Let’s face it – people want to buy from people, not a computer or mobile device. Even though we all make those online purchases, it’s still nice to know there’s a human behind the machine (somewhere). The buying process is emotional for most, particularly when it comes to real estate. People are looking to make a connection with the agent best able meet their needs, one who stands out among the crowd, who can understand where they are in life and lead them to the property of their dreams. Are you reaching above and beyond the average, delivering all you have to offer?

Personalize Your Efforts

The more personalized you make your marketing efforts, the more genuine you’ll seem to buyers and sellers. But what do you really offer, apart from finding and showing potential properties? Are you extending your reach, going beyond the competition to deliver services most others don’t? Do you strategically position yourself within the market to stand out among your colleagues? Here are a few ideas for expanding the breadth of your services, and increasing your chances for attracting new clients:

• Offer tips, little-known-facts or interesting information on a property, neighborhood or location in question. The more positive attributes people know about the properties they’re considering, the greater appreciation they’ll feel towards their new purchase.

• Provide a relocation packet. Even if simply moving from one neighborhood to the next, it’s nice to know the highlights and hot spots of a new place. Listing helpful information such as parks, schools, restaurants, daycare centers, kid-centered activities and phone numbers or website addresses of utility providers is going the extra mile.

• Post on social media about local goings-on and topics of interest. Be ever-present on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or your very own blog, reminding everyone of your talents and experience in the real estate field.

• Send holiday and birthday cards to current and previous clients. This little extra touch can go a long way in keeping the lines of communication (and referrals) open with clients.

• Offer freebies (but things people actually use). Tumblers, coffee mugs, pizza cutters, reusable grocery totes and portable power banks emblazoned with your name and contact information are hot giveaways right now.

• Stay active and visible in the local community. Volunteer for or sponsor charity or other events, or run that 5K you’ve always promised yourself you’d do.

• Send a monthly, quarterly or year-in-review newsletter. Keep all of your clients in the loop with real estate or other news, and remind them all of the wonderful things that happened throughout the year.

The more you do to give your potential and existing clients a more personalized experience, the better your chances of being the one they call or refer to when real estate needs arise.

As a real estate agent, you make it your business to know the distinct details surrounding a property, as well as the specific needs of each client. You may even have a good idea of the inner workings of settlement, a factor important for seeing your clients through the entire purchase process. In truth, the more you know about title and escrow services, the better equipped you are to deliver the ultimate in customer service to your clients – and be the one people turn to when looking to buy or sell.

Know These 6 Key Settlement Facts

1. The process of searching and rendering a clear title varies among title companies and attorneys, and even from state-to-state. Experiences from one closing process to the next may differ for both you and your clients.

2. A Lender’s Policy and Owner’s Policy serve different purposes. It’s important to make certain you know what each entails, and pass this information on to your clients.

3. To follow up fact #2, an Owner’s Policy is the only thing protecting your clients in the event problems with title are discovered after closing. Strongly encourage your clients to purchase an Owner’s Policy to avoid having to pay for someone else’s error.

4. Though not required, obtaining a survey reveals specifics of the property in question and is highly recommended for the buyer. Since many buyers are unware of such benefits, it’s a good idea to initiate this conversation and encourage them to request a property survey to protect their interests.

5. Disclosure of final closing figures is very much lender-dependent. Each lender differs in how and when they release the amount needed for closing, typically until the day before or even the day of closing. Though often a stressful time, prepare your clients to be flexible (and patient) until those final numbers are released.

6. Funds cannot be held in escrow pending issues or needed repairs detected during a walkthrough conducted the day of closing. To prevent final hour escrow concerns, avoid waiting until the last minute to schedule the walkthrough. The title company or closing attorney needs any and all invoices for work/repairs to be completed at least 48 hours prior to closing.

At Linear Title & Escrow, we are always ready to answer any questions, no matter how simple or complex. Contact us today at (757) 340-0340 to learn more about our settlement services.

We’ve all read them, left them or used them in our own purchasing decisions. But what do reviews really say about your business? Most consumers value the opinions of others, often reaching out to the online community for help when searching for a specific product, service or professional to meet their needs or wish list. Are you getting reviews for your business? How are they stacking up to the competition?

Authoritative Positioning

The more reviews you have, the more you appear as an authority within your industry. Yet, it’s not just about getting reviews, per se: You obviously want those reviews to be positive and in favor of your services. The better your reviews, the more people trust your good name and ability to provide what they need over your competition.

Going for Those 5-Star Reviews

With the obvious goal being to score 5-star reviews every time, setting specific metrics for your business is key to reaching those coveted high marks. For the best chance to impress, shoot to exceed even your own expectations on factors like:

• Quality
• Consistency
• Customer Service
• Delivering on Your Promise
• Overall Client Satisfaction

Going the extra mile and offering freebies, upgrades or add-ons (even if it’s just your time) gives you star-like quality in the eyes of your valued clients.

“Could You, Please?”

Asking for reviews can be a difficult thing for some individuals, which is why engaging the assistance of business platforms designed to attract and manage your business reviews may be the way to go if you’re stuck or find it difficult to get started. Run an Internet search for something like “get help with business reviews,” and you’ll find a whole host of organizations that can help you on your way.

Paying It Forward

We all want great reviews for our business services, but how “great” are we at leaving them for others? Pay if forward by showing your support and appreciation for products, services and professionals you use in your own life, and hope others do the same in return. Leaving reviews can even help you become better at what you do, as you evaluate what makes you really like and appreciate the item or service you’re reviewing.

How are you ranking in your business reviews?

In today’s technology driven environment, our reliance on mobile platforms is ever-increasing. We cling desperately to our phones, for they’re the invaluable gateway to the world at large – and for business professionals, often the key to our livelihood.

Since most of us depend so greatly on the cellular tether (though some still refuse to give up sticky notes and paper planners), it only makes a good deal of sense to have the most useful apps available today. Check out a few that real estate professionals are finding most useful.

Time-Saving Apps for Your Virtual Business Assistant (and by That, We Mean Your Phone)

CircleBack provides immediate, convenient access to all of your important contacts. A major highlight is its ability to keep your contacts current, updating information as it changes.

Get documents signed (in-person or remotely) and the sales process moving forward with SignEasy. This handy little app works on any platform, even when your Internet service fails you.

With Homesnap, the “Snapchat” for real estate, you can share photos and important information on a property with your buyers and other sellers, and communicate right on the app. Your convos are saved for future reference, keeping all discussions surrounding properties of interest in one convenient location.

Enjoy the capabilities of your desktop from the convenience of your phone. Microsoft Remote Desktop keeps you productive and nailing your business objectives with easy access to pertinent documents, sales agreements and other information vital to your daily business, right from your mobile device.

Live-stream video of a property to any client, anywhere with Periscope, and it’ll be like they’re right there with you. The ultra-convenient app works on both iPhone and Android platforms.

A Word About Social Media Apps

Social media platforms are widely considered to be one of the most effective ways to reach potential clients and stay connected with those you’ve previously served. Want to see your business continue to grow? Keep your social media presence relevant, current and right in front of your target market. Having these apps handy on your phone keeps you closely connected to your clients, and hopefully a bright, successful future.

What apps do you currently use to help your real estate business?

As you well know, buying a home is a huge deal for people, whether a first-time buyer or a seasoned home buying pro. Preparing your clients for what to expect throughout the process lends to a smoother settlement and a more accurate expectation for what’s to come.

Tips for Ensuring Client Preparedness

1. Provide an overview of the process, especially for first-time home buyers. People like to know what’s going to happen (or at least have a general idea). Though you’ve been through it numerous times before, your clients likely haven’t. Give them a virtual or mental walk-through of the settlement process so they can gear up for the big event.

2. Have them keep an eye out for the closing disclosure form from the lender. Kindly remind (or inform) your clients to watch for this item in the mail, so they may have an accurate idea of the financials of the transaction.

3. Ensure your clients know the amount of money they’ll need to bring to the closing table. This is a follow-up to the previous tip. In the event they don’t take the time to review the lender’s CD, it’s a good idea to prompt them to do so or review it with them.

4. Help them schedule a closing time with the settlement agent. Whether you take on this task or they do, make certain all parties are privy to that much anticipated time slot.

5. Submit home warranty, repair or termite contracts on time. Stress the importance of getting any relevant invoices to the title agent no later than 48 hours prior to closing. This way, these documents can be added to the disclosure form and handled appropriately to facilitate a smooth settlement process.

6. Put yourself in their shoes. Ask them if they have any specific questions about the closing process. (This may require some prompting, if your clients seem unsure.) What information would you want to know? It’s also prudent to give realistic expectations if bumps along the road may delay settlement.

For further details on preparing your clients for the closing process, contact Linear Title & Escrow at (757) 340-0340 today.

How do you rate in your client reviews? Do you consistently exceed the mark of excellence, or are you working hard toward reaching that goal? In this heavy field of competition, we must continually work to elevate our “brand” and unequivocally exceed client expectations to remain ahead of the pack. What can you do to stand apart from the rest? Raising the bar on your services is one place to start – even when you think you can’t possible go any higher.

Follow Through, From Start to Finish

Purchasing decisions are emotional for most people – especially when bigger price tags are involved. You clients may expect you to be the rock they need to lean upon throughout the buying process. Doing everything you can to provide resources, encouragement and just plain kindness throughout the entire experience will elevate your status when it comes time for them to review your services or provide a recommendation to others.

Anticipate Client Needs – Before They Do

Want to really impress your clients? Think ahead and anticipate their needs, questions and concerns before they do. That way, you’ll always be at the ready with a concrete answer or able to mitigate obstacles before they arise. Use your experience in past situations or place yourself in your client’s shoes to do your best to “foresee” the road ahead.

Go the Extra Mile

Just when you think you’ve done enough, do even more. Even if there’s nothing new to report, contact your clients to simply “check-in,” keeping them informed of where things stand in the buying process. Make yourself as available as possible, and do your best to go the distance in wowing them throughout the experience.

Mean What You Say, and Say What You Mean

Being completely transparent and forthcoming with relevant information builds trust, showing your honesty and integrity as a professional. Whether you have news that’ll make your client’s day or cause disappointment, be confident in your delivery and truthful with their expectations.

Fact is, it’s a tough race, with everyone vying for new or repeat business and a competitive position within the marketplace. Do whatever it takes to exceed that mark of excellence, each and every time.

Be in the business of branding your business.

 When your clients (or potential clients) hear or read your business name, does it resonate in a particular way? Does it conjure up a certain (branded) image or promise of an out-of-this-world experience? Perhaps you’ve chosen to associate your business with a catchy jingle, symbol or remarkable color combination. However you decide to brand your business, the importance lies in your ability to stand out among the crowd – especially if your business it part of an industry well populated.

Brand for Your Life

As any marketing expert will profess, branding your business properly and strategically is a cornerstone to a sound marketing plan, and ultimately your business success. It’s important to carefully consider how you want your business to be perceived and take steps to implement robust branding strategies to meet that objective. You and those associated with your brand must then continually work to support those efforts to build and maintain trust in your name, products or services, and longevity.

Be a Mover and a Shaker

Are you maximizing your efforts to support and grow your good business name? Do you analyze every marketing angle, ensuring all bases are covered? Maybe you have a talented marketing team who does all of this, but if you’re marketing on your own (or on a budget), consider these branding techniques to help you along your way:

• Know your direction. Having a clear understanding of the precise message your brand should emit is crucial. Once defined, you can then work on brand/product placement, visibility and presence within your market.

• Blanket your branding. Ensure your identifiable markers (logo, image, audio – whatever helps define your business) are well-placed, wherever appropriate to support your marketing objectives. For some businesses, this may mean everywhere and anywhere, while others may opt for selectivity as part of their branding strategy.

• Be innovative, be unique, but above all, be engaging. Standing out among the crowd often involves taking bold risks, broaching spheres of influence others have yet to attempt. Think about what tactics your target market finds engaging, and be the first to charge in that direction.

• Be consistent, and persevere. Above all, effective branding of your business requires consistency and perseverance, from all organizational representatives. Your company voice should remain fluid across all mediums, helping to establish trust and reliability in your business name.

Whatever strategies you chose, it’s important to understand that branding in a full-time effort. Your brand is essentially your business’ personality. Let it shine, engage and inspire.

The offer is in and accepted, the closing date set. The bank has approved the loan and it seems like smooth sailing from here. All that remains is for your clients to sign on the dotted line and hand over or accept the keys. Sound about right? In a perfect world, maybe, but we all know that factors beyond (anyone’s) control almost always produce some barriers to closing. Here’s a closer look at some of those more common.

Obstacles Common Among Delayed Closings

1. Defects on title discovered: Problems surrounding boundary issues, unresolved seller liens, unknown heirs or illegal deeds, among others, can all prolong the closing date until such obstacles are resolved.

2. Problems missed by appraiser arise prior to closing: Repairs overlooked or undervalued by an appraiser may indeed require repair by the bank before settlement. Issues may include interior and exterior paint, leaks and cracks along with roofing, air conditioning or heating problems.

3. Incomplete documentation: Any documentation pertinent to the real estate transaction determined incomplete by the lender must be fully and satisfactorily submitted before closing can occur. Such paperwork might include information missing from the loan application, complete list of debts or assets, or full disclosure of income.

4. Delayed inspection or homeowner’s insurance documents: For the loan to fund, a myriad of documents, among those home inspection and homeowner’s insurance paperwork, must fall into the right hands prior to closing. Getting ahead of the game and guiding your clients to do the same saves time and stress when closing is days (or hours) away.

5. Communication breakdown: For a successful, smooth closing, all parties must be transparent in their actions, working symbiotically to move the transaction forward in a timely manner. Fluidity of communication, among all parties, cannot be overstressed enough.

Staying abreast of the process and knowing exactly where it is along the path towards settlement can do wonders for the stress level of your clients, and yours as well. After all, you are the tether to which clients cling throughout the (often) tumultuous home buying process. Having a broad knowledge of the potential mishaps and obstacles potentially threatening that golden closing date helps mitigate such events, bringing you, your clients and those privy closer to the smooth ride we all hope for.

Reducing our carbon footprint is something on everyone’s mind these days, prompting us to participate in everything from recycling and using energy-efficient lighting to driving electric cars. Even businesses get in on the effort by reducing waste, and minimizing or eliminating paper usage through cloud-based file sharing and storage. But is a truly paperless work environment really possible? That probably depends on your industry, and in some cases, the laws governing your trade.

Saving a Tree or Two

Paper-saving solutions have been implemented across various industries to reduce waste, preserve natural resources and participate in eco-friendly business practices. Retailers have certainly jumped on board, following the lead banks and credit card companies established a few years back with electronic submission of statements and ATM inquiries. In many locales, it’s becoming common practice to offer the option of emailing purchase receipts rather than providing a paper receipt at the point of sale. These industries have made a concerted effort to reduce, and even eliminate, the paper stream plaguing society, at least in theory. A number of customers still prefer to have paper-in-hand when it comes to their money.

The Medical Sector Cuts Back

While some medical and dental offices are ultra-high tech, asking patients to complete medical histories and HIPAA forms either online or via tablet, others have them fill out paperwork then scan the documents into their systems. The latter still generates a fair amount of paper in the short term, in addition to the time and effort of shredding paperwork once scanned. (Doing so does, however, significantly diminish the amount of paper maintained by an establishment.) Medical and dental practices must factor in the initial software and hardware costs of integrating a truly paperless system plus the human capital needed to assist those less technically advanced when considering the jump to such an environment. Focusing on the long-term benefits and environmental advantages is great motivation to continue on this path.

Paperless Real Estate Transactions

There’s perhaps no other business situation generating such a great amount of paper as a traditional real estate transaction. From the initial contract to the very last page of settlement, pages upon pages of information must be presented and received by parties on either side. A number of companies have come to the rescue, offering up the opportunity to be a truly, bonafide paperless business. Some of these heroes include Paperless Pipeline, Real Estate Paperless Solutions and dotloop, with new companies touting paperless real estate transactions on the rise.

In general, the title and escrow sector is making to push towards a solely digital interface, yet the extent to which this occurs is largely dictated by lenders and state governments. While in some locales paperless closings are commonplace, not all states allow digital signatures. In the Commonwealth of Virginia, for instance, all closing documents must be signed on the dotted line with ink (typically blue ink, at the preference of most lenders). As technology advances, and the benefits of a paperless system embraced, we may just see the day all real estate closings are completed without pen in hand.

Is it possible to have a completely paperless environment, one without even a single sticky note? The theoretical, and realistic for some, answer is yes. It’s simply a matter of overcoming the technological learning curve and mindset, and making the concerted effort to create a truly digitized work environment.

Consider this scenario…

The closing is scheduled for tomorrow. The title company receives the binder and immediately places a call to the realtor indicating the whole thing might not go down. A couple of judgments and an unreleased deed of trust (from two decades ago) on title is threatening the thwart the transaction and demolish future plans of all parties partaking in the sale. Enough to make you run for a bottle of antacid? We think so, too.

Your Owner’s Policy, the Hero

What do you do? Well, that depends on which side of the transaction you’re on. If you’re the seller, having an Owner’s Title Insurance Policy covers your interests, likely without even having to file a claim. Clouds or defects on title not identified at the time of your purchase of the property are, in fact, covered by title insurance. Without an Owner’s Policy, however, you may have to say goodbye to selling your house and hello to a whole host of other issues.

On a side note, and speaking directly to the hypothetical situation described above, you can file a claim if the buyer’s side won’t accept anything other than release of deed of trust.

View From the Other Side

What if there is no owner’s policy? How does this affect the buyer? The title has to be cleared before purchase, of course, which may increase the time it takes to close. If the owner cannot convey clear title, however, the buyer may back out of the transaction (provided the buyer isn’t in breach of contract), and receive a refund of any deposits applied toward the property.

When Might a Claim Need to Be Filed?

Having an Owner’s Policy is a must when protecting your interests surrounding a property. As well, you never know when an unforeseen issue may arise and threaten your rights to your home, forcing you to file a claim against your policy. Some of the most common reasons for filing a claim include:

• Foreclosures with title issues (the bank would file a claim against the owner’s policy)
• Unreleased deeds of trusts
• Judgments against prior owners who weren’t found during title search or missed by the underwriter
• Undisclosed or long lost heirs to the property
• Buyer’s side fails to accept Owner’s Policy

In such a situation as those listed here, the buyer’s side could allow the seller to indemnify, but the seller assumes responsibility for defects on title in the future.

Who Files, and With Whom?

The party filing the claim all depends on the nature of the situation. With an Owner’s Policy comes a claim form that should be completed and submitted to the underwriter as soon as possible. On it, assuming you’re the party filing, you’ll need to describe the details of title clouds or other circumstances preventing you from selling your property.

 What to Expect

The Process: The underwriter’s attorney on staff will act on your behalf, taking care of all necessary paperwork. Since he/she will proceed in your best interest, there’s generally no need to seek counsel on your own accord.

Timeframe: The time is takes to work out all the kinks is circumstantial, depending on the situation and its complexity. Processing the claim could take anywhere from one month to a year.

Potential Outcome: If you’ve covered yourself with an Owner’s Policy and were issued clear title, the claim will typically pay out. Depending upon the title issue, for example the discovery of a long lost heir, the resolution may result in the loss of the property; however, you’d still be compensated for the loss by your Owner’s Policy.

The lesson to be learned is, of course, the dire need to have an Owner’s Title Insurance Policy. Ensuring swift action at the first hint of a title problem is also key to preserving your real estate interests. For more information on Owner’s Title Insurance, contact Linear Title & Escrow at (757) 340-0340 today.