The Independent Title Agent Survival Guide – Part 1

By Howard Turk This is a scary time to be in the title business. Talk about market volatility! No matter how hard we try, we are impacted by things we have no control over. That’s stressful! On top of that, we find ourselves confronted with a surge of slick vendors......Continue reading

“[Mechanics] can make up anything; nobody knows! Why, well you need a new Johnson rod in here. Oh, a Johnson rod. Yeah, well better put one of those on!” –George Costanza   “The PSA is preceded by a Q of E as part of the DD, which is preceded by......Continue reading

There is a saying in the Boxing world that when your opponent hits you, you have two choices. The first is to collapse like a wet noodle, and the second is to hit them back, but harder. If they hit you again, come back out and hit them even harder.......Continue reading

“Yesterday’s gone Now all I want is a smile…..” -Neil Diamond WARNING: This article contains language which may be unsuitable for those unaccustomed to honesty in business communications. The changes we are seeing in the title M&A space these days fall into two buckets: technical and behavioral. The technical changes......Continue reading

I often wonder what people who drive slow in the fast lane are thinking. Do they not realize that others are simply going to pass them -just in the other lane?  Do they care? Why do they stay there? The way our title and settlement services industry works is changing......Continue reading

“Listen Do you want to know a secret? Do you promise not to tell? Whoa oh, oh Closer Let me whisper in your ear Say the words you long to hear” -The Beatles Wouldn’t it be great if you knew exactly what your agency is worth? It’s not as if......Continue reading

Forrest Gump is my hero. I vividly recall the scene in Forrest Gump where he and Captain Dan are having lunch on the boat. The radio crackles, “His Mama’s sick.” Did Forrest think to himself, “Hmmm….I better call my travel agent, “or “I wonder what I should pack…will I get......Continue reading

Dear optimist, pessimist, and realist, While you guys were busy arguing about the glass of water, I drank it! Sincerely, The opportunist Businesses, by their very nature are opportunistic. Embracing opportunity is how they grow. At some point though, organic growth becomes a limited option. This could be due to......Continue reading

For title agency owners, 2021’s most asked question is ‘how long will this last’? Some are concerned about staffing while others worry about missing their window of opportunity when the current seller’s market (for title agencies) becomes a buyer’s market. They want to make as much money as they can......Continue reading