settlement services: I really love working with you, but, your fees are just too high! - 08/19/14 06:13 AM
That was the call I took last month  from a Realtor with whom I have completed several transactions.  She called to tell me that she had just sold a home to a first time home buyer and that she was going to refer the transaction to me, but another title agent quoted her a fee that was $50.00 less than my normal fee.   The buyer was  just barely able to prove the required funds needed to complete closing and the Realtor wanted to make sure that title fees weren't going to keep this young buyer from achieving her dream!  She did not ask … (7 comments)

settlement services: Non Public Information, Best Practices and Title Agencies. - 08/14/14 05:41 AM
At least once a month you probably receive one or more privacy policies from companies that you do business with.  Most of us don't even bother to read these privacy policies any more because we are so used to seeing them. 
Have you ever actually given any thought to just what information your service provider is trying to protect?  Do you know what NPI is?  Do you know how yours is being protected?
What is NPI?
Non-public Personal Information is any data or information considered to be personal in nature and not subject to public availability.
Personal information includes, but … (4 comments)

settlement services: YOU HIRED ME NOW PLEASE GET OUT OF THE WAY AND LET ME DO MY JOB - 06/20/12 05:19 AM
We all have those clients that for whatever reason we wish we could fire.  You really just want to ask them "Just who do you think you are?" 
But, business being what it is we are somewhat at the mercy of demanding clients all the time and some are worse than others.
My client hired me to handle his settlement transaction, which includes of course, title search and examination, preparation of documents and the HUD-1, conducting the closing, disbursement of funds and recording of necessary documents following closing. 
At every single stage of this transaction the client has called … (0 comments)

settlement services: APPEALING YOUR PROPERTY TAX ASSESSMENT IN MARYLAND - 05/11/12 04:49 AM

 
Appealing your real estate tax assessment is something that all Maryland homeowners should be thinking of as we near the beginning of another new tax year. For those who have or will be purchasing and closing on Maryland real estate within the next month it is possible that the tax assessment for the property you are purchasing is substantially higher that the appraised value of the property.  If that is the case then you really need to appeal your tax assessment IMMEDIATELY after closing.  The appeal process is not that difficult, and depending on the value of your property, … (0 comments)

settlement services: INTERVIEWING YOUR TITLE AGENT- WHAT DO YOU NEED TO ASK? - 05/09/12 04:43 AM
QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK WHEN INTERVIEWING TITLE AGENTS by The Preferred Title Group, Inc. on Wednesday, May 9, 2012 at 2:38pm ·   It would never occur to you to enter into an agreement with a Realtor to list your home for sale or to represent you in the purchase of a home without conducting an interview of several Realtors to insure that their experience, licensing, continuing education etc. meets all of your criteria.  Nor would you place your trust in a lender wtihout conducting interviews of several lenders to insure that they are offering you the most competive rates … (2 comments)

settlement services: Title Insurance and Closing Services, Consumers should DEMAND more education, protection and transarency - 01/09/12 06:19 AM
I came across a petition the other day posted at myTitleIns.com.  This petition hits the nail on the head as it relates to the need for consumers to be better educated and better protected when selecting title and settlement service providers.
This petition reveals many of the issues surrounding the lack of consumer education and protection in the title and settlement services industry.  I would love to see a petition of this sort nationwide.
It reveals some startling facts related to title insurance in the State of Colorodo, a state I am not particularly familier with, but the similarites can be … (1 comments)

settlement services: Training the new generation of real estate "closers"- my Big Blue Bird is catching on quickly - 01/06/12 06:34 AM

Meet Skyler Blue, a/k/a Big Blue Bird.  Skyler is my sweet 15 year old Blue and Gold Macaw and he is very bright.  He has a vast vocabulary and he has learned to mimic many things that I say to him.  He calls for his Mommy, he says help me, cookie, cracker, ouch, and about 30 other words and phrases.  He has picked all of these words and phrases up simply because he has heard them over and over again over the years.  He does understand what some of them mean, for instance, he does know that if he says "Mom", I … (0 comments)

settlement services: The Affiliated Business Arrangement Addendum- What it really means to you - 01/03/12 07:24 AM
When a buyer or seller is presented with a standard contract of sale that contract can now far exceed more than 40 pages.  Among those pages is often found a page titled "Affiliated Business Arrangement Disclosure Statement"
It is not at all uncommon for the Realtor to present the contract of sale to the buyer/seller and to simply point and say "sign here, here, here and initial here, here, here."  More often than not buyer/sellers will do just that without bothering to read any part of the contract, or alternatively, simply reading what they feel to be important to them, such … (22 comments)

settlement services: Are you marketing to Realtors and Title Agents? You may want to learn more about their business - 08/30/11 09:06 AM
I work with many great companies who provide invaluable services to me.  But for some reason many of these companies just don't understand the business other than to know that their product makes our lives a little bit easier and we are a good target market for them.
What gives rise to this particular rant is the fact that today I have taken 2 calls from vendors that I do business with both of whom just wanted to "touch base".  While I love to talk to these particular sales people, I DON'T HAVE TIME AT MONTH END to have a discussion … (0 comments)

settlement services: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!!!! ANNOUNCING THE PREFERRED TITLE GROUP, INC. IN 24 MORE STATES!!! - 06/21/11 06:35 AM
I am pleased to announce that effective IMMEDIATELY we are able to offer you FULL TITLE AND SETTLEMENT SERVICES in the following states:
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NH, NJ, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, WI, WV
This new phase of our business development has been a while in the making and I am soooo excited about it. 
This will enable all of you to make one phone call to me to get the ball rolling for your closing and title needs for all of your transactions. 
Still offering you the … (0 comments)

settlement services: Protecting the privacy of your clients. How far is too far? Banning camera phones in the office? - 06/12/11 01:32 AM
I attended the National Settlement Services and Complaince Summit in Ohio last week and learned so many new things.  But one of the most interesting comments that I heard had to do with the title industry protecting the privacy of their clients.  This same concept runs to all of us in the real estate industry, we handle a lot of sensative information in the course of a transaction.  How can we best protect our client?
In our office, like all title agent's office, we maintain a privacy policy.  Our policy basically states that we WILL NOT SHARE any information with any … (0 comments)

settlement services: Getting back in the RAIN and I need some HELP - 04/11/11 08:51 AM
I have been very lax in posting for about the last month or so.  It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's that I have been busy with some other things that have just been all consuming.
I have been invited to speak at the National Settlement Services & Compliance Summit to be held in Cleveland, Ohio on June 7-8.  What an honor to have been invited.
I will be presenting on the state of foreclosures and how they impact our industry.  In particular how difficult is it to insure title on foreclosed properties, what the future holds as far … (3 comments)

settlement services: Social Media ~ Are you playing fairly? - 02/08/11 05:48 AM
Every day we all do the same thing.  We tweet, re-tweet, blog, like, comment, LinkIN and Branch out.  But, are you doing these things selfishly or are you playing fairly?
It's exciting to see your numbers increase isn't it?  You check every day to see how many people are following you, who has subscribed to your blog, who has recommended you on LinkedIn, how many have invited you to Branch Out, commented on a Face book post,  and who has tweeted or re-tweeted you and so on. 
BUT......
What have you done for your followers?  I just started using Twitter (@PREFERREDTITLE) more diligently this month. In … (2 comments)

settlement services: Is it time to replace your blankie? - 02/02/11 08:15 AM
My five year old grandaughter reminds me very much of Linus.  She has a blankie, now this blankie is not a little tiny thing that she can easily carry from place to place, NO, it's a queen size blanket that has become over the last 5 years more than a little tattered.  She particularly loves the "taggie" on the blankie, which taggie is almost gone now. Blankie goes wherever she goes, except to school.  Blankie stays in the car because she can't take it to school. She would if she could probably, but...
I was talking to her about blankie the … (2 comments)

settlement services: I HAVE PRAYED FOR THE BEST BUT AM PREPARED FOR THE WORST - 10/27/10 05:32 AM
It's a nasty day here in Maryland. Rain and humidity in abundance.  Resulting in my feeling a little blah.
My blogs usually consist of some information that I feel pertinent to the industry, but today I am going to talk about this past year and how hard it has been. 
As I look at projections for the remainder of this year I am hopeful that things are starting to turn around and that the market will stabilize and allow me to continue to have a modicum of success, but more importantly to allow me to continue to help people looking to … (0 comments)

settlement services: MARYLAND REO PURCHASES- TRICK OR TREAT? - 10/18/10 08:03 AM

There have been many articles lately in the news and on-line about the rash of foreclosure "fraud" that seemingly is running rampant in courts across the country.  And there has been much discussion about lenders "freezing" foreclosures nationwide.  While there may well be a "freeze" I can tell you that I received e-mail alerts today advising that more than 30 new properties came on the market today, all of which have gone through foreclosure and all of which are now being sold on the open market by the banks. So while there may be a freeze on new foreclosures, those … (0 comments)

settlement services: FREE MONEY TO BUYERS AND TO REALTORS- FANNIE MAE HOMEPATH ANNOUNCEMENT - 09/23/10 04:22 AM
 
 
Fannie Mae announced today that it will be offering incentives to Buyers beginning on September 23 through December 31, 2010.  The buyers will be offered an incentive of UP TO 3.5% of the final sales price which can be used toward closing cost assistance, including a home warranty, if desired and available.
The property sale must close on or before December 31, 2010 and withing 60 days of offer acceptance. The buyer must be an owner occupant and you must submit an owner occupant certification The offer of up to 3.5% is considered a seller contribution and as such … (2 comments)

settlement services: This post will not win me any friends on AR - 09/03/10 07:39 AM
I have been reading for some months now some of the comments that have been to submitted to HUD at www.regulations.gov as they relate to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA): Strengthening and Clarifying RESPA's "Required Use" Prohibition. (Docket No. FR-5352-A-01).
As a proud member of The National Association of Independent Land Title Agents I have been very outspoken about my opinion of Affiliated Business Arrangements (ABA's) and Controlled Business Arrangements (CBA's).  I firmly believe that steering consumers into using affiliates for bundled services in their real estate transactions is detreimental to consumers and to the title industry as a whole.
… (0 comments)

settlement services: I HATE TO BE ONE THE TELL YOU THIS BUT....YOU'RE DEAD - 09/01/10 07:36 AM
Did anyone read this story. It's a little scary to know that if a computer glitch says your dead, then, by God, you're dead
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2010/08/hey-banks-this-woman-is-alive.html?GT1=43001

Judy Rivers of Jasper AL is DEAD!! This bit of information came as quite the shock to Ms. Rivers when she went to her local bank to open a safety deposit box. Ms. Rivers has suffered a "digital death" at the hands of Chex Systems.
Chex Systems, which is a subsidiary of Florida-based Fidelity National Information Services Inc., said in an e-mail to msnbc.com that it could not comment on a specific consumer's situation, citing … (0 comments)

settlement services: How did I end up in Perry Hall Maryland? - 08/23/10 05:25 AM
When I decided to go out on my own to open my own title agency 12 years ago, I thought long and hard about where to locate my physical office.  I live in Whiteford, Northern Harford County which is about 40 minutes away from Perry Hall.  Because mine is a very rural community I knew that it would not benefit me to have my physical office in that location.
After looking around at various areas in the central Maryland area I decided on Perry Hall based on a few factors:
How convenient is it for my clients to get to me? … (0 comments)