Jay grew up in the small town of Brooksville, located 40 miles north of Tampa. In 1978, the family moved to Tampa, where he graduated from Plant High School in 1981. He then attended Florida State University and earned degrees in finance and real estate in 1985. Jay then returned to Tampa and worked for Bay Area Appraisal Services, appraising houses for six years. He joined Lee Pallardy, Inc., in 1991, and has been actively involved in commercial appraisal, brokerage, and development of real estate since that time. He is a member of the Appraisal Institute and holds the MAI and SRA designations. He is also a registered real estate broker/salesman, and a Florida Certified General Real Estate Appraiser.

Jay is married to Laura Talley, and they have three children, ages 16 (J.T.), 14 (Haven), and 12 (Landry). He and his family live in Odessa, and are active members of Van Dyke Church in Lutz.

Jay has been actively involved in the appraisal of all types of real estate on the west coast of Florida. He is qualified as an expert witness in the Hillsborough, Pasco, and Hernando County Circuit Courts. He, along with the rest of the appraisers at Lee Pallardy, Inc., has developed a reputation for providing sound appraisals with well documented and market supported value conclusions.