Denise Montpetit Ott has been a relocation specialist for Leasing Jacksonville for seven years.
WHAT DOES SHE DO?
She does apartment locating for someone who is moving into the city and needs assistance with either short-term or long term rental. If someone was moving to Jacksonville and hasn’t bought a house, they would need a short-term rental of either corporate housing which is fully furnished or an unfurnished apartment for a few months. “A lot of time people like to rent an apartment for about seven months to get a feel for the area because Jacksonville is so big and so diverse. We kind of educate them about what their options are and what is available to them.”
LARGE ACCOUNTS?
Currently, her company is handling the rental part of the relocation of Fidelity National. “When it is a full relocation like Fidelity, we can do city tours and things like that as well. We couple a lot with Realtors. For instance, Prudential Network Realty is handling the relocation of Fidelity National, so we have a connection with them and are handling the rental portion for them. We help relocate major companies as well as individuals.”
WHY WOULD SOMEONE USE THE SERVICE?
“First of all, we are the experts. We can save them time and money and a lot of stress. There are so many apartments to choose from now and when someone comes to us, we have a complete computer base and our knowledge of working with apartment communities. We narrow it down to about three or four apartments, give them a map, location and send them on their way. It just expedites the process so much. You can find an apartment in half a day.”
AREA THEY COVER?
All of Jacksonville, Orange Park, St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach. “Most of our corporate apartments are located between Southside and the Beaches area.”
WHO PAYS?
The service is free to the person or company looking for the apartment. “The apartment communities pay us, we represent them. It’s like a travel agency. We send people to them and it’s up to them to complete the sale if they want the person to stay.”
WHAT DID SHE DO BEFORE LEASING JACKSONVILLE?
She was a hotel sales manager for 15 years at several hotels in Jacksonville including the Holiday Inn in Baymeadows, Marriott Southpoint and the Omni downtown. Prior to the hotel business, she owned a gift shop in St. Augustine, The Brass Ring. When it closed in 1989, she went to work at the Holiday Inn in Baymeadows.
HOW DID SHE GET THE JOB AT LEASING JACKSONVILLE?
While in the hotel business, she used to associate with Leasing Jacksonville and liked their operation. “I was looking for another avenue to pursue. I wanted to leave the hotel business, but I wanted to find something that I would enjoy doing. It was long hours and I was just getting married.” She contacted the owner and got job with the company.
HOW DO REALTORS FIT INTO THE PICTURE?
“A lot of times I have the opportunity to get in with a company that is calling around checking on housing beforehand and I refer business to commercial brokers when the company is looking for office space as well.
“I want to be connected to those brokers when they are showing a company around Jacksonville and the president decides he wants to stay while he looks. I want him to stay in one of my corporate apartments. I want them to know that that is available to them and their prospective clients.”
BROKER?
Beth Ann Greenwood, owner of Leasing Jacksonville, is a licensed real estate broker.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“I love helping people. People come to us and they are frequently overwhelmed and stressed that they are leaving their home and moving. I love being able to help them to find a place to go on a temporary basis and eventually a permanent basis. We do get them connected with Realtors to buy homes when they are ready.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Make sure your bases are covered when you give information to people, whether it be a vendor you work for or someone you are working with on a personal level.”
— by Michele Newbern Gillis