you notice certain things? You've been in it for 26 years now. Do you notice certain things that have changed or that are trending more recently?
Speaker 3:A lot of things have changed over the years. I mean, rules change all the time, statues change and we have to keep on updating everything. Statues change and we have to keep on updating everything. A big learning curve was the recession back in 2008, 2009. So at that time, you know, property values dropped significantly. I mean you made an investment of a million dollars and you probably got not even you know a fraction of your investment loose, lost, completely lost, a big fraction. And that was a big learning curve because it kind of brought us all at the place that we are right now.
Speaker 3:Lenders are overregulated for a reason. Everybody gets upset because lenders keep on asking one thing after the other. But it's for your protection, they're protecting the consumer for the future. They're vetting their borrowers to make sure they're able to repay the debt that they're taking on, and it's a good thing for all of us. It's not just for we won't need bailout with all these loans that have come out in the last few years, because everything has been done properly and nobody has, you know, had any kind of documentation. That was not true Like before. We had scenarios where people were over over, uh, extending themselves, I should say right, yep, yep, absolutely it happens.
Speaker 2:It happens especially now. I mean, you know the housing market just in general. There's a lot going on with with, uh, the financing and the pricing, and all that right now, right right, I mean it.
Speaker 3:If you think about it. It having a home is the number one dream for anybody and and when you come out of college you have student debt. You're looking for a place to live and a lot of these young people are moving back with their parents. If they get with the right people as far as a good loan officer and a good realtor and a good title company they can strategize and have a plan to buy property in the next year or two. But it's always don't push it to whenever you're ready. You may not be ready for two years, but if you started the process today, you may be ready in two years and you will have more of a solid plan than if you start, you know, a few months before you think you're ready.
Speaker 2:Exactly, I love that, I love that advice. So you mentioned you were from Bolivia originally and I don't know if you mentioned or not, but what brought you to Southwest Florida?
Speaker 3:My mother. My mother was living in Southwest Florida. You know she's a boomer, so she was already here and I was like I came and once I was in Naples I loved it a lot. Naples is such a well-manicured town that if you come here you fall in love with it. But it's not like the average city in the United States, unfortunately. You know it's like you get spoiled living in here that when you go somewhere else you're like really I feel like I mean the whole area southwest florida is so beautiful, there's places to go, there's always something to do and the whole area is well manicured, it's presentable. It just attracts people and tourists exactly.
Speaker 2:It's a slice of paradise, as we call it.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely. And then you get a tan on top of that.
Speaker 2:That's nothing like that right.
Speaker 3:Right, who doesn't look good in a?
Speaker 2:tan, exactly so. Owning the business can be very demanding of your time, but when you do get a moment of free time, what do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Speaker 3:My fiance and I love boating. We live in the backyard. We have a very nice golf that we can go and spend time. It's relaxing, it's beautiful. This time of the year it's the best weather you can see, you can feel the summer, it's nice, but it's so hot that this is the time that we enjoy. You know we love football too, but boating is probably number one to us.
Speaker 2:Very nice, very nice. Get out and enjoy the sights of paradise, correct?
Speaker 3:Absolutely, you might as well enjoy it. You're here.
Speaker 2:Yep. So is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about what you do at Action Title that maybe they wouldn't be aware of?
Speaker 3:Well, when there's a lot of new homebuyers that come here to close in, it's because I'm the last person that they see. Sometimes they have no clue what they're signing. I and me have been doing this for the last 26 years. I try to make it as friendly and as easy as possible for them to understand, with terms that will not overwhelm them. You know you're a first time home buyer and you're like oh, you know it's like OK, I got to make the payment, that's it. But there's other things that you must know. You know you have an escrow account that maybe covers insurance and taxes. So I, when I explain the documents, when I go over the documents for them to sign, I go document by document and I make sure they do understand what they're signing.
Speaker 3:One of you know, being a notary, that's your duty mainly. So that's one of the things that I do. I also guide them to go file for homestead if they need to, and you know utilities. We we have a very, um, very good system in the office in place where we kind of cover everything with the home buyer up until the day they close. We keep them updated and let them know what's going on with their transaction. It's rarely, rarely ever I get a buyer that comes into my closing table without knowing what's going on. You know it's like when we're busy that things like that do happen, but we try to minimize it. We try to make everybody feel comfortable and happy about the big investment that they're making. This is like the number one goal for a lot of people, and a piece of the American dream is what we're here to help them achieve.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's almost like holding their hand through that. Give them that comfort, you know that they're doing the right things and guiding them. I love it. I love it. So how would our listeners go about contacting you if they wanted to learn more?
Speaker 3:Well, if they need they have any needs of title insurance, they can reach me at apelham@ actiontitlenaples. com. They can reach me at apellam at actiontitlenaples. com. We also are available on our website at www. actiontitlenapels. com. We're on Facebook, Action Title Naples and also on Instagram, and our phone number is 239-262-2200., so easy to remember. Just call us and we can help you with anything that has to do with real estate.
Speaker 2:Very good. Any last words for our listeners.
Speaker 3:I would like everybody to know that the American dream of owning a home is achievable for everybody. Everybody can do it. It's just don't be afraid to ask questions and if you don't know of anybody, contact me. I'll be happy to put you with the right people, with a lender, with a realtor that can help you find the home of your dreams and get you in a home that you will be for a very long time the home of your dreams, hopefully. And if not, find an investment. You know there's nothing like real estate to grow your portfolio. Real estate will give you a return more than any other thing that you can invest on basically Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Allie, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being such a good neighbor and we hope to see you. Yeah, we'll see you out there soon.
Speaker 3:Okay, thank you, cabo. You have been so great and thank you for inviting me to this podcast. I enjoy talking to you and hopefully we can do it again soon.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpestero. com, or call 231-296-2621.