Jimmy and Barbara Tawater of Northgate Title Escrow in Hixson are under the impression that closings are supposed to be simple. Perhaps they missed the memo about how nothing in real estate is designed to be easy.
Yet their marketing materials make a bold and audacious claim: “We make closings simple.”
Sitting at a table where many of these allegedly simple closings have taken place, Barbara says it again - with a straight face: “We make closings simple.”
Jimmy is the first to crack - a smile, of course. Then he says, “If we do our job, then the buyer never knows it’s been a struggle getting to this table.”
So, the husband and wife team doesn’t brandish a magic eraser that can rub out problems at will; rather, simple closings are about their timing when finding problems and their expertise in resolving them.
“Most closings go smoothly,” says Barbara. “But when one does have an issue, we have a staff that can knock it out.”
It’s another bold and audacious claim, but this time, Jimmy doesn’t crack a smile. Dealing with obstacles to a sale is serious business.
“We might have a buyer who’s purchasing a house from a brother and a sister who inherited the property when mom and dad died,” he says. “But the will also names another brother, so there are actually three siblings. When we discover this, we make it our business to find the other brother. If we get to the closing table without dealing with that, then no one will leave happy.”
Easements and property liens are among the other common issues that crop up. The first thing Jimmy does when dealing with any roadblock is call the seller’s Realtor.
“I’m the guy no one wants to get a call from,” Jimmy says, “but we never go around the Realtor unless he or she has given us permission to talk with the client or a lawyer.”
Once Jimmy, who manages title searches and underwriting, has the blessing of his clients, he and his staff get to work.
“Perhaps a seller’s business failed and the IRS placed a lien on his property without his knowledge. That places a cloud over the title,” he says. “So we communicate with the IRS to either get a release or arrange for a payoff, and then we have the seller sign some things.”
Issues can also crop up in the most unexpected places. For example, Jimmy and Barbara have seen their share of underage buyers in recent months.
When such issues are resolved, Barbara or one of her closers get to do their job. In other words, they get the fun part.
“We enjoy helping people to achieve the American dream,” she says, and then she apologizes for leaning on a cliché. But she’s right. Barbara, Jimmy and the many other workers in the title and escrow industry are an important part of helping people to fulfill the dream of securing a place to live their lives.
“Helping people get into a home is a happy experience,” she says. “There’s a lot of paperwork, which can be scary, but we keep things light and make sure everyone has a pleasant experience. A closing should be nothing more than signing the documents, getting the keys, and moving on.”
The Tawaters have combined escrow industry experience exceeding 60 years. Barbara’s first job in the business was secretarial; Jimmy simply wanted to buy a kayak.
“I was playing music full-time, and I didn’t want to go into debt for anything other than the roof over my head,” he says. “My mom was working at Title Escrow of Chattanooga, and told me one of the principals needed help during back tax season. The rest of history.”
That history includes Jimmy and Barbara meeting at Title Escrow of Chattanooga and then getting married. It also involved Jimmy doing “four years of boot camp” at Title Guaranty and Trust. Then one of the principles of Title Escrow of Chattanooga made Barbara an offer she couldn’t refuse, and in 1995, Northgate Title Escrow was born.
The pair has worked together ever since.
They aren’t alone, though. Their staff includes two additional closers, an underwriting assistant, a lady that handles title policies, and another lady that prepares the files for closing. Barbara names only the front desk clerk, Donna, although she has nothing but good things to say about her entire staff. “We couldn’t do this without them,” she says.
With their help, Northgate Title Escrow strives to live up to its bold and audacious claim of making closings simple.
“When issues are addressed prior to closing, everything goes smoothly,” Jimmy says. “The buyers aren’t even aware anything was going on. It’s all smiles and congratulations.”