As paper disappears more and more from our daily lives, the real estate industry sometimes seems like one of the last vestiges of ink-and-paper transactions. These days you can buy a car, enroll in college, start a new job, file your taxes, sign up for home and car insurance, and send money anywhere in the world, all without ever having to put a wet signature on anything. Why should real estate closings be any different? New technologies and legislative changes now make it easier than ever to save a tree on your next home purchase or sale, which is why we at Independence Title are now thrilled to be able to offer our customers the possibility of a 100% electronic closing.

Who can we thank for this wonderful change? Our new best friend RON, of course! This year, a new law went into effect for the first time in Texas that allows a signer’s acknowledgment to be taken and their identity verified by a RON – Remote Online Notary. Texas is the third state out of only four that currently allow webcam notarizations, although there are bills pending in about a dozen other states. This opens up a new world for paperless closings—previously, a notary was required to be physically present in front of signers in order to verify their signatures and take their acknowledgments. Now a remote online notary can verify a signer’s identity via webcam, witness the signer e-sign the documents, and then affix the notary’s own electronic signature and seal to the document. No paper required! The buyer could be here in Texas while the sellers are sipping hot cocoa at their vacation home in Colorado and we could still make the closing happen without anyone getting on a plane or having to send a mobile notary up a snowy mountain road.

Buyers on cash transactions typically don’t need to sign anything that requires notarization, so they can easily and quickly sign all of their documents using DocuSign. Because of this, Independence can now offer most cash buyers a 100% electronic closing with no additional cost. For sellers on cash transactions, typically there’s at least one document that needs to be notarized, and Independence can offer a remote online notary for a nominal cost, comparable to signing physically in front of a notary.

You may be wondering, are electronic transactions only available for cash deals? Absolutely not! Closings involving loans can also be completed 100% electronically with a reasonable fee for either side of the transaction. However, the lender must be on board with accepting e-signatures from all parties including the notary, so always check with your lender first before counting on an electronic closing. Depending on the transaction, the fees for an online notary may be charged by the lender rather than the title company.

Click here to view a list of some of the requirements for performing an e-closing with a remote online notary to see if this might be a possibility for your next transaction. This list may change as new information becomes available, so always be sure to check with your escrow team.

Questions about how this all works? Ready to try your first completely electronic closing? Give us a call to speak one of our expert closing specialists today!

This is the refrain repeated by so many home buyers who lost or almost lost their savings from a wire fraud attempt during the process of buying a home: “If only I had known.”

Those of us in the real estate industry are very aware of the potential risks of wiring money in an age where cybercriminals continually challenge the security of digital communications.  Home buyers and sellers are largely unaware of the dangers, unless the real estate, mortgage and title professionals working with them communicate it loud and clear.  We at Independence Title inform clients of the risks and suggest safe protocols in our communications with them numerous times during the transaction, in a variety of ways.  However, all of us in the real estate industry needs to be shouting louder and more often about it.  There is no such thing as under-communicating on this topic!

Earlier this year, the Texas Association of Realtors developed a form that makes it easier than ever to communicate the importance of protecting your clients and yourself from wire thieves.  The title of TAR form 2517 says it all, Wire Fraud Warning.

This form does a great job of explaining the potential risks of transferring funds via wire and how to minimize those risks.  It’s a great way to help inform your buyers, and sellers so they can take steps to protect themselves, and one more opportunity for them to hear and understand the risks.

Most fraud attempts involve a criminal hijacking the email of some party to the transaction and sending a fraudulent communication to a buyer or seller with wiring instructions that direct funds to the criminal’s bank account. Some attempts have even included phone calls and texts from the fraudster impersonating a Realtor, mortgage lender or escrow officer confirming the “secure receipt” of the false instructions; early bird discounts for wiring and/or threats that not sending the wire could wreck the transaction.

Independence Title strongly suggests that buyers and sellers use cashier’s checks as the safer choice for bringing money to closing.  In most cases, consumers already must go to their bank in person to initiate a wire.  It’s simple and in most cases cheaper to get a cashier’s check instead.  In years past, on cash transactions, there have been instances of fraudulent cashier’s checks but that’s a risk that impacts the title company only and at Independence, we are absolutely willing to shoulder that responsibility in the interest of protecting consumer’s funds.

If you have any questions about your options on how to bring funds to closing, we have several resources on our website and you can always contact your escrow team.

A special note to Realtors: the next time you’re writing up an offer for your buyer or negotiating a contract for your seller, don’t forget TAR form 2517.  It’s an important step for the education and protection of all parties!

The unemployment rate has hit a new low — 3.7 percent — that was last seen in December of 1969. Of course, things were a little different in the late 1960s. Back then you could support a family on one income and still own a house and a car. These days? Not so much.  In fact, close to 5% of the population now works two jobs.  Secondly, the average house in America cost $24,000. Mortgage interest rates were around 6.2% in 1968. This was considered to be relatively high back then. Things have changed a bit.

Yes, interest rates have increased, and the concern of interest rate increase is real, but rates are still inexpensive.  In the 70’s they were an average of 8.26%, the 80s – 12.7%, the 90’s –  8.12%, the 2000’s –  6.29%,  2010 to 2018 – 4.23%.   Will rates come down?  Let’s hope not, as that would be a sign of the economy faltering.

The good news is that in the last 50 years, buyers are carrying the least debt into qualifying for mortgages,  i.e. better-qualified buyers.  Yes, the rates creeping up will cause some buyers to buy less, but presently it has not stopped buyers from buying.  Historically, when rates move a ½ point to a point at a time is when sales slow for 60 to 90 days….then buyers jump back in, realizing rates aren’t coming back down.

Housing continues to be a seller’s market, with a lack of inventory continuing to be a problem in all price points. And home sales continue at a record pace this year.  With continued job growth, the market should remain strong, but the homes have to be priced correctly (within 5% of the median value of the neighborhood) to sell.

Any discussion of slowing of the market is not true.  Call the experts.

The Texas metros housing markets have certainly been booming over the last several years.  But as I’ve said before, the concern is when is the slowdown?  Is it imminent, in a couple of years, when?

Home sales across the U.S. have seen a slight drop for the fourth straight month in July of this year. This is in spite of a strong national and local economy after 9+ years, a thriving and understaffed labor market, a 17-year high on consumer confidence. All positive responses historically to seeing an improved housing market. Yet it has slowed.

Because of the crowd psychology of any market, this continues to cause many to question: is the Texas housing market slowing? If it’s happening elsewhere, it’s bound to be happening here, right?

Again the assurance is, regionally Texas metros continue strong appreciation and sales.  Austin and San Antonio, over 4% sales growth annually over the last 12 months,  Houston and Dallas a bit less.  So we are talking about degrees of success.  Price gains are still strong across the board.  Rents continue to escalate annually and will as long as there is less than a four-month supply of apartments. in the pipeline.  Job creation continues to be strong across most channels in all major Texas metros.

See below for residential sales price breakdowns YOY:

As you can see, the ability to deliver affordable housing under $300K is a challenge and will continue to be.

Rather than questioning this, I would suggest that with increasing costs of building, labor and development and higher lending rates, why wait?  Every time rates go up 1% you lose 12% buying power. 90% of all builders are experiencing framing and finishing carpentry issues, and 85+% are experiencing plumbing shortages.   Builders are seeing a 20+% annual labor and materials cost increase, which in turn increases values.  The home/apartment you look at today will be gone tomorrow, and more expensive.

As always, we are here to assist you in your decision and will be glad to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital at Independence Title

Is the local housing market slowing?

Locally, regionally, and nationally, that seems to be a common question / theme. Locally, I can tell you that most of the Texas metros have been on a sustained, positive run, with Austin’s being the longest at over 9 years (6 years being the longest previously).

Real estate values and sales have done well in Texas over the last decade, with most cities achieving their highest values ever. So, why the pessimism? Part of it is so many were unprepared for the 2005 financial disaster and recession as well as the 2009 slowdown. It would be nice to be able to predict when the next one is. That said, so many missed the signs of overdevelopment in the last downturns. So why the questions? Our housing and real estate markets in the Texas metros (except Houston) have been so strong in all channels this year that if a property doesn’t sell right away, it may feel that the market has turned sour.

Despite the mostly good trends, worries are common as to whether or not the housing market has peaked and is ready for a slide. How steep and how fast? After all, existing home sales have fallen every month since June, save one. Additionally, housing starts, traditionally a good leading indicator of potential economic recession, tumbled in June from the prior month. Moreover, many Americans have painful, lingering memories of the home price crash, rising foreclosures, and 10 million net job losses from the housing market bust a decade ago (where over 55% of all foreclosures happened in the sand states, not Texas). Naturally, they want to know if there is even a remote possibility of a housing downturn.

First, what is happening in the market presently appears to be more of a seasonal slowing, prior to school starting. Second, two months is NOT a trend.

To see if the market is slowing, what are the signs? You need to look for lack of GDP growth, lack of job growth, easy mortgage financing (requiring little to no down and easy qualifying), new and resale inventory increasing, other real estate channels showing signs of overbuilding or slowing of values, etc. There are no indications of any of this happening. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The lack of supply and the accompanying real estate and home values rising quickly seem to be the main sources of most market headaches (that, and sellers getting ahead of the market). However, the supply shortage is a much better problem to have, compared to a demand shortage. The current problems do not equate to any meaningful price decline nor an impending foreclosure crisis. Rather, we see all the signs for continued solid home sales growth and commercial growth

In short, it is possible to deduce conclusions incorrectly, or be hypersensitive to small matters. Or, as I said earlier, two months doesn’t make a trend. So what should you do? Have a little more of whatever relaxes you: a couple of beers, a couple of glasses of wine, or in my case, a couple of bowls of Blue Bell. If you’re still concerned, come talk to me in six months if the condition persists.

Have you heard that we have a new app?  IndependenceTitleAgent One is now available!  Check out the video below on some of the new features!

If you have questions, contact your Independence Title Business Development Representative.

by Cassandra Majors

Pop Quiz: What industry grew by almost a billion dollars from 2016 to 2017? Hints: You wouldn’t want to invest in it, there are no publicly traded companies participating in it, but it’s still one of the fasting growing industries in the world. Give up? The answer may surprise you: it’s wire fraud, and the scammers behind it are getting better every day and making millions of dollars off vulnerable home buyers, sellers, and Realtors. Read on to find out how to help protect yourselves and your customers from this ever-growing threat.

Here’s how the scam usually works: The criminal will impersonate someone involved in the transaction (a real estate agent, the escrow officer, the lender’s loan officer, etc.) by sending a legitimate-looking email and/or making a direct phone call with phony wiring instructions to the buyer and insisting the money be wired as soon as possible. This is not an obvious “Please help a Nigerian prince wire money to the U.S.” sort of spam email we are all used to getting. These wire fraud emails are often indistinguishable from a genuine email, complete with company logos and graphics, signature blocks, and links to the company website.  Often the emails provide a local phone number to call for verification, and when the buyers call to verify, the professional-sounding scammer answers the call and verifies the false information.

Once the funds are wired to the scammer’s account, the money is quickly withdrawn and the account closed, and there’s little hope of recovery in most cases. Many buyers across the globe have lost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to these types of scams, and they have little recourse once their banks have wired out the funds at their request. These scams are so profitable and the technologies that assist them are becoming so sophisticated that more and more fraudsters are joining the effort every day, and the number of daily wire fraud attempts is skyrocketing here in Texas and all over the U.S. as a result.

So how can you protect yourself and your clients from wire fraud? There are several easy ways to help eliminate the most risk of fraud, and Independence Title takes daily measures to keep our customers safe. Here are the top 5 ways you can help protect your funds from scammers:

1.  The best way to eliminate the risk of wire fraud is by bringing your closing funds in the form of a cashier’s check instead of wiring the funds. We’ll provide you with a statement showing the amount of money to bring for closing as soon as we’ve confirmed your settlement costs, and you’ll have peace of mind knowing you won’t be wiring your money to the wrong account
2. If you still prefer to send your funds via wire transfer, please call a member of your escrow team for instructions. We will NEVER provide wiring instructions unless you specifically ask for them, so if you receive an unsolicited email or a phone call from Independence Title giving you wiring instructions, you can be sure it IS a wire fraud attempt. Never respond to an email like this, and simply hang up the phone if you get a call. And on that subject:
3. Never call a phone number from an email—always go the company’s website directly (not from a link in the email) and find the phone number there to call and verify the information. Go to our website and use the easy search bar in the upper right-hand corner to find your escrow officer or closing branch, and if you’re unsure, just call the main number and someone will help you get in touch with the right team: 512-454-4500.
4. Always check the email address from your title company, real estate agent, or lender to make sure it’s legitimate. Fraudsters are smart enough to create and use an email address that is often so close to the real email address of your Realtor or title company, you may not catch it unless you are paying very close attention, such as changing an “I” to a “1,” adding one extra letter, or changing the email service provider.
5. Remember that our closing teams will NEVER text, email, or call you insisting that you wire your funds quickly—this is the fraudster’s trademark move. They want you to move quickly before anyone has a chance to realize what’s happening. Often the scammers will send an email or call you very near closing with urgent, last-minute changes. Our wiring instructions will NEVER change once we give them to you, our escrow bank will always be one located here in Texas, and the account name will always be Independence Title.

Independence Title encourages you to take every possible precaution to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud. If you close with us and follow the instructions above for safety, you can help protect your funds and your home closing transaction. These attempts now occur almost daily, so be cautious and careful so you’ll never fall victim to one of these scams.

Cassandra Majors has been a market analyst and data guru in the Austin real estate industry for over a decade.

By Mark Sprague, Independence Title State Director of Information Capital

The House / Apartment You Look at Today Will Be Gone Tomorrow!
And it will certainly be more expensive. Not only is there not enough resale inventory, rates are increasing and the cost of building is up dramatically.

Lumber prices have risen by roughly 22% year-to-date as a result of newly imposed tariffs and demand. And that’s just lumber. All materials and labor or more expensive and forecasts show a 15 to 30% increase over the next 12 months.  This leads to higher housing prices through increased homebuilder costs.

Lumber prices are the highest they’ve ever been in the United States—let that sink in for a moment. Lumber futures contracts for 1,000 board feet of lumber are trading at $513. For perspective, according to Wood Markets, in the 1980s it was rare for average monthly prices to exceed $200 (it only happened in 14 months that decade); in the 1990s, U.S. prices managed to crack $400 for 14 months that decade; in the 2000s, the housing crisis put downward pressure on lumber prices, which only broke $400 8 months that decade, and dropped under $200 for 11 months.

We’ve told you before: If you’re betting against the U.S. economy without taking note of the strengthening in the US housing market  (which nationally, regionally and locally are not near pre-recession numbers), you’re asking for trouble. Evidence: Lumber values today and projected 12 months out. This week they hit a six-year high.

Source: Calculated Risk

A lot of this is good, old-fashioned supply and demand. U.S. home building is ramping up with Texas leading the way. Russian lumber output is weak. China is gobbling up a hefty chunk of U.S. wood. And Canadian lumber is dramatically more expensive.The cost of money is going up (federal reserve rate are projected to increase 1/2% this year), so yes, buying will be more expensive.  For every 1% increase in interest rates, you lose 12% buying power.

And don’t forget the continued increase in local regulation, driving costs up and causing most metro markets in Texas to be unable to supply near enough homes (we are way below units built per 1,000 than in previous years).So, yes, if you are waiting, it’s going to cost you….a lot.

Spring is here and it’s time for the new Independence Title Education Menu!  We have some exciting new classes and updates for you.

UPDATED! Facebook for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course#31968 What is your main goal when using Facebook? Engaging with clients? Marketing listings? Our goal is to help you overcome the challenges that come with Facebook’s recent changes, so you can effectively market your real estate business. In this class, you’ll learn how to engage with clients by using lists and groups. We’ll discuss increasing exposure to certain topics or events by using Facebook Live. Then we’ll leave you with tips and tricks to help you excel in the ever-changing world of Facebook.

UPDATED! Instagram for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course # 32730 Due to Instagram’s visual nature, more Realtors are using the social media platform to build their real estate brand. In this advanced class, we will discuss the importance of an Instagram Business Profile. Additionally, we will take a look at varying content and the proper use of hashtags. Lastly, we will examine clever ways to promote your listings and engage with your audience by utilizing unique Instagram features such as Instagram Stories.

UPDATED! Keeping Clients for Life | 1 HR CE | Course #31965 Past clients are a real estate agent’s lifeline to generating a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. Do you know how to keep in touch without becoming a nuisance? Personalization may be the key to staying off your client’s “do not disturb” list. In this class, we’ll share ideas on how to personalize your follow-ups and touches, talk about gathering pertinent data post-closing, and so much more! Consistent application of these interactions will help you keep clients for life.

NEW! Mastering the Open House | 1 HR CE | Course#34035 Most Realtors dread the question, “When are you going to hold an open house on our property?” Sitting at an open house on a weekend; total waste of time, money and energy, right? Not so! We’ll walk you through open house goals, a strategic plan to maximize marketing efforts, and a solid follow-up plan. The open house serves as a prospecting opportunity; it’s a way to fill your pipeline with future business.

NEW! Real Estate Graphic Design with Canva | 1 HR CE | Course# 34143 Have you heard of Canva.com? It’s a free web-based graphic design platform that Realtors can use to create flyers, postcards, newsletters, and even social media graphics. This class will help you get started with the platform. Before you know it, you’ll be creating amazing DIY real estate marketing material!

Realtor Hacks | 1 HR CE | Course#33023 Do you know what a “hack” is? According to dictionary.com, a hack is: “a strategy or technique adopted in order to manage one’s time and daily activities in a more efficient way”.  The term most commonly used is “life hack”.  For example, did you know there is a website that will help you unsubscribe to junk mail? There is also an app that will correct lighting in your listing photos.  We will talk about these cool hacks and more in an effort to help you work smarter, not harder!

NEW! Social Media Advertising for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34137 Consumers today are looking online for a property they can call home. Therefore, it’s imperative for real estate agents to use social media to market their business and listings. While any Realtor can open a social media account, it’s not always clear how to use social media as a tool to send the right message, to the right audience and at the right time. In this class, we’ll teach Realtors how to effectively market on social media by creating different types of ads.

NEW! Social Media Basics for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34200 Are you new to the ways of social media? Not really sure how to use Facebook or Instagram to promote your Real Estate business? This class is the perfect way for beginners to get started down the right path. It will cover the benefits of using Facebook and Instagram for marketing your business and walk you through some basic tips and tricks on both platforms.

NEW! Stats in a Flash | 1 HR CE | Course#33237 Does the word “statistics” intimidate you? This class will take the fear out of statistics and will have you creating your own Stats in a Flash! We’ll define common terminology, show you where to locate statistics, teach you how to create your own, and demonstrate when to use statistics in your business. If you want to take your marketing to the next level, or if you just need data to support your negotiations, this class is for you!

If you are interested in any of these classes check out our upcoming classes or contact your Independence Title Business Development Rep!

Spring is here and it’s time for the new Independence Title Education Menu!  We have some exciting new classes and updates for you.

UPDATED! Facebook for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course#31968 What is your main goal when using Facebook? Engaging with clients? Marketing listings? Our goal is to help you overcome the challenges that come with Facebook’s recent changes, so you can effectively market your real estate business. In this class, you’ll learn how to engage with clients by using lists and groups. We’ll discuss increasing exposure to certain topics or events by using Facebook Live. Then we’ll leave you with tips and tricks to help you excel in the ever-changing world of Facebook.

UPDATED! Instagram for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course # 32730 Due to Instagram’s visual nature, more Realtors are using the social media platform to build their real estate brand. In this advanced class, we will discuss the importance of an Instagram Business Profile. Additionally, we will take a look at varying content and the proper use of hashtags. Lastly, we will examine clever ways to promote your listings and engage with your audience by utilizing unique Instagram features such as Instagram Stories.

UPDATED! Keeping Clients for Life | 1 HR CE | Course #31965 Past clients are a real estate agent’s lifeline to generating a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. Do you know how to keep in touch without becoming a nuisance? Personalization may be the key to staying off your client’s “do not disturb” list. In this class, we’ll share ideas on how to personalize your follow-ups and touches, talk about gathering pertinent data post-closing, and so much more! Consistent application of these interactions will help you keep clients for life.

NEW! Mastering the Open House | 1 HR CE | Course#34035 Most Realtors dread the question, “When are you going to hold an open house on our property?” Sitting at an open house on a weekend; total waste of time, money and energy, right? Not so! We’ll walk you through open house goals, a strategic plan to maximize marketing efforts, and a solid follow-up plan. The open house serves as a prospecting opportunity; it’s a way to fill your pipeline with future business.

NEW! Real Estate Graphic Design with Canva | 1 HR CE | Course# 34143 Have you heard of Canva.com? It’s a free web-based graphic design platform that Realtors can use to create flyers, postcards, newsletters, and even social media graphics. This class will help you get started with the platform. Before you know it, you’ll be creating amazing DIY real estate marketing material!

NEW! Social Media Advertising for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34137 Consumers today are looking online for a property they can call home. Therefore, it’s imperative for real estate agents to use social media to market their business and listings. While any Realtor can open a social media account, it’s not always clear how to use social media as a tool to send the right message, to the right audience and at the right time. In this class, we’ll teach Realtors how to effectively market on social media by creating different types of ads.

NEW! Social Media Basics for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34200 Are you new to the ways of social media? Not really sure how to use Facebook or Instagram to promote your Real Estate business? This class is the perfect way for beginners to get started down the right path. It will cover the benefits of using Facebook and Instagram for marketing your business and walk you through some basic tips and tricks on both platforms.

NEW!Stats in a Flash | 1 HR CE | Course#33237 Does the word “statistics” intimidate you? This class will take the fear out of statistics and will have you creating your own Stats in a Flash! We’ll define common terminology, show you where to locate statistics, teach you how to create your own, and demonstrate when to use statistics in your business. If you want to take your marketing to the next level, or if you just need data to support your negotiations, this class is for you!

If you are interested in any of these classes check out our upcoming classes or contact your Independence Title Business Development Rep!

Spring is here and it’s time for the new Independence Title Education Menu!  We have some exciting new classes and updates for you.

UPDATED! Facebook for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course#31968 What is your main goal when using Facebook? Engaging with clients? Marketing listings? Our goal is to help you overcome the challenges that come with Facebook’s recent changes, so you can effectively market your real estate business. In this class, you’ll learn how to engage with clients by using lists and groups. We’ll discuss increasing exposure to certain topics or events by using Facebook Live. Then we’ll leave you with tips and tricks to help you excel in the ever-changing world of Facebook.

UPDATED! Instagram for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course # 32730 Due to Instagram’s visual nature, more Realtors are using the social media platform to build their real estate brand. In this advanced class, we will discuss the importance of an Instagram Business Profile. Additionally, we will take a look at varying content and the proper use of hashtags. Lastly, we will examine clever ways to promote your listings and engage with your audience by utilizing unique Instagram features such as Instagram Stories.

UPDATED! Keeping Clients for Life | 1 HR CE | Course #31965 Past clients are a real estate agent’s lifeline to generating a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. Do you know how to keep in touch without becoming a nuisance? Personalization may be the key to staying off your client’s “do not disturb” list. In this class, we’ll share ideas on how to personalize your follow-ups and touches, talk about gathering pertinent data post-closing, and so much more! Consistent application of these interactions will help you keep clients for life.

NEW! Mastering the Open House | 1 HR CE | Course#34035 Most Realtors dread the question, “When are you going to hold an open house on our property?” Sitting at an open house on a weekend; total waste of time, money and energy, right? Not so! We’ll walk you through open house goals, a strategic plan to maximize marketing efforts, and a solid follow-up plan. The open house serves as a prospecting opportunity; it’s a way to fill your pipeline with future business.

NEW! Real Estate Graphic Design with Canva | 1 HR CE | Course# 34143 Have you heard of Canva.com? It’s a free web-based graphic design platform that Realtors can use to create flyers, postcards, newsletters, and even social media graphics. This class will help you get started with the platform. Before you know it, you’ll be creating amazing DIY real estate marketing material!

NEW! Social Media Advertising for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34137 Consumers today are looking online for a property they can call home. Therefore, it’s imperative for real estate agents to use social media to market their business and listings. While any Realtor can open a social media account, it’s not always clear how to use social media as a tool to send the right message, to the right audience and at the right time. In this class, we’ll teach Realtors how to effectively market on social media by creating different types of ads.

NEW! Social Media Basics for Real Estate | 1 HR CE | Course #34200 Are you new to the ways of social media? Not really sure how to use Facebook or Instagram to promote your Real Estate business? This class is the perfect way for beginners to get started down the right path. It will cover the benefits of using Facebook and Instagram for marketing your business and walk you through some basic tips and tricks on both platforms.

If you are interested in any of these classes check out our upcoming classes or contact your Independence Title Business Development Rep!

By Cassandra Majors

After I smoked my last cigarette five years ago, I quickly mutated into a twitchy, manic, raging lunatic for the next two weeks. I came up with 100 creative ways to murder most of the people who crossed my path during that time, mostly for minor infractions like taking too long at a stoplight or mispronouncing “New Braunfels.” Desperate to calm down, I went on furious speed-walks around the neighborhood; joggers, dog-walkers and stroller-moms would bolt across the street in terror when they saw me barreling down the sidewalk clenching my fists and chewing great wads of gum so hard that sparks shot out between my teeth. I felt like I could never just relax.

My smug non-smoking friends always liked to say, “I don’t understand why you smokers say that smoking relaxes you. Nicotine is a stimulant!” Yes, dear, nicotine is indeed a stimulant. Carbon monoxide, however, is definitely NOT a stimulant. Carbon monoxide is very, VERY relaxing, so relaxing in fact that if you get enough of it, you’ll relax yourself right to death and not even notice. The City of Austin has come out strongly against this ultimate relaxation recently in their new ordinance requiring carbon monoxide alarms in all residential and commercial buildings that have gas or fuel-burning appliances. What does this mean for us as real estate professionals?

Starting April 1^st * in the city limits of Austin, “residential and commercial structures with both sleeping areas (bedrooms) and gas or fuel-burning appliances are required to install and maintain carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. In a dwelling unit, a CO alarm must be installed outside of each separate sleeping area and in the immediate vicinity of each sleeping area” (source: City of Austin).

*Safety tip: Do not use carbon monoxide as part of an April Fool’s Day prank.

Listing a house for sale? This will now come up on the inspection, or if the home needs work that requires a building permit or work on any gas system, appliance, or fixture, so get your carbon monoxide alarms installed before the home goes on the market. Even if there are no gas appliances in the home, you’re still not off the hook, sorry. The ordinance also requires carbon monoxide alarms in any home with an attached garage, which are most of the single-family homes in Austin. On the bright side, many modern smoke alarms are actually combination alarms for both smoke and carbon monoxide, and those will absolutely fulfill the new requirement, so check to see if you might already be covered by the existing smoke alarm.

Building a new home, multifamily structure, or any commercial building with sleeping areas? New buildings require the alarms to get their power from the permanent building wiring with a battery backup, just as many smoke alarms are now wired. For existing structures, just battery-powered detectors are acceptable.

Is your home or listing outside the city limits of Austin? This new ordinance doesn’t apply (check the local codes where the home is), but it’s still a good idea to have one in every home. Carbon monoxide can be fun in small doses like cigarettes, but when it’s leaking in your home, it can really ruin your weekend. All of your weekends forever, actually.

Check out the video below from Austin’s Code Department for everything you need to know about where and how to install the carbon monoxide alarms.

Cassandra Majors has been a market analyst and data guru in the Austin real estate industry for over a decade.

If you’ve been a Realtor® for several years, you’ve probably seen a few iterations of the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) contract forms. TREC strives to listen to input from license holders and to continually improve the forms that are used for Texas real estate transactions. Improvement usually means change, and change means there are a few things you need to know before you write your next contract.

TREC met on February 12th, 2018, and approved revisions to several current forms and also adopted two new forms. These forms are available for use now on the TREC website and have a mandatory use date of May 15th, 2018. Here’s what you need to know:

• You must use the Addendum for Reservation of Oil, Gas and Other Minerals if you want to reserve any mineral rights.
  Earnest money needs to be delivered to the escrow agent within 3 days of the contract Effective Date.
• If the buyer fails to deliver the earnest money within 3 days, the seller may terminate the contract.
  • There are conditions on how this termination can take place, and you can read more about the elements of earnest money receipt, including how TREC considers weekends and holidays as pertains to the 3-day deadline, here.
• Your buyer now has a defined “Cure Period” to notify the seller if they wish to terminate or waive any objections. Additional time periods can also be added if a revised commitment, survey or exception documents are received.
• Effective Date is now a defined term throughout the contract. You will now notice this term capitalized through all contract forms so that in case of any legal action, it will be legally recognized as a defined term.
• The receipt page now has separate areas for the contract and earnest money to be receipted.
• The escrow agent will need to indicate what time the earnest money is delivered on the earnest money receipt page (this impacts the seller’s right to terminate).
• And most importantly, there is no longer a need to include your Broker’s fax number on the receipt page!

For a complete review of the contract form changes please review A Summary of Contract Form Revisions.

Click here for a copy of the revised TREC Contract.

Along with these changes, there are also two new forms:

Addendum for Authorizing Hydrostatic Testing: This addendum gives license holders a promulgated form to comply with the requirement in the contract that the seller must authorize any hydrostatic testing in writing. The form also provides a space to indicate who will pay for any damages.

Addendum Concerning Right To Terminate Due To Lender’s Appraisal: This addendum is the long-awaited form that many license holders have requested. The form gives three options for the parties to agree how the contract will proceed if the lender’s appraisal does not meet the lender’s underwriting requirements. Keep in mind that this form can only be used for transactions involving conventional financing.

There’s one sentence in one section of the contract that always ruffles everyone’s feathers whenever we teach our class Navigating the 1-to-4 Family Contract. The last sentence of section 6 E(3) Statutory Tax District states that the seller must deliver the buyer a statutory tax district notice, i.e. a MUD or WCID notice.  This is not a shocker (it’s typically taken care of by the agents and then again at closing by the title company), but what ruffles the feathers is the part says this notice needs to be signed PRIOR to executing the contract. That certainly isn’t always easy to do!

We are often asked by agents, especially after this class, if we know of a good resource for identifying these taxing districts. There are some of the good old standby options, like Realist and the County Appraisal District websites, but those require looking at the details of a specific property. We wanted to find something a bit more interactive that had broader searching capabilities. We went to work, did some digging, and found a fantastic website through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s website that will allow you to do just that! It’s not the most immediately intuitive website to navigate, but if you watch this video, you’ll be an expert in no time.

And don’t forget, another great resource will always be your escrow team at Independence Title. Our closers work daily with a tax research company, they can typically answer your tax questions within 24 hours.

At the TREC Commission meeting on November 13th, the Texas Association of Realtors, along with concerned real estate professionals around the state, sent in letters to express concerns about the proposed three-day requirement for delivery of earnest money (Paragraph 5). In the revised standard TREC contracts, the proposed language currently reads, “Within 3 days after the Effective Date, Buyer must deposit $___ as earnest money with __, as escrow agent, at __(address).” Critics argued against the ambiguity of the language, pointing out that weekends and federal holidays could easily make this deadline impossible for some buyers. Vicki Fullerton, 2017 TAR Chairman, pointed out the flaw: “First, the Association echoes the concerns expressed by several of the Commissioners at the August 7th meeting, chiefly that the three-day time period may be problematic in some transactions. For instance, if the contract is executed on the Friday evening before Labor Day and the title company is closed, despite the buyer’s intention to perform, the seller may be able to terminate because of a mere oversight.” Most of the letter-writers agreed, some in stronger terms than others, but most agreed that there should be some distinction between calendar days and business days.

The Commission took notice, and the TREC Broker Lawyer Committee added a sentence to clarify Paragraph 5. Below is the current version up for comment. In black text is the original language that will remain; in blue text is the new proposed language; in red is the old language to be removed, and in green is the most recent addition to address concerns about the three-day requirement.

One realtor submitted a letter to the Commission pointing out that “it is the case that many title companies now employ systems which allow earnest money to be deposited electronically, but these are not universal.” Independence Title was one of the first title companies in Texas to accept earnest money electronically through Zoccam, a game-changing app that processes earnest money simply by using the camera on your phone. We’ve been offering electronic earnest money delivery since mid-2016, and more and more agents have been taking advantage of the convenience it offers. Using Zoccam, agents can send earnest money and contracts from anywhere, and they receive immediate email notifications letting them know the earnest money was delivered. And since the data is encrypted from capture to delivery, there is no financial information or check image left on the smartphone, so you can feel completely secure while using it.

So what’s next? For now, nothing is changing. The Commission moved that the staff was authorized to withdraw the current proposal for all amendments, revise the language again, and submit for re-proposal.  To see all the proposed amendments, the minutes of the last TREC Commission meeting can be found here (click on Meeting Materials part 2 on the right to download and see amendments starting on page 113.) January 12th, the Broker Lawyer Committee will meet again and discuss this issue; afterward, they’ll publish a new version in the Texas Register for public comment. Currently, there’s no scheduled date for publication or deadline for comments, but we’ll keep you posted on new developments. In the meantime, TREC wants to hear from you, so feel free to submit comments and suggestions on this issue or any of the proposed amendments to general.counsel@trec.texas.gov.

By Cassandra Majors

Whether or not you were the right age to see the cult classic coming-of-age movie The Sandlot, you’ve probably had this iconic line thrown at you whenever an 80s or 90s kid is annoyed with you: “You’re killing me, Smalls!” The most important plot-driver in the film is a lack of baseballs. Baseballs are the most precious resource to the ragtag sandlot team, and once they’re gone and the team can’t play, there’s nothing to do but hunt for more.

The Sandlot has been on my mind lately because I’ve had a similar exclamation on my mind, as I’m sure many of you have, too: “You’re killing me, sales!” We’ve all noticed that the market is slowing, but is it just a blip on the radar, or a concerning trend? Though I can’t see into the future, there are some reasons to plan for an adjustment in the market.

Let me be clear: I’m not talking about a bubble bursting or the economy crashing (the U.S. economy is doing well overall by most accounts). Home prices are still appreciating at a very healthy pace, but when housing inventory and affordability are both as low as they’ve been for as long as they’ve been, the number of sales is bound to slow. Take a look at the major Texas metros in these graphs sourced from Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center data: Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. You can see the exact same phenomenon in each metro—average and median prices reached all-time highs in 2017 and are still going up, but both sales and sales volume are clearly beginning to flatten or decline. It’s good news for homeowners in that their equity will continue to increase, but could present a challenge for those of us in real estate that benefit from higher numbers of transactions. And this is consistent with what’s happening in the nation: long periods of low inventory are raising home prices and leaving buyers with fewer affordable choices, especially considering that over the last ten years, wages have grown less than half as much as prices have increased. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. homeowners’ mobility rate is at a 30-year low, meaning homeowners are staying in their homes much longer before selling than they used to.

Keep in mind, even where inventory is starting to go up, it’s not necessarily a good sign—Austin’s recent increase in inventory and days-on-market, for example, seem to be symptoms of pricing that is too high for most buyers actively looking for homes. Increasing inventory itself doesn’t help unless more of that inventory is affordable for the average buyer.

Why do I suspect that this is a trend and not a blip? Here’s a non-comprehensive list of all the factors nationwide that may be contributing to the home-sale slowdown:

New Home Building Still Lags Far Behind Demand: A fantastic study by Trulia showed that the greatest contributor to low inventory nationwide is that there simply aren’t enough new homes being built. Homebuilding stagnated during the Great Recession for obvious reasons, and as much as it has picked up since the recovery, it’s very difficult to make up for that much lost time. And as any developer can tell you, it’s much more difficult than it used to be to garner loans for large-scale developments, further slowing down new housing starts.

Investors Now Command a Much Larger Chunk of Housing, and They’re Not Selling: The mortgage crisis and recession meant that many homes had to be put up for sale or foreclosed, creating an ideal opportunity for investors to grab up inventory. Though some flipped the properties, many more kept them to create rental income. Almost one in four single-family homes are now owned by investors, and as demand for rental housing skyrockets all over the country, the investors have every incentive to hang onto their assets.

Fewer Millennials Are Able to Afford Homes: Millennials are becoming the largest age group in the real estate market, but they face many obstacles in saving to buy their first homes, including stagnant wages, much higher college debt than past generations, and rising rents. Many spend such a high percentage of their incomes on rental housing that they find it difficult to save for a down payment to buy a house. Millennial demographics also affect their home-buying decisions, as many more young adults are waiting later to get married and have children, which are typical motivators to buy a home. And in growing urban regions of Texas, rapidly increasing property taxes definitely aren’t helping those struggling to afford monthly payments.

Negative Equity is Declining, But Still a Major Problem for Many: Don’t forget that the shadow of the Great Recession still looms over millions of homeowners even a decade later. Nearly one in five homeowners still have less than 20% equity in their homes, so even if they wanted to move, after factoring in down payments, closings costs, and moving costs, they would end up breaking even or paying more for the same amount of equity. But at least there’s good news here for our state as Texas has the highest percentage of positive equity in the country.

Past Low-Interest Rates and Currently Rising Interest Rates Are Both Limiting Buyers: Though interest rates have risen slowly and only recently at that, they are rising and will continue to do so. This means even as potential first-time homebuyers try to save for a down payment and home costs, interest rates will keep moving the goal post farther down the field as they decrease buying power. For every 1% interest rate increase, a buyer’s purchasing power decreases by 9-11%. But then consider the other side for current homeowners who bought in the last decade—interest rates have been historically low for so long that everyone who bought at a low rate will also be deterred from buying a new home with a new mortgage that will cost them significantly more in interest. The more interest rates go up, the harder it might become for those who bought at low rates to justify trading up to another home and sacrificing equity in the process.

Low Inventory Becomes a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: One of the hazards of low housing inventory is how it eventually begins to reinforce itself. If I bought a starter home years ago with plans to upgrade in the future and I now have the means to do so, I’m suddenly too fearful that I won’t be able to find another house and just decide to stay put. This isn’t just a theory for me personally—I actually own a small condo that I bought at a good price and thought I’d eventually upgrade and put my condo on the market, but now after seeing what’s (not) available on the market, I’ll be sitting tight for the foreseeable future. I’ve become one of my own statistics! The gap between a starter home price and an upgrade home is widening all the time, which sinks turnover rates.

Far Fewer Workers Are Moving for Work: Many more homes used to change hands as workers migrated to other cities and states to take a new position or at least land in a better job market. Marketplace offers an excellent analysis you should read of what might explain this, so I won’t repeat all of their conclusions here, but some of the causes may include:

• Job switching overall is in decline (not just for jobs that require a move).
• More families have both spouses and/or parents working than they did in the past, meaning both must be able to find commensurate jobs in the new place, making the decision to move much more complex.
• Workers are more worried that jobs aren’t long-term or stable enough to risk moving a household for them.
• Cities with higher incomes also have increasingly higher costs of living that may negate the benefits of moving there for a better-paying job.

Vacation Rentals Snatch Inventory from the Market: The soaring popularity of vacation rentals from companies like Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO are also buckling the knees of an already weakened inventory. The economics are very easy to understand: say I own a three-bedroom house in central Austin that market forces tell me I can rent for $2,500 a month, but then I realize I can rent it out for $250/night on Airbnb. I only need to book ten nights a month to make the same profit, and I can probably book more than that because the house is in a great location in a vibrant, booming city that attracts endless visitors. I have no leases to fuss with, no costs to find good tenants or evict bad ones, and no turnover losses when tenants leave. Why wouldn’t I choose a short-term rental? As these homes disappear from the buying and renting markets, costs for renters and buyers in those neighborhoods can go up. One of the hot topics in the controversial CodeNext zoning plan for Austin is whether the city should make it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units on existing properties to add inventory and ease affordability by boosting housing density. But what if more of these ADUs are built and most owners simply rent them out on Airbnb instead of adding them to the available housing stock? Especially for a smaller building like an ADU, I doubt the economics would favor long-term rentals over vacation rentals.

Seniors Want to “Age in Place”: The U.S. has a growing senior population (Baby Boomers are expected to make up 20% of the total population by 2030) and it looks like they’ll be yelling “Get off my lawn!” at potential home buyers for years to come. A recent survey by Realtor.com found that 85% of Baby Boomers have no plans to sell their homes in the next year. Life expectancies continue to increase, and those with health problems that used to force them into assisted living centers and nursing homes now have many more home-care options that allow them to stay comfortably in their own homes. More elderly Americans than ever before want to stay in their own homes, so many of those homes, that might have entered the market in days past may now stay out of inventory for longer.

So what can we as real estate professionals do? Here are a few positive things to keep in mind:

•  You’re in the right state! Texas is attracting more and more employers, its metros are exploding in population, and the state is creating more jobs than any other. DFW alone is creating 8,000-12,000 jobs a month, for example. Good jobs for skilled workers will mean an increase in home-buying in the long term. This means even if sales continue to be lower for the foreseeable future, we’re in a better place to weather the decline.
•  The U.S. economy is doing very well and wages are finally starting to rise after stagnating for many years, which will hopefully increase affordability for many more buyers.
•  American homebuilders are enthusiastically ramping up for the next few years, and many major cities are starting to realize and address that their zoning laws are hindering desperately needed urban development for large multi-family projects.

Spoiler alert! In the end, The Sandlot team uses all their combined brainpower to defeat the evil Beast (which turns out to be just an old grumpy dog) guarding a treasure trove of baseballs, and they have enough to play for years. There’s no doubt that Texas will triumph in the same way—there may be more competition for a fewer number of sales for a while, but our state’s economy will help us defeat this Beast. In the meantime, my strong recommendation for 2018 is to up your game: be creative in finding buyers and borrowers, make wise pricing decisions for listings, and keep your eye on the ball.

Cassandra Majors has been a market analyst and data guru in the Austin real estate industry for over a decade.

By Mark Sprague and Cassandra Majors

Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston and the Texas coast, and we’re only beginning to imagine the full economic impact for the region in the years of recovery ahead. 2017’s hurricane season is only the 17th deadliest since the death tolls were first tracked in the year 1900, but it’s already on track to become the worst in terms of damage (highest estimate is now $200 billion). How will Houston recover, and what are the likely short and long-term effects on the region’s economy?

The Damage

• Out of 660,000 apartment units in Houston, 100,000 units were flooded. A lack of rental housing availability may push renters out of the area or drive up prices for those who stay.
• ABC News reports: “According to the latest numbers by DPS, 273,276 homes were damaged during the storm. Another 15,528 were destroyed.” The full extent of the damage will likely be even higher, however.
• CoStar reports that “as much as 600 million square feet of commercial real estate space in the Houston metropolitan area, or 38% of Houston’s total gross leasable area, may have been impacted by the recent floods.” It’s too soon to tell if this will affect companies’ decisions to open locations in Houston and the coastal region, but it very well may.
• Nearly 25% of U.S. oil capacity was affected due to 20 coastal refineries closing. CNN reports on the impact to the energy industry: “Five oil refineries remain shuttered as of Monday, according to S&P Global Platts, an energy research firm. Ten more are partially shut down as they attempt to recover from historic flooding. All told, about 2.4 million barrels of daily refining capacity in Texas is offline because of Harvey, Platts estimates. That is about 13% of the country’s total ability to turn oil into gasoline, jet fuel and other products.” CNBC reported that there are 3 to 4 million fewer barrels of oil per day than before the hurricane.
• Gas prices spiked at first after the flooding and some areas around Texas saw panic-induced gas shortages, but now prices seem to have leveled out nationwide and consumers are less nervous about supply.

Real Estate Investment and Economic Impact

Reuters reports that investors in the Houston area are chomping at the bit to buy up damaged inventory, fix it up, and sell at a profit. The article also points out that none of the previous hurricanes or flooding in Houston has stopped its growth, so there’s every reason to believe Houston will recover from Harvey and continue to boom. However, the author predicts that home prices and rents will rise with the decrease in inventory from damaged homes.
Community Impact interviewed Lawrence Dean, director of Metrostudy Houston, to learn more about what could happen to Houston businesses. Highlights from the interview:

• Small businesses are in worse trouble than large ones, due to limited resources and lack of flood insurance, and many may not be able to return.
• Home values for non-flooded areas have remained steady for now, but newly-built homes are expected to increase in price because of limited building materials.
• Though Houston has been overbuilt for apartments, occupancy rates of apartment complexes have now skyrocketed quickly as displaced residents pour into them.

That last point is an important one. Many were expecting a large influx from Houston to other Texas Metros already, but so far it’s been very limited. Because Houston was overbuilt by 62,000 housing units, those units helped resolve housing needs for many residents that might otherwise have moved. Moving to another city is also a big lifestyle change, so it may be a few years before we see the impact of any outward migration due to Harvey. However, if more catastrophic floods occur in close proximity, that could be a tipping point for some Houston residents.

What Happens Next

It’s important to remember that these are mostly predictions, and it’s too soon to confirm them. As time passes, we’ll be able to see the big picture of how Harvey will impact the Houston area. In the meantime, the Greater Houston Partnership shared some predictions for the next year:

• Repair/remodeling construction will explode over the next 12 months.
• Labor and material costs could surge 18% to 25% in this time.
• Apartment/housing vacancies will plummet in many Texas metros, though much of Houston’s housing needs will be addressed in the Houston metro itself. We may see a small amount of migration to other Texas metros over the next 12 to 36 months.
• Home prices may fall significantly in hard-hit areas and flood-prone areas. Non-flood prone values will likely improve.
• New home values will surge.
• Other Texas metros will see a slight increase of values.
• Flood and property insurance rates will escalate, potentially causing homeowners to reconsider home location.
• Expect one month of significant job losses, followed by 1 to 6 months’ recovery of job creation.

The Houston area has been one of the fastest-growing metros in the country for many years, and Harris County is still the second-fastest growing county in the nation. The storms and floods Houston has weathered in recent years hasn’t affected its ability to attract new residents and businesses, and there’s no reason to believe that resilient Houstonians won’t make it through this one and continue to thrive. Though Hurricane Harvey may have dealt a serious blow to Houston and Texas coastal cities, we all know you can’t keep a Texan down for long.

Mark Sprague serves as State Director of Information Capital at Independence Title. He has over 35 years of experience in executive level management, sales, negotiating, finance, land development, operations, production, administration, and marketing.

Cassandra Majors has been a market analyst and data guru in the Austin real estate industry for over a decade.

As summer ends, we start getting excited about kids going back to school, leaves falling, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly, the new Independence Title Education Menu. Below are the new, exciting classes we now offer. If you’d like to order a printed copy of the menu or to schedule a class, please contact your ITC Business Development Representative.

• Feeding Your CRM (1 HR CE) Utilizing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system should be an integral part of every Realtor’s business. Unfortunately, most don’t understand what a CRM can and cannot do for them. In this class, we will discuss the basics of CRM, the types of information you should gather for your CRM, and how to “feed” your CRM by forming a successful CRM process. This understanding will show how much potential repeat and referral business you can gain through consistent use of a CRM.
• Getting the Most Out of RPR (1 HR CE) Are you looking for data to meet the demands of your clients? Have you heard of RPR? Learn how to use Realtors Property Resource (RPR) in your everyday business to access compelling property analytics, create captivating reports for your clients, perform both local and national property searches, utilize RPR’s unparalleled CMA tool, and much, much more!
• Keeping Clients for Life (1 HR CE) Past clients are a real estate agent’s lifeline to generating a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. Do you know how to keep in touch without becoming a nuisance? Personalization may be the key to staying off your client’s “do not disturb” list. In this class, we will share ideas on how to personalize your follow-up by giving creative closing gifts, providing pertinent data post-closing, and so much more! Consistent application of these interactions will help you keep clients for life.
• Perfecting Your Online Presence (1 HR CE) Have you ever Googled your business? Are you utilizing your Realtor.com account? Do you feel overwhelmed by the complexities of online real estate profiles? Have no fear— we found the answers for you! In this class, you will learn how to complete important details across a variety of platforms, which can increase views and profile traffic. This class will also provide a detailed overview on profile syndication, a feature that allows for data sharing across platforms to get the most out of your profiles.
• Smart Homes for Smart Agents (1 HR CE) We live in a world where you can do almost anything from your phone: lock your front door, adjust your thermostat, turn off the lights, etc. Smart home technology is reshaping the way homes operate and is influencing the real estate industry. These devices are changing the way Realtors stage homes, hold open houses, set sales prices, and so much more. In this class, you will learn about smart home products so you can communicate with your clients about unique features these products have to offer, whether your clients are buying or selling a home.
• Speak Easy (2 HRS CE) Speak Easy reviews the basics of delivering an effective presentation before a group of people: audience and purpose, organizational structure, use of verbals/non-verbals, overcoming stage fright, and more. Through instruction and in-class practice, members of the real estate community will learn to “command their audience,” whether at a listing appointment, speaking at a seminar for the general public, or standing before their peers. The ability to speak effectively in public can provide instant credibility.
• Zeroing in on zipForm Plus (1 HR CE) zipForm Plus has become one of the most utilized platforms in real estate because of its ease in streamlining the transaction process. In this course, we will cover the recent changes to the program and walk you through a transaction from start to finish. You will learn how to create a transaction, add and edit documents, link your preferred e-signature solution to send contracts for signing, and stay on top of every task with zipForm Plus’ new interactive dashboard. Whether you are a new or advanced user, you will walk away from this class with new information you can use in every transaction

As summer ends, we start getting excited about kids going back to school, leaves falling, pumpkin spice lattes, and most importantly, the new Independence Title Education Menu. Below are the new, exciting classes we now offer. If you’d like to order a printed copy of the menu or to schedule a class, please contact your ITC Business Development Representative.

• Feeding Your CRM (1 HR CE) Utilizing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system should be an integral part of every Realtor’s business. Unfortunately, most don’t understand what a CRM can and cannot do for them. In this class, we will discuss the basics of CRM, the types of information you should gather for your CRM, and how to “feed” your CRM by forming a successful CRM process. This understanding will show how much potential repeat and referral business you can gain through consistent use of a CRM.
• Getting the Most Out of RPR (1 HR CE) Are you looking for data to meet the demands of your clients? Have you heard of RPR? Learn how to use Realtors Property Resource (RPR) in your everyday business to access compelling property analytics, create captivating reports for your clients, perform both local and national property searches, utilize RPR’s unparalleled CMA tool, and much, much more!
• Keeping Clients for Life (1 HR CE) Past clients are a real estate agent’s lifeline to generating a steady stream of repeat business and referrals. Do you know how to keep in touch without becoming a nuisance? Personalization may be the key to staying off your client’s “do not disturb” list. In this class, we will share ideas on how to personalize your follow-up by giving creative closing gifts, providing pertinent data post-closing, and so much more! Consistent application of these interactions will help you keep clients for life.
• Mobile Apps for Mobile Agents (1 hr CE) Grab your smartphone or tablet and join us for an hour of mobile real estate apps! In this class, we’ll go over five mobile apps that will take you from searching for listings all the way to depositing earnest money, all with your smartphone. You’ll walk away with tools to streamline your day-to-day operations while on the go!
• Perfecting Your Online Presence (1 HR CE) Have you ever Googled your business? Are you utilizing your Realtor.com account? Do you feel overwhelmed by the complexities of online real estate profiles? Have no fear— we found the answers for you! In this class, you will learn how to complete important details across a variety of platforms, which can increase views and profile traffic. This class will also provide a detailed overview on profile syndication, a feature that allows for data sharing across platforms to get the most out of your profiles.
• Smart Homes for Smart Agents (1 HR CE) We live in a world where you can do almost anything from your phone: lock your front door, adjust your thermostat, turn off the lights, etc. Smart home technology is reshaping the way homes operate and is influencing the real estate industry. These devices are changing the way Realtors stage homes, hold open houses, set sales prices, and so much more. In this class, you will learn about smart home products so you can communicate with your clients about unique features these products have to offer, whether your clients are buying or selling a home.
• Tools for Target Marketing (1 HR CE) Have you ever wondered how to identify profitable neighborhoods to market to or how to calculate the turnover rate in an area? What if we told you the tools are at your fingertips? In this class, you will learn the answer to these questions as well as how to easily print mailing labels and utilize REiSource to find specific targets.
• Zeroing in on zipForm Plus (1 HR CE) zipForm Plus has become one of the most utilized platforms in real estate because of its ease in streamlining the transaction process. In this course, we will cover the recent changes to the program and walk you through a transaction from start to finish. You will learn how to create a transaction, add and edit documents, link your preferred e-signature solution to send contracts for signing, and stay on top of every task with zipForm Plus’ new interactive dashboard. Whether you are a new or advanced user, you will walk away from this class with new information you can use in every transaction