Good Morning Herb,

My name is Nicolette and I have been an Escrow Officer for a little over 5 years and have been in escrow for 9 years.  These are all excellent questions in finding your escrow and title officer.  In regards to your first question, I think that you would want to ask how long that person has been in escrow as well.   There are so many assistants that have been in the business longer than I have and have never wanted to be promoted to an Escrow Officer.  Some of them may have an Escrow Officer for a year but have been in the business for years and my be more than qualified to be your Escrow officer. 

I have also learned that now days people are being promoted to Escrow Officer a lot sooner than what they should be.  I have a girlfriend that works at an Escrow Company where one of the girls in her office was made an Escrow Officer and has had less than a year experience in the business.  I take that as an insult to our profession.  It takes at least 4-5 years of being an assistant before becoming a qualified Escrow Officer and that is if their manager thinks that they are ready to handle their own desk.  It's a lot of hard work and takes alot of patience for what we do.

The other thing that I would suggest you ask is what they specialize in.  Some escrow officers have knowledge mostly in refinances and not so much in sales.  Also, what is the easiest way of reaching them?  Personally, the fastest way of getting a hold me is via email. 

I will stop here for now but if you have any other questions or comments, please let me know. 

Nicolette,

Where I am, in the Seattle Area, the sales people for Title and Escrow are not the same people as those who deliver the product.  You appear to be an Escrow Officer and not a "salesperson".  Am surprised you "market and sell" in addition to being a Closing Agent.

As Herb noted in his post, he is seeking out people because the person he used is not longer available.  That is quite often the case, and is for me as well.  So the answer is "Good things come to those who wait".

Unlike Herb, I was interviewing people all the time as the opportunity arose and had my "next person" waiting in the wings.  She was consistently "there" when we weren't using her at all.  Then one day I received the same notice as Herb, my Title guy got a promotion and wanted to introduce me to his successor.  Miss waiting in the wings stepped right up to the plate.  She was so thrilled at being given the opportunity, since by that time she had been marketing to us for about two years.  She is now our "IT" girl and I'm again interviewing for my "2nd choice" to wait in the wings.

Find a title company you like and tell them what you expect.  If they violate your standards, fire them.  Talk is cheap, you can get all the right answers from the wrong people.

Work out an ABA with them, this way you get legal referral fees for all business you referr to them.

 Charles Parrish

Thank you Herb and Ardell for the advice.  The reason why I market myself is because I am the one providing you with the service.  Sales reps can talk you up but I am the one that is going to be providing you with the service so I have found that I am not necessarily a better "salesperson" but I am going to tell you upfront what type of service that I PERSONALLY provide.  I have found that agents respond better to that but it is still sometimes hard to get them to give me a try.  Thank you again for the advice.  I really appreciate it! 

Herb,

First of all ,  happy easter , then I want to say that great blog, good questions for the title companies,

thanks for that Herb

Herb,

I think that the questions above should be asked by all real estate agents/brokers. Not often are they asked. I personally let them know up front that I don't consider myself to be the best out there or the most knowledgeable, but that I will sure try to meet their expectations. Talk is cheep and that's why I work real hard to prove the difference!

I think it's important that you add the following question to your list:

Do you have any formal training/certifications?

Other than in states where escrow licensing is mandated by law, there are no formal training requirements for becoming an escrow officer or assistant. However, completion of escrow and real estate coursework can increase your knowledge overall resulting in better day-to-day performance. Many community colleges offer a variety of real estate courses including Escrow Principles, Real Estate Economics, and Real Estate Practices. Among escrow organizations offering education, the California Escrow Association (CEA) stands out. CEA has been instrumental in developing standards and increasing professionalism throughout the industry and founded the American Escrow Association (AEA) to provide training nationwide. CEA, AEA, and the Escrow Institute offer training and testing for existing escrow personnel leading to the following professional designations:

• Certified Escrow Officer (CEO)
• Certified Senior Escrow Officer (CSEO)
• Mobile Home Specialist (CMHS)
• Bulk Sales Specialist (CBSS)
• Certified Escrow Instructor (CE)
• Certified Escrow Technician (CET)

I am a member of the CEA, AEA, and the Escrow Institute of California and currently working on my CEO designation. The designations are not easy to obtain. But during the process of obtaining my designation, I have however, earn several other certifications pertaining to escrow. Such as completion of courses.

You may read more of requirements to get started in escrow. 

http://activerain.com/blogsview/70472/Getting-Started-in-Escrow

Now with regard to your Escrow Officer "boom she was gone." I think it was very inconsiderate of her part on not notifying her clients that she was leaving. No matter what the reason. You always know when you are leaving a job. And when in doubt you get fired, well at least call your clients to give them some peace of mind. Don't just leave them out of the loop. I personally have left several escrow companies in the past, and have always kept my clients in the loop. When I am leaving, who will take care of their files, when the files will be transferred to my new office, etc. I give my clients peace of mind that no matter what, I will always be involved one way or the other. I guess that's why till this date, my clients have been loyal to me and have followed me throughout my career.

Best of luck with finding your Escrow Officer for life! To bad your out in Portland.

Herb,

Part of my job as the Business Development Rep for Western Title & Escrow in the Portland area is to team new clients up with one of our many escrow agents.  I won't just send them to whoever needs business at the time.  I want to help build a solid working relationship that will last.

So, usually the first thing I ask both the new client, and the escrow agent (when I originally meet them) is "What kind of business do you usually close?"  Nicolette mentioned that in her 1st post.  What do they specialize in?  The answer to that question usually helps me start down the path of teaming someone up with what I think will be a good match that will last.  If the client tries us out, and the match doesn't work, then I failed in my matchmaking abilities (I'm no match.com with a 6 month guarantee!).  I learn from the failure, why it happened, what caused it, and try not to let it happen next time.

I was a mortgage broker for almost 5 years.  I dealt with pushy AE's and Title reps.  Can't stand them.  I've incorporated those experiences into my everyday work habits, and seem to be building a foundation of greatness for our company here in Portland.

I like your list of questions.  It's very thorough.  

By the way, next time you're looking for someone to step up into the bullpen, let me know. 

Take care,

Jeff