Title Talks

54% of Title Professionals think that title insurance alternatives are a threat to their business according to the most recent State of the Title Industry Report. What can they do about it? Well, being more engaged in the conversation is step one. The American Land Title Association's Chris Morton is here to share with us the risks associated with AOLs and other alternatives as well as steps agents can take to advocate for the consumers they protect. For resources and links, visit our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-68/

Data shows that although women account for nearly 80% of the title and settlement industry, they only account for 20% of leadership roles. Our guest this episode is Kim Whitlock, who works for woman-led underwriter, Westcor, but is also the founder of Women in Title - an organization providing support and a chance to network for women in the industry. Learn how you can join their cause and how your organization can work to better support career growth for females in title. Check out the resources mentioned in this episode on our show notes page here: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-67/

This week, we're talking about the history of racial covenants, or racially restrictive covenants, and the impact they have on housing and our communities today. Kirsten Delegard is a historian who heads up the Mapping Prejudice Project at the University of Minnesota. She's on with us this week to share more about the importance of identifying these covenants and how land title professionals like you may be able to help. To learn more about the Mapping Prejudice program, you can visit our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-66/ Are you a Title Professional looking to streamline your operations and save time? Check out our time-saving title support services here: https://www.proplogix.com/services/

Welcome to the latest edition of Title Talks: Hot Takes! This week Lindsey is on her own and sharing two stories dominating the real estate news, including new stats from Realtor.com that show the real truth behind home value increases, as well as the buzz on mortgage rates and the impending jobs report. Don't miss a Hot Take - Follow or Subscribe to Title Talks! Highlights and headlines from this episode: - This Metric Shows How Much Home Values Have Risen Since 2019 (Realtor.com): https://bit.ly/3Rg6awk - All Eyes on Friday's Jobs Report (CNBC): https://bit.ly/4aT34oY

It's been said that if you don't build your company culture, one will form on its own. That's why it's vital to be intentional about the values you want to foster and uphold. The good news is that it is possible to foster a culture of efficiency, but it involves everything from how you train and hire to how you set and share goals, organize teams, and communicate. Today's guest, Tyler Lee of Beyond Title, has spent years building and refining large, multi-state title operations and now helps title companies of all sizes do the same. Grab a pen and save this episode, because it's packed with useful tips you can implement immediately. For resources from today's show visit: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-65/ To learn about time-saving services and the difference you get when working with PropLogix, go here: https://www.proplogix.com/services/

Welcome to the latest edition of Title Talks: Hot Takes! This week Becky and Lindsey talk about the latest study from ALTA about the impacts of fraud and forgery on the real estate and title industry, as well as new numbers on housing inventory and what that means for the market. Don't miss a Hot Take - Follow or Subscribe to Title Talks! Highlights and headlines from this episode: - Housing Inventory Hits 4-Year High (Realtor.com): https://bit.ly/4aD3fVC - ALTA Study Shows Cost of Fraud & Forgery (Housingwire): https://bit.ly/4bmKmHs

There are many moving parts when it comes to helping facilitate a 1031 Exchange and settlement agents need to be on top of their game for successful exchanges. However, being able to close these types of transactions can mean repeat business for your company. Today's guest, Eric Brecher of C.D.E.C. 1031, is a Certified Exchange Specialist and qualified intermediary. He's sharing what you need to know to approach 1031 Exchanges confidently. For resources mentioned in this podcast, visit our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-64/

Welcome to the latest edition of Title Talks: Hot Takes! This week Becky shares the latest after joining ALTA on Capitol Hill to talk to lawmakers about the Protecting America's Property Right Act and the issues with the misguided title waiver program. Additionally, we share more on the rate cuts that weren't and what NAR's Chief Economist Lawrence Yun has to say about when we can expect them. Don't miss a Hot Take - Follow or Subscribe to Title Talks! Highlights and headlines from this episode: - Info from ALTA on Title Waiver Pilot: https://bit.ly/3JU7MI7 - ALTA Title Action Network: https://bit.ly/3JS0ULx - Protecting Americans Property Right Act: https://bit.ly/3UAKBaJ - NAR's Yun on Rates: https://bit.ly/4adaX8r

Welcome to our latest project from Title Talks! Every other week we're going to bring you some "Hot Takes" on the biggest stories in the industry and why you should care about them. This week we're talking about these stories: - More Inventory in Texas and Florida Results in Price Cuts: https://bit.ly/4bjxx0i - CFPB Considers Ban on Homeowners Paying for Lender' Policies: https://bit.ly/4bcJx3K - FTC Bans Non-Compete Agreements: https://bit.ly/3Qv28jj Make sure to subscribe or follow so you never miss an episode of Title Talks and Hot Takes!

This episode is all about the Power of Professional Friendships and how they bring richness to your career and life. Our guests are Taylor Spolidoro (ALTA) and Kristi Kaufman (Fidelity). These two met remotely and have since taken their long-distance friendship to new heights (like the epic girl's trip they were on when we recorded this.) It's a must-listen for anyone afraid to put themselves "out there" and who doesn't feel ready to show up just as you are. Resources for this episode are available here: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-63/

The benefits of using video for your title business are too many to count. Video gives you the chance to scale your outreach, connect with your audience, and humanize your brand. It's one of my all-time favorite topics and I'm so happy to have Bowe Digital's Wayne Stanley join me to talk about why you need to be doing video for your business and how to get started. I'll tell you now, it's not as hard as you think. Subscribe or Follow Title Talks on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode. If you're feeling generous, leave us a review! For resources from this episode visit: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-62/

It seems like we can't get through a week without news of a massive wire fraud scam or a company falling victim to a ransomware attack. Title Agents and Agent Attorneys are like sitting ducks to fraudsters ready to take advantage of your vulnerabilities. Knowing how to prevent an attack is so vitally important, but so is having a rock solid incident response plan (IRP) so that's what we're focusing on today. Our two expert guests areTom Cronkright, title agency owner and security expert (CertifID) and John Kosogof, attorney and the VP of Underwriting and Claims for The Security Title Guarantee of Baltimore. Check out our show notes here: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-61/

This episode's guest, Sam Trimble, is a VP of Strategic Development for Fidelity National Title. He's as passionate about bringing the industry into the future as he is about marketing, sales, and technology. It doesn't matter if your title operation is big or small, these three pillars we discuss in this episode will help you future-proof your business, no matter what the market brings. Let's get to it! Check out the headlines, resources, and highlights from this episode: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-60/

If you're ready to start seeing meaningful growth in your title organization, you'll love this episode's guests: Darryl and Raquell Turner of the Darryl Turner Corporation. They train and coach the title industry to win at sales. We're chatting about what it's like to work and grow your business with your significant other. Plus, we're talking sales secrets like what you might be getting wrong and how to develop a plan that will take you through the uncertainty of 2024. Show Notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-59/ Sign up for our upcoming webinar on April 16 with Darryl: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/9139429159790627416

It's easy to forget or skip after you issue the policy, but the implications of one missed release or satisfaction can mean costly curative, delayed closings, and unhappy customers down the line. According to our guest and curative expert, Ayla Pettyjohn "An ounce of release tracking is worth a pound of curative work." Today we're joined by Pettyjohn and David Harrington from PropLogix. They're here to tell us all about what Lien Release Tracking is and how it can stop many title issues before they ever happen. To get to those resources we mentioned, visit our website: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-58/

Welcome to Season 5, Title Talks Listeners! In this episode, we're talking about how to craft a marketing strategy from scratch and I've invited my colleagues from the PropLogix marketing team to help! Whether you're just launching your business or ready to get serious about marketing, this episode will help you out. This is also our first-ever time adding top real estate headlines. Let us know what you think about it. For more resources and links to the headlines, please visit our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-57/

In this episode, we sit down with John Dyer, President of Nova Title Agency, an independent agency with two offices in Ohio. He talks about how his business has made it through the tough times and shares advice on having difficult conversations, keeping your business efficient, and navigating ever-present fraud risks. For the show notes from this episode, you can head to https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/ To download the 2023 State of the Title Industry Report, you can go to https://stateoftitle.com/ For more information on time-saving services that will help your title company be its most efficient, head to https://www.proplogix.com/services/

Deb Grace does Business Development for AccuTitle (she's an EVP), and she has a reputation for warmth and action that precedes her. She works closely with her clients and also serves on committees for ALTA, as well as serving as an ambassador for the ALTA One conference for newcomers. Over the last year and a half, she said part of her job has been helping her customers gear up for a market turnaround and serve as a pseudo-therapist for those continuing to struggle with the tough market. In this episode, we talk about the tips she's given and some creative ways agencies are staying in the game. For the show notes from this episode, you can head to https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/ To download the 2023 State of the Title Industry Report, you can go to https://stateoftitle.com/ For more information on time-saving services that will help your title company be it's most efficient, head to https://www.proplogix.com/services/

Today's guest is the CEO of the American Land Title Association, Diane Tomb. In this episode we talk about the biggest issues facing title agents from the economy to unregulated title insurance alternatives, to the rise in fraud and explore ways that you can get involved to protect our industry and our shared goal of protecting homeowners. For the show notes from this episode, you can head to https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/ To download the 2023 State of the Title Industry Report, you can go to https://stateoftitle.com/ For more information on time-saving services that will help your title company be it's most efficient, head to https://www.proplogix.com/services/

Our guest today openly admits she had a rough start in the title industry, but with a combination of persistence and taking advantage of the resources and people there to help along the way she's been able to take that knowledge and help many other agents going through the same struggles. I'm talking about Andi Bolin, a Texas-based Agency Sales Rep for Stewart Title. Andi's experience makes her uniquely suited for her role to support agents and to provide advice on everything from getting through the tough times, leading with empathy and humility, and tips for evaluating vendors. There's a lot packed into this one, so be sure you listen until the end. For the show notes from this episode, you can head to www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/ To download the 2023 State of the Title Industry Report, you can go to stateoftitle.com/ For more information on time-saving services that will help your title company be its most efficient, head to www.proplogix.com/services/

In this special episode of Title Talks, we pick the brain of Title Industry veteran Brent Scheer. He's a self-described recovering auditor and accountant who is always looking at the economy and numbers so less nerdy folks like you and me don't have to! He's the COO at Advocus National Title (new name!), and this episode is packed full of insight on when we'll see a break in rates, how to get through the tough times, and his take on AI. For the show notes from this episode, you can head to https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/ To download the 2023 State of the Title Industry Report, you can go to https://stateoftitle.com/ For more information on time-saving services that will help your title company be its most efficient, head to https://www.proplogix.com/services/

There's a growing fraud trend in the real estate and settlement world that hits on the vulnerabilities of multiple parties and scammers are literally selling properties out from under their rightful owners. Our guest is Tyler Adams, CertifID CEO and fraud expert, and he's here to teach us how to spot Seller Impersonation Fraud and how to stop it before it's too late. Check out resources in the show notes on our site: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-51/

If you're struggling in this market, you're definitely not alone. However, if you're among the 50% of title companies with no sales or marketing support, you probably feel it even more. This episode's guest, Mitch Sullivan, SnapClose CMO and marketing consultant, shares tangible steps to improve your marketing with great ROI.

HousingWire's title industry reporter, Brooklee Han, joins us in this episode to share the title and real estate industry news headlines you need to follow because they could have big impacts on your business. For more details and links, check out our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-49/

After we hosted a record-setting webinar about the Basics of Land Surveys with survey expert, Akkad Bakhsh, we had a lot of questions from title professionals that we didn't have time to answer live. We invited Akkad back for this episode to answer more of your burning land survey questions. Access the show notes for this episode here: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-48/

In a world where you can watch the delivery driver turning on to your street with your Pad Thai order, pay for your coffee without ever pulling your wallet out, or get almost anything you could need delivered within two hours - it's no surprise that our expectations are sky high for fast services and convenience. The title and settlement industry, by contrast, still suffers from slow processes, poor communication, and a lack of transparency. The gap between how consumers are used to getting what they need when they need it, and the often opaque transaction process is huge. CloseSimple co-founders Paul Stine and Bill Svoboda join me to talk about how you can begin closing that gap by evaluating and improving your customer experience with more transparency and better communication. Check out the show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-47

You've probably heard a lot about unregulated alternatives to title insurance, but are you familiar with the Fannie Mae pilot program that would allow a waiver for title insurance in special circumstances? In this episode, we share our webinar with special guest Chris Morton, the SVP of Public Affairs and Chief Advocacy Officer at the American Land Title Association. We talk about what the program is and the potential impacts it would have on buyers, lenders, and the title industry. To learn more, visit the show notes for this episode at https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/

Finding yourself in a soft market just means you have the time and opportunity to implement changes that will help you gain market share before things take off again. Our guest, Dr. Cindy McGovern, is known as the First Lady of Sales, and she's joining us to give all the advice for growing your business! Find the episode show notes here: https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/

Right-to-list agreements are popping up across the country, and vulnerable homeowners are being targeted with 40-year covenants that lead to big financial burdens down the line. Listen as Nancy Gusman; a Maryland-based real estate attorney, talks about what title agents can do to recognize these agreements and protect their clients. Check out our show notes for more details and helpful links: https://www.proplogix.com/resource/podcasts/

With significant trends like the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting hitting the workforce, it's more important than ever to be sure your employees are engaged and happy. You worked hard to build a great team, and you want to make sure that they want to stick around. This episode's guest, Wayne Stanley, started his company with this as the primary focus. Don't worry if you didn't, because he is sharing ways that you can retain your rockstars and create an environment where they feel appreciated and motivated to do their best work.

Donna Anderson has held many positions throughout her career in real estate, mortgage, and title. With that experience, comes a variety of exposure to different management styles; some great, some not-so-great. She's well known in the industry as an expert in cultivating a winning company culture, and one way to do that is to be the kind of manager your people will never want to leave. In this episode, she shares how you, too, can adapt to be the best manager you can be to help retain talent for your organization.

Title Sales Coach, Darryl Turner, joins us to talk about ways to grow your customer base. From understanding your unique sources of business to figuring out the formula for customer attrition, you'll learn actionable ways to make a serious impact on your business.

No matter the market you're facing right now, you will never regret taking the time to make your operation more efficient. It's especially important if you are experiencing a drop in orders to use this time to evaluate your current business processes and ensure that you're running as efficiently as possible. We're joined by title operations and technology experts, Kay Underwood-Zach and Brie McDaniel from Title Insurance Consultants, LLC. They're sharing how you can start evaluating and taking action in your business for a more resilient and profitable future. Checkout show notes for more helpful resources at: www.proplogix.com/resources/podcasts

In this episode, we hear from a senior economist for the National Association of Realtors, Nadia Evangelou. Nadia shares predictions for what to expect in the coming months as many title and real estate professionals are feeling the effects of the market returning to what she describes as more normal levels compared to 2021.

You know you have to be doing something right when people are constantly commenting on how good your branding is, so we wanted to share some of the secret foundations we used to build the PropLogix brand. In this episode, I pick the brains of PropLogix co-founder and CEO, Jesse Biter, as well as our Chief Marketing Officer, Becky Tassell, about the fundamentals of good branding.

No matter your personal feelings about HOAs, if your deal is governed by an association, they're unavoidable. Working with an association tactfully can help keep your deal on track and in this episode, our HOA experts are sharing their hard-won strategies with you. To learn more about working with associations, check out our show notes: https://www.proplogix.com/podcasts/ep-37-how-to-have-better-interactions-with-hoas. Title Talks is a production of PropLogix.

Erica Peterson joins us to talk about The Title Report's Voice of the Title Agent survey and report which was just released last month. She talks about some of the biggest concerns facing title agents in the coming year and where they see the biggest opportunity for growth. Happy listening and happy closings!

After spending more than a decade in the mortgage industry, Jason Doshi switched gears to develop Paymints.io with his brother. Their vision is to provide a solution to eliminate paper checks, reduce wire fraud, and recreate the seamless customer experience we've grown accustomed to in other industries.

Stephanie Fullerton has worked as a commercial escrow officer and at a title production software vendor. This mix of industry experience over the course of a decade revealed the gaps between those working in the industry, those regulating it, and those providing technology solutions. In response, she eventually founded Streamline Consulting to help title companies bridge these gaps, become more efficient, and reach their business goals. In my conversation with Stephanie, we discuss how title companies can evaluate solutions for better data management, preventing cyberattacks, training teams to use the software in a way that suits their operations, and driving more awareness of the industry.

Alanna.ai is a virtual closing assistant aimed to enhance the customer experience for title companies, but is your business ready to take the leap to artificial intelligence? This episode, Amanda is joined by Alanna.ai president, Hoyt Mann, and he shares how AI can not only make that customer experience better, but also relieve duties from your overburdened staff in busy times to make your operations more efficient.

Long before the Great Resignation, the title industry was struggling to find new talent to fill roles. Rather than stealing talent from one company or underwriter, the answer to our dilemma is to seek the right candidates outside the industry, but finding the right people to fill these roles takes some effort. Amanda chats with two guests, Lindsay Hall Harrison and HR and recruiting specialist Jennifer Niccolai, to learn the skillsets and personality traits that will make a candidate successful in title.

This week, Stewart Title's Florida underwriting counsel, Lindsay Hall Harrison, shares some perplexing tales from the underwriting desk with Amanda and proves that title insurance is anything but boring.

Rather than relying on the real estate agent to educate buyers and sellers, many title agents are taking a big step forward to educate consumers about the value and intricacies of title insurance. Amanda sits down with members of the ALTA Homeowner Outreach Program to chat about how agents can effectively communicate the value of our industry to those that will benefit the most from it.

This week Amanda is joined by the founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of Bowe Digital, Wayne Stanley. Bowe Digital is a marketing company that works primarily with title companies. In this episode, Wayne shares secrets for creating the kind of marketing content that matters to your customers.

Once the pandemic hit, the old and inefficient ways of selling came to a screeching halt. Now that things are returning back to a semblance of normalcy, sales expert Darryl Turner is concerned salespeople in the title industry will happily go back to their old ways. In this week's episode Amanda chats with Turner about bringing title sales into the 21st century and understanding the difference between new business and customer retention. All listeners also have a chance get $50 off Turner's Title Sales Mastery Seminar in Reno, NV in October with promo code PROPLOGIXVIP2021.

Amanda sits down with the two founders of Title Success Solutions to talk about the ways to set up a merger or acquisition - as well as what you can do after the transaction to make a successful transition no matter if you're on the buying or selling side.

Amanda is joined by Tom Cronkright, the owner of Michigan's Sun Title, and co-owner and CEO of wire fraud prevention company, CertifID. Tom shares tips for protecting your customers and your business from THE costliest and most pervasive form of fraud facing real estate industry today.

Does the new administration's focus on eliminating so-called tax loopholes mean the end of 1031 Exchanges? In this week's episode, Amanda talks to 1031 expert, Michele Fitzpatrick, about how title agents can help save the program and use 1031 Exchanges to increase their business.

This week Amanda talks with industry veteran and customer service expert, Cindy Koebele. Koebele is the president of TitleSmart, Inc. and author of Obsess to Success, where she chronicles her secrets to using customer experience to grow her business. She shares some of those secrets geared specifically for title professionals in this interview with Amanda.

In the first episode of season two, Amanda interviews Ayla PettyJohn, a release tracking and title curative expert from PropLogix, who shares her tips for resolving title issues that involve tracking down now-defunct lenders to get a satisfaction recorded. Likened to detective work, curative requires equal parts persistence and patience.

In the final episode of our first seaon, we're sharing Amanda's interview with James Schlimmer, managing partner at Cottrell Title & Escrow. Schlimmer shares how his team is able to be more efficient with automation and technologies that meet the customer where they are.