For title agents, there are so many things that can go wrong when it comes to a real estate transaction which are beyond their control. But ‘tis the season to focus on the good so we’re writing a Christmas list that only a title agent or real estate professional could identify with.
That’s why we’re bringing you our exclusive 12 Days of Christmas for Title Agents. Spoiler alert: there isn’t a single bird on there.
The 12 Days of Christmas for Title Agents:
12 Responsive HOA’s
11 Realtor Referrals
10 Processors Processing
9 Forgiving Underwriters
8 Clear to Closes
7 Perfect Mail Aways
6 Bottles Poppin’
5-Star Reviews
4 Payoff Letters
3 Mobile Notaries
2 Balanced Ledgers
And a Lender Who Gets Back to Me
A Lender Who Gets Back to Me
Having good communication with a lender is one of the best things that can happen to your closing experience. However, you don’t always have control over what communication will be like. You can employ strategies to help improve it, like the ones in our blog about improving communication between lenders, title agents, and Realtors, but working with a communicative and helpful lender is really a treat.
Two Balanced Ledgers
Nothing feels better than getting the CD from the lender to see that it’s perfectly balanced with your own. Otherwise, you’ve got to launch into the tedious work of going through line by line to figure out where the discrepancies are — something you can’t avoid, but don’t really have time for. Standardizing the real estate transaction has been a Goliath-sized problem that the mortgage industry and the American Land Title Association have undertaken. Two new closing instructions forms introduced by MISMO were created to help reduce errors and increase productivity. Implementing these forms when they are finalized is designed to benefit both the lender and settlement agents. It’s a win-win for efficiency.
Three Mobile Notaries
A savvy title agent should have at least three mobile notaries on speed dial in case of an emergency. With all the uncertainty when it comes to state laws for e-signing and remote online notarization, there’s still a really big need for mobile notaries. Regardless of technological advances, some buyers will always want that in-person interaction. These neutral third-party angels of the seal stamp play a huge part in the success of a closing.
Four Payoff Letters
Getting all the needed payoff letters in a timely manner is just one more thing that needs to happen to keep a closing on track. Whether the payoff letters are for a loan, a utility ledger, or a lien, it’s an integral part of making your closing dreams come true.
Five-Star Reviews
Who needs golden rings when you can get the gift that keeps on giving? It means a lot when a customer thanks you for a job well done and it’s really gratifying, but the highest honor is when they leave that coveted 5-star review. When you get a 5-star review, it doesn’t just raise your overall rating as a business on Facebook, Google, Yelp, or any other platform, prospective customers will look to reviews when making the decision to use you. Honest and helpful reviews are more important than ever. If you’re interested in getting more 5-star reviews, check out our blog on growing your business with strategies that put your customers first.
Six Bottles Poppin’
This one is self-explanatory. In a perfect world, you’d have no fewer than 6 bottles of bubbly ready to go chilling in the office refrigerator at all times. And they wouldn’t be for clients, they’d be just for you.
Seven perfect mail-aways
A mail away is often necessary and sometimes a welcome option for a closing, but it’s rare to get one back without some kind of error. So, a perfect mail away is like a dream come true, even if it requires a miracle.
Eight Clear to closes
The most glorious three words in the English language you can hear from a lender. That proverbial sigh of relief. This is where those poppin’ bottles come in handy
Nine forgiving underwriters
If you’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to, it’s ideal to work with gracious and forgiving title underwriters who will have your back. We know that realistically, an agent can get into some hot water with an underwriter. Check out these three mistakes title agents made that ended in underwriter lawsuits so you can avoid them.
Ten processors processing
Sometimes it feels like you’re juggling the workload of ten people. t If everyone had their own team of processors behind them to help them get to the closing table you’d basically be able to rule the world, right? In the event you don’t have a support team of ten, have you ever considered getting help with certain closing tasks, see our list of questions a title company should ask before outsourcing due diligence.
Eleven Realtor referrals
How sweet would it be to just get eleven deals from a Realtor right about now? That may stress some people out, but I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got those ten processors in your back office. In the event you need some tips on getting more Realtor referrals, we interviewed a top-producing real estate agent about what he values most in a title company.
Twelve responsive HOAs
In a perfect world, every homeowner’s association you reach out to would answer the first time you call and get you your estoppel certificate or closing letter in less than a day In the event that we’re not in a perfect world, it may be helpful to find ways to save time while closings in an association.
If you could rewrite the 12 days of Christmas, what would be a dream come true for you?
Happy holidays from all of us at PropLogix!
