Going Green

Precise Land Surveying started going green over 15 years ago when green was still only known as a color. When Gary Vike, President of Precise Land Surveying, opened Precise Land Surveying in 1992 he immediately realized that the land surveying industry needed to be updated. He observed that the surveying process was slow, inaccurate, and not customer friendly. So what did he do? He changed it! Gary hired IT Experts, Process Engineers, and Customer Service Advisors and together they created a new process that gave the speed and accuracy that their customers wanted. What was the common problem? Paper! Too much paper! The average file was jammed with paper making most telephone books jealous. Client’s files would get lost, misplaced, misfiled, and the common question of the day “Who has the Smith file?” So the Precise Team designed a software called S-Track that makes the process virtually paperless. S-Track is able to receive orders from a client by paperless fax, email, or online and immediately puts the job into a digital queue that allows multiple departments to work on one job at the same time. The Research Department, CAD, Field Department, and Surveyors could all work on a job without having to wait for one department to pass along the file. Gary also had scanners placed in his field trucks to allow work to be transferred to S-Track without having to drive back and forth to the office. This increased speed for his clients and reduced fuel consumption. Since a plat is required for every survey, Gary purchased digital plats that reduced drive and research time at County Court Houses. Throughout this whole process the client is kept up to date by emails and has access to a dedicated Customer Service Department to answer any questions. What was the end result from this new process? First of all, 11 tons of paper and thousands of gallons of fuel is eliminated per year. Secondly, and most importantly, the client has an easy way to order, the survey is usually delivered within 48 hours or sooner as needed, and constant electronic updates from Customer Service gives peace of mind until they have an accurate survey in hand. Precise Land Surveying has a 99% accuracy rate compared to the Industry at 70%. This process took time to evolve and it is still Gary’s number one goal to improve daily. The common question of the day now is “How can we make this better for our customers?” The Precise team recently implemented a new Green tool. They have placed printers and laptops at their larger client’s offices to be able to print surveys right at their desk without having to deliver them by courier to reduce time and fuel. Precise has also become more flexible growing beyond doing business in the DFW area. Precise now has the ability to do surveys in Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. So what can we learn from Precise? Going Green is Good for Customers. To learn more about precise land surveying visit www.preciselandsurveying.com or call at 877-581-7072.

Many of our local Fidelity National Title offices use Precise Land Surveying. Although the buyer does have the choice in survey companies, we commonly order the surveys as a courtesy to the real estate agent. We love Precise for several reasons: 1) Accuracy- they are unbelievably accurate- and 2) Marketing - they offer free customization of their products for real estate agents. If you're looking for a great surveying company, we highly recommend Precise Land Surveying.

Amy Torres
VP/ Director of Sales
Fidelity National Title- DFW

Seller's Disclosure of Haunted Houses?!!

In one of the most often cited cases regarding the disclosure of haunted houses, the Supreme Court of New York ruled in Stambovsky v. Ackley, 169 A.D.2d (NY App.Div.1991) that a seller is exempt from disclosure except in cases of fraud or misrepresentation. The owner had advertised the home as being haunted. It was featured in Reader's Digest and included in a five home walking tour of the city. Several members of the family reported the presence of polergeists (yikes!) and of receiving gifts from them!

Upon entering into the contract, the seller (nor her agent) told the buyer about the home's history. Buyer, from out of town was unaware. Once he became aware, he wanted to rescind the contract . The court ultimately ruled mostly in his favor.

Interesting lesson here....disclose, disclose, disclose!!!!

Seller Financing...A Thing of the Past?

With the ton of new laws and regulations happening in 2009 and 2010, you may have missed the one that impacted seller financing!! Under the Safe Act, states were to pass legislation to ensure mortgage originators were properly licensed and registered with the state. That's good, right?! We want better educated and knowledgeable loan officers in our industry...

But what about private money financing? That is where the problem lies....now anyone that loans money for real estate purchases must be licensed by the State of Texas as a mortgage originator. No longer will the seller be able to simply carry the note himself/herself when the borrower cannot obtain financing through traditional loans.

There is an exception for seller financing your homestead, however!! So where your seller is selling her homestead, the law would allow for her to carry the note just as we always have.

I think we have over-regulated at this point. I really believe we could have protected our buyers by means other than cutting off a source of financing especially where we have so few options now. What do you think? Is this consumer protection or over-regulation?!

If you want more information on the new law check out our local HUD website here:

http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/states/texas

Have a great weekend everyone!

Paula Hester--Escrow Administrator DFW

Time to make some rain!

I recently picked up a book that I read as a young saleswoman in the title business: "How to Become a Rainmaker" by Jeffrey J. Fox. This book is a sales classic! Every salesperson has read it (and if you haven't then you need to)! The book sits on my desk next to my computer and I see it almost everyday. Honestly, it has mostly collected dust over the last couple of years and today I picked it up again. The book is a simple read- super short chapters that quickly drive home a point. Fox's chapters outline the rules for getting and keeping customers and clients. It doesn't matter what business you are in- title & escrow, real estate, roofing, painting, insurance- sales is sales and it is all the same. Without customers, in the end, we are not in business. Customers pay our bills and feed our families- it really is that simple!

I want to share an except from Chapter 3 "Obeying Marketing's First Commandment":

"The first commandment of getting and keeping customers is to treat each customer as you would treat yourself. Do you like to be overcharged, underserved, put on endless hold, overbooked, told your room isn't ready, falsely promised, shipped late, ignored, not thanked?

Always put yourself in the shoes of the good customer. Answer the question "what would I want if I were the customer?" The answer is what you should strive to provide....

Remember, good customers are demanding. They may expect more from you than you believe is appropriate. What you want or how you want to be treated may not be good enough to satisfy your customers, but it's a good starting place.

Deliver on your promise and you'll bring rain."

Today I will make rain. Today I will remember that good customers are demanding...and that I wouldn't have a career in the title business without them. If we focus on the small things like great customer care every single day, then the big things - like money and success - will come. Wishing you much rain and success in your business today!

For more information and for a complete table of contents on the book, go to http://books.google.com/booksid=nVoK8xKDiwkC&dq=how+to+become+a+rainmaker&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=LR3fS42WIcGclgf739jBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false

Amy Torres
VP/ Sales Director
Fidelity National Title- DFW

Leader or Victim?

Recently I read an article by Michael Feuer, co-founder of OfficeMax. In the article, Mr. Feuer stated, "Those who don't change will ultimately be the victims of change." It's been my experience that change has always been positive. Think about when you have made changes in your life and the result of those actions. Embrace change, you'll discover when you do, that you are much more positive and have a brighter outlook on the future. In these tough economic times, are you going to be a leader of change or a victim? Be a leader of change with your customers, employees, family and in your community. Constantly challenge and re-evaluate, don't be afraid to think out of the box and take a risk. Don't be afraid of failure, most successful people I know have failed at one time or another. Remember, the real leader holds the power, not just the position.

Darryl J. Tyson

President - DFW Division

Lunch at the Title Plant!

I had a great visit to our title plant today! Fidelity DFW has the greatest title plant in the entire world due totally to the fabulous employees that make it run so smoothly! Brian, our plant manager and Jason (pictured here) are our fearless leaders and have automated the plant so that every single order is tracked to the second and turn times are incredible! Years ago, examiners had to pull all of the information on a property out of old card catalogs and documents were copied from the courthouse. Today, our computer databases pull property information and document copies automatically!!

We love to give plant tours! So if you or your office would like to schedule a tour, call me! Have a great weekend. Paula Hester--Escrow Admin DFW

April is Fair Housing month!

The Fair Housing Act is a Federal law adopted in 1968 to prevent discrimatory practices in the housing industry. Initial complaints are filed with the office of HUD and investigated further.

I started preparting for a class on the subject a few months ago and was amazed at the cases of discriminatory practices happening every day...you would almost believe the need for this law has long passed. NOT true! The numbers of field "testers" has increased because of the need for policing these types of behaviors...

Try running an internet search on the Fair Housing Act! I was amazed at the number of articles that came up! Real estate agents especially need to be careful about being "led" to behave in a way contrary to the spirit of the Act.

How much do you know about the Fair Housing Act? Are you sure you would pass muster if you received a call from a government tester?

In keeping with Fidelity National Title's commitment to education, we will be offering an MCE program next month (pending approval) on this very topic. So stay tuned for class times and dates!!!--Paula Hester, Escrow Administrator DFW