Stephanie White is the broker/owner of Stephanie S. White Realty located in her home in Ponte Vedra Beach.
RECENT MOVE?
She moved here in August from Tallahassee to open a branch office of her company, which she has owned for three years. Her husband, a regional credit analyst for BB & T, and was offered an opportunity in Jacksonville, so they took it. “I’m licensed and have almost nine years of experience,” said White. “In some respects it is like starting over, but I also have the experience to back it. Even though it would be tough, it was the beach. It is kind of an exciting opportunity. I think we both felt there was more opportunity for us to grow here. There might be an initial bump or learning curve, but ultimately I think we both feel we would be better in the long run.”
BEFORE HER OWN COMPANY?
She was a Realtor with Armor Realty in Tallahassee for six years.
WHY OPEN OWN COMPANY?
When she got pregnant with her first child, she felt that she had enough experience and skills to try it on her own, so she opened her own company. “I wanted to cut back on my work load, but still make the same amount of money.”
SPECIALTY?
New construction. She represented a builder for six years in Tallahassee. “He did custom homes only. He was an architect and a general contractor, so he would design the home with the client and then he would build the home. It worked really well because you didn’t lose anything in the translation. It gave me really good experience in learning how the design process goes and also how it is carried through to the construction phase. I learned how you design a home for a specific piece of land. I really learned a lot from it and it was a good experience.”
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS NOW?
White came here with one of three things in mind: represent a builder, contact a top producer and see if they wanted a buyer’s agent or go into management. “I have a lot of experience with chairing committees and teaching small classes and I enjoy doing that.” After exploring her options, she is looking at either continuing her company here or going into management.
BEFORE REAL ESTATE?
White was in banking. She did computer operations for a credit union and then loan processing for a mobile home finance company. “I learned a lot about loan processing.” Then she worked for the credit bureau of Tallahassee as a sales representative.
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Probably one of the most difficult lessons I learned was delegation. I was of the mind set that if I want it done right, I’d have to do it myself. It was difficult for me to learn how to give away some of the tasks. I learned it by chairing committees through the Tallahassee Board of Realtors. In my first committee, I tried to do it all and it was overwhelming. Slowly, I learned to delegate and that just because something isn’t done the way I would do it doesn’t mean it isn’t being done correctly.”
HOMETOWN?
Athens, Ga.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS?
Beaches Business Association and Northeast Florida Association of Realtors Beaches Marketing Meeting and Ponte Vedra Council. She is also on the finance and professional standards committees for the NEFAR. “I was the chair of the professional standard’s committee in Tallahassee.”
PERSONAL SIDE
She has been married to Lee for 10 years and they have two children. When dining out, she enjoys McKenzie’s in Ponte Vedra Beach. Her favorite getaway spot is St. George Island. When relaxing, she loves to curl up with a Stephen King novel and cites “The Shining” as her favorite of all time. Her favorite movie of all time is “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” When she is not working, she enjoys going to the beach, reading, exercising and spending time with family.
- by Michele Newbern Gillis