Posts Tagged ‘title insurance’
Do I Really Need Owner’s Title Insurance?
Between fees and unexpected additional costs, buying a house can end up costing more than you anticipated. So it’s totally normal to question those extra items and whether or not you really need them. Take owner’s title insurance. If you’re going to have a mortgage, your lender will insist on a lender’s policy, but is…
Read Full ArticleNeed a copy of the deed to your property? Don’t fall for this scam.
We’re hearing from more and more people who are receiving letters in the mail from third-party companies that are offering to provide you with a certified copy of the deed to your property for a small fee of $89. The letters that I’ve seen would lead you to believe that if you don’t have the…
Read Full ArticleYou know a good deal when you see one…or do you?
Last week I came across a post on a social media site from a real estate agent in PA who was teaming up with their in-house mortgage company and a title insurance company, offering discounts on their services when you hired them to buy a house. The real estate company was offering a modest commission…
Read Full ArticleDo you know where your property begins and ends?
Unless you’re purchasing new construction, you’re most likely taking someone else’s word for it when they tell you that the property line “goes all the way back to the tree line and over to the fence.” Unless you are able to locate the lot pins that were put in place the last time the property…
Read Full ArticleYou never know what you’ll read next on social media.
I stumbled upon this Facebook post today from a local real estate broker. The names have been changed to protect the greedy. “What a great office/business meeting today. We had 85 percent of all our agents in attendance. Our title company XYZ Abstract released our quarterly profits. Our agents with one share got a check…
Read Full ArticleOur service doesn’t end at settlement.
I recently received a phone call at 9:42 am on a Sunday morning from a very nervous couple, clients of ours who had just settled on their new home the Friday before. Over the weekend, they began the process of moving into the house when they discovered mold along the baseboards in two of the…
Read Full ArticleTop 3 Reasons to Give Up Your Right to Choose
We’ve designed our website www.ALTtitle.com to be a resource for anyone who’s considering buying or refinancing real estate. From the more than one thousand people who visit our site every month, we list the top three reasons that they’ve been given as to why they shouldn’t shop around for title insurance and related settlement services.…
Read Full ArticleALT’s 11th Anniversary
Associates Land Transfer Company recently celebrated its eleventh anniversary in business. I’m proud to say that the principles on which we founded the company eleven years ago continue to be the driving force when it comes to our success today. Our goals were relatively simple. 1. To provide the best customer service in the real…
Read Full ArticleWhy is my real estate agent so persistent about using her title company?
I just had a first time home buyer ask me the following question: Why is my real estate agent so persistent that I use her title insurance company? We would all like to assume that it’s because her title company delivers great service at a reasonable price, but unfortunately that is not the motivation in…
Read Full ArticleTD Bank Strikes Again
It isn’t all that uncommon for a purchase closing to be delayed due to an issue with the buyer’s mortgage company. Problems with the appraisal, an insurance issue or a buyer that is slow providing all of the required paperwork, just to name a few. Last Friday, we were scheduled to handle a closing in…
Read Full ArticleApparently customers aren’t "part of the family"
I couldn’t help but have one of those feel good moments after our company helped this young couple save so much money at closing. This story is not exceptional; the scenario I’m sharing is fairly typical for a new construction settlement when we’re involved. As the title agent hired by this Bucks County couple, we…
Read Full ArticleThe truth about real estate’s Controlled Business Relationships
We recently received an email from a potential customer who was trying to be an informed consumer and get a fair deal on a mortgage. Here’s the opening line: “I’m considering a refinance to shorten term and lower rate. Lenders are unable to provide any kind of transparency (or patience) with questions on fees.” Unfortunately,…
Read Full ArticleTD Bank Responds
A quick update to last week’s TD Bank story. TD saw our post about a client’s very frustrating experience when refinancing with their bank. Within an hour or two of seeing the post, TD follows ALT Title on Twitter and reaches out to us: “@ALTTITLE Saw ur tweet. We appreciate your feedback & we’d like to connect…
Read Full ArticleTD Bank…America’s Most Frustrating Bank
If you need to know the time and temperature while you’re watching Jimmy Kimmel, cashing a check or depositing a jar of coins on a Sunday morning, TD Bank might just be the bank you’re looking for. If you’re trying to refinance your mortgage, they may just have you looking for a bridge to jump…
Read Full ArticleDid they really get a good deal on title insurance?
A Philadelphia real estate broker recently referred a couple to us for title insurance; she had listed their Center City home for sale. The couple wanted to move closer to work, and planned to buy a home in Bucks County. Since the couple was moving out of the city, they were working with a different…
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