When Jeannette Black looks back at her real estate career, she can safely say that she has done it all. Ran her own real estate brokerage? Check! Provided continuing education for one of the largest and most respected real estate companies in the industry? Check! Served as a regional and national real estate trainer, and an adjunct faculty for the Texas Realtors University? Check, check and check!
Yet even with this enviable career defined by a wide range of roles, Black sees herself in straightforward terms. “Thing is, I was always a teacher,” she said. “By age 12, I was teaching other students at night what the teachers were not able to get across to them that day.”
Currently, Black is Alliant National’s Lead Texas Real Estate Instructor, and she uses her gifts to provide real estate agents with the information they need to execute for clients with speed, efficiency and confidence. In doing so, she delivers an important service to Alliant National’s agents and to the larger title and real estate communities.
Early days in real estate
Even though she has long identified as a teacher, it was not initially clear that education would become a cornerstone of Black’s professional life. “I was good at math so I thought accounting might be good; however, I was also interested in real estate.” Eventually, Black parlayed that interest into a full-on career. She obtained her real estate salesperson license in 1978, her broker’s license in 1980, started her own brokerage firm and then became a part of Coldwell Realty’s franchisee network after five years in operation.
It wasn’t long, however, before Black’s long-standing affinity for teaching, training and education reentered the picture. “There was not much in the way of education for real estate agents in 1980,” she said, “therefore, I read everything I could and went to every training I could find, which was mostly through the Texas Association of REALTORS®.”
Black then turned her attention to improving realtor education and training within her own firm. “I wrote my own training program for agents I hired,” she said. “In four years, we were out-performing brokers who had been in the business 20 to 30 years and had become number one in the marketplace.” Seeing these results was a powerful confirmation of Black’s long-standing belief that “knowledge and preparation hold the key to success.”
Embracing her role as an educator
As Black’s career progressed, so did her involvement in education and training, which made her realize something about herself. “I was good at selling real estate,” she reflected about that time. “Buyers and sellers trusted and respected me. I was innovative. However, I realized that my happiness was in assisting other agents and helping them be successful – not in my own individual success as a sales agent.”
Thankfully, she continued to find ample opportunities to pursue this passion and began to make an impact on a state and national level. People were taking notice of her success with realtor education. She was invited to teach other Coldwell Banker franchises in her geographical area and “also started training for the National Association of REALTORS® under REBAC.” Later, she worked as a trainer through the Texas Association of REALTORS®.
Black discovered other ways to contribute to realtor education during this period. She served as the Education Chairman for the local Board of REALTORS®, writing and giving the first orientation for folks wishing to join the association. Black would become a fixture of the organization, acting as Education Chairman 20 times over 38 years.
Although she enjoyed each of these positions, Black still had one last itch to scratch. She had long wanted to take on the challenge of being an instructor full-time. As chance would have it, just such an opportunity would come calling in 2012 in the form of Alliant National.
Putting agent education first at Alliant National
When Black learned that Alliant National was looking to hire a full-time instructor, she leapt at the opportunity. What made the role particularly attractive was that it coincided perfectly with her life circumstances at the time. “I had a longing in my heart for 20 years to be a full-time instructor,” she explained. “But with my real estate firm and children, traveling was not something I could take on.” Alliant National, Black continued, gave her “the opportunity to fulfill [her] dream at the age 66.” Originally, she thought she would only work at the company for a few years, but to her surprise, it blossomed into a second career.
Now 12 years on, Black considers joining Alliant National one of the best things she has done professionally, as the company’s employees “have become family to me.” She has also had the opportunity to play a direct role in shaping the underwriter’s Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) education program. “Back In 2012, we began to expand the number of classes offered by Alliant National, as well as the number of title agencies we served,” she explained. By 2018, Black herself was conducting hundreds of different classes, traveling far and wide throughout the state of Texas. Further developments occurred when COVID-19 struck in 2020. Black became heavily involved in migrating Alliant National’s education offerings online to ensure that agents could continue learning despite the shutdowns.
Along with other Alliant National employees, Black saw this shift as not just a temporary response to a world-wide health event, but part of the underwriter’s long-term educational goals. “We were working toward the goal of advancing real estate education at Alliant National.” The company needed an “all-inclusive website that included both on-demand or pre-recorded classes, as well as live, in-person classes.”
It was around this time that Alliant National Academy was established. The Academy represented a major commitment on the part of the underwriter to agent education. As Black explained: “The platform requires a team of personnel – made up of real estate instructors, technology staff and communication staff. In other words, staff to advertise and promote it, staff to run the system, staff to schedule instructors, not to mention the instructors themselves.”
These commitments have continued up to the present day, as the underwriter has steadily increased the technological capabilities of its education platforms and expanded its offerings to new agencies. “What we have done with the Alliant National Academy over the last three years has really advanced our educational program,” said Black. “We are embracing digital education, which has enhanced and will continue to enhance our visibility.”
For Black, however, the increased access and visibility afforded by the Alliant National Academy is just one way in which the platform is taking agent education to the next level. It also has improved the customer experience and streamlined access to a team of instructors that is second to none. When asked about this point, Black remarked, “Our instructors each have different strengths. One advantage of our program is that, instead of one specific instructor servicing a title agent, title professionals have the ability of using the entire team of instructors via our scheduling system. It is innovative, professional and convenient for title agents. They enjoy top-notch instructors and a wide variety of courses. I am proud and grateful to be a part of the team behind the Academy.”
Continuing to serve her community
After decades of being a real estate professional, educator and trainer, Black can look back on all she has accomplished with pride. From her early industry days to her Board of REALTORS® work, to her current role at Alliant National, she has made major contributions to the industry and to the company on a regional and national level. It is a testament to not only the power of education and training but also the impact someone can have when they are driven to serve.
Perhaps most amazing, however, is that childhood drive to teach remains undiminished. Even with nearly 50 years of experience under her belt, her passion to help others succeed is as strong as ever. “I love sharing my knowledge of the real estate business. It gives me a special feeling when I see that I have taught an agent something they did not know,” she said, commenting on what keeps her connected to her work. “I know that when I decide it is time for me to retire, it will be the saddest day of my life, but there will also be other opportunities for me to serve in my community.”
As a self-described “historical document geek,” Rayni Scott loves examining old papers, leafing through personal journals and poring over household ledgers from time periods long gone. For her, discovering how people lived profoundly different lives from those we do in 2024 is fascinating. Her interest in tackling these historical puzzles also dovetails perfectly with her 20+ year career in title insurance.
As an Underwriting Counsel for the Southwest Region at Alliant National, Scott often spends her time exploring the history of properties the company is considering insuring. These records originally brought her into the field and continue to inspire her to deliver for the company’s independent agents.
To understand how Scott became the legal and title professional she is today, we must begin at the beginning. Following his retirement from the energy industry, Scott’s father became involved in real estate development. At the time, he would often bring his daughter to the county courthouse, where she would help him check ledgers to learn who owned different tracts of land that he and his business partners were interested in developing.
“I think I was the only middle schooler reviewing grantor-grantee indexes or putting together deed chains,” said Scott of those days. These early experiences left a lasting impact. Later in college, Scott’s favorite classes were Constitutional Law and Real Property Law, and she would eventually parlay her interests into a career in title examination and later in underwriting. Today, Scott’s love for historical puzzles continues to animate her work. “One of the most engaging parts of my job is putting together the puzzle,” she said. “The job doesn’t get boring. Every file offers different facts and there is always something new to learn.”
For Scott, a property’s historical details are not just meaningful in the abstract. Instead, just like the historical records she explores in her personal time, a property file can reflect the lived reality of real people. They can also certainly impact those involved in the transaction going forward. “It isn’t just paper shuffling,” she said of the profession. “Underwriters can actually make a difference in people’s lives with our answers.” The historical and the human sides of title examination and underwriting are both present in the various types of property transactions that come across Scott’s desk – including residential, commercial, multi-use and ranch land – although to varying degrees.
Residential sales, for instance, are often steeped in emotion. It is not uncommon, says Scott, for the seller to have “all their belongings in a moving van and need the sale to fund a new home – which are known as back-to-back closings.” On the other side of a residential transaction, you can have someone who is “buying their ‘dream home,’” Scott explains. If that wasn’t enough, these deals may also have problems that are “only discovered at the closing table” and can “really pull on the heartstrings.”
On the other hand, “commercial and multi-use transactions are ‘easier’ in the sense that attorneys are usually involved,” Scott notes. You can focus more squarely on the transaction’s particulars and “speak the same language when discussing reasons for exception or requirement.”
Finally, ranch land sales split the difference, which makes them “the toughest yet perhaps the most interesting,” according to Scott. These transactions require deep dives into the property’s history – including chain of title issues, mineral rights and surface estates, and waterway concerns. Yet they also frequently include lots of family members – property heirs who bring personal and emotional stakes to the table.
Given her passion for navigating both the historical and human dimensions of property transactions, it is not surprising that Scott found a professional home at Alliant National. The company is defined by its comprehensive capabilities, meticulous title reviews and responsive underwriting. Although for Scott, Alliant National also views title insurance as being about community in addition to historical and legal analyses.
Scott relates to the company’s community focus on multiple levels. Personally, joining Alliant National was a reunion of sorts: “I’ve worked with many on the Alliant National team before,” she said. But it also has a larger dimension. Recognizing that title insurance can profoundly impact people is one thing, but you also must back up such beliefs with action. Scott notes that this makes Alliant National’s investments in education and industry development so important, as they enable agents to improve service delivery and strengthen the industry overall. “I’m passionate about our webinar series,” she said. “I was also excited to learn my law school alma mater created a Real Property Clinic and that Alliant National is instituting a paid internship program to open avenues for new professionals to join our field.” Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” This principle is self-evident in real estate and title insurance. In these industries, historical records speak volumes about the forces that shaped a property and what meaning the property may have for those who lived there. Additionally, the level of care, consideration and effort put into dealing with those documents can leave a lasting mark on both the buyer and seller. Her love for historical records and acute understanding of that fact have empowered Scott to build an enviable career. They are also qualities that will help her continue to execute on behalf of Alliant National’s agents in the years to come.
Get the word out on your company by posting a steady stream of short-form content.
One thing is for sure, businesses like yours will always need an effective way to get their messages out. One of the best ways to do so is through microblogging. Producing short, snappy updates on your company is a great way to build connections with your audiences and promote your business goals and initiatives. Here is what you need to know.
What is Microblogging?
As the name suggests, microblogging is a form of blogging defined by short posts that seek to maximize engagement. Twitter has largely been the leader in this space since the mid-2000s, but many other options have emerged since then. Microblogging is no longer solely about posting short text-based messages. Today, it also encompasses video and photography-based blogging.
Why Should You Care About Microblogging?
But why should you care about microblogging at all? The data shows a clear correlation between blogging and tangible business benefits. According to recent data, “Companies with blogs produce an average of 67 percent more leads monthly than companies that don’t blog.”[i] What’s more, “Businesses that blog get 55 percent more website visitors than businesses that don’t.”[ii]
How to Get Started
While you can simply hop on Twitter to start microblogging, there are a variety of other options to explore. Let’s look at other tools agencies can use to tell their brand story:
Short-Form Videos: You have probably heard by now, but sites like TikTok have come to dominate the cultural sphere, taking up the space once occupied by Facebook. The attraction to these sites is obvious. TikTok lets you easily create compelling videos for your prospects and customers. Statistics show potential customers prefer videos over other forms of content.
Photo-Sharing Services: Similar to video, utilizing photos when sharing company updates leads to higher engagement levels. Therefore, leveraging a photo-centric site like Instagram for your microblog is a great way to expand its reach. And if you don’t want to limit yourself to just one, there are ample alternatives on the market just waiting for you to investigate.
Tried-and-true: Never discount some of the tried-and-true social media sites. For instance, LinkedIn is a great option for posting long-form, thought leadership content to grow your profile on the network and simultaneously increase your professional network.
Other Options: Of course, we could probably list microblogging options forever. Medium is yet another example of a low-cost site that offers a useful way to position your firm as an industry leader. And you can use it to post content featuring text, photos and videos.
Microblogging is a Key to Your Digital Strategy
Today’s business opportunities are on the internet. Including blogging in your digital strategy can grow traffic and raise brand awareness, not to mention drive leads and increase your overall profitability.
