Author: Emily Rice

April 6, 2021

Are We in a Bubble? At What Point Does Aggressive Values Appreciation Indicate a Bubble

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital We are getting lots of questions about the lack of inventory, which leads to the question of whether we are in a real […]

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March 25, 2021

Welcome Christy Shattles to Monticello (DFW)

Meet Christy Shattles … With a tenure in the title industry spanning 28 years, Christy is joining Independence Title as Branch Manager, Escrow Officer of our Dallas-Monticello office.  Christy began […]

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March 9, 2021

Using Instagram Reels for Real Estate

By Emily Rice, Social Media Manager Have you noticed the semi-new feature on Instagram called Reels? Reels a blend of Instagram Stories and IGTV, short videos up to 30 seconds […]

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January 14, 2021

Business Planning 2021

By Emily Rice, Social Media Manager 2020 is FINALLY over!  The best word to describe this year for real estate is busy, which might be a bit of an understatement […]

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December 30, 2020

Ten Economic Questions for 2021 (focus on Texas)

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital Every presentation, every forecast the disclaimer ‘that a recession could be caused by “a catastrophic event” such as significant global military conflict, […]

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November 12, 2020

It’s Not an “Option” Yet!

By: Kaema Roberson, Associate Director of Education for Independence Title Wondering if the rumors are true? Will the title company accept and receipt the option fee? On November 10th, 2020 […]

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April 16, 2020

Market Musings (Greater Austin Area)

Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital Here’s an update on some recent questions I’ve been considering, with input and feedback from much wiser analysts/economists whose seminars I have been […]

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July 18, 2019

The Safest Way to Travel? Maybe Not for Your Cybersecurity

Summertime: the kids are out of school, the weather is just right, time to go on vacation! It’s always something to look forward to, except the part where you have […]

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July 11, 2019

Have You Used the Matrix Tax Record Search for Target Marketing? [Austin & DFW Area]

Have you heard about the new Matrix tax record search? Instead of having to go to Realist to search the public record, you can now search directly within Matrix. It’s […]

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June 20, 2019

How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Attempts

By now you’ve probably heard of phishing, which describes attempts by cybercriminals to extract private, personal information from people and companies. Criminals use phishing emails to trick you into giving […]

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June 12, 2019

Home Buyers Face Ever-Increasing Attacks Through Social Engineering

One of our clients moved with her family from Dallas to a small town outside of Austin and started looking for a house immediately. As many of you know, it’s […]

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May 13, 2019

A Guide to Hosting Your Ultimate Summer Soirée

By Jennifer Wilhelm, Event Coordinator Summer is just around the corner, and that means fun, sun and get-togethers with friends. Now is the perfect time to start planning your ultimate […]

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May 7, 2019

Which Computer Is Safer From Cybercrime: Mac or PC?

Which computer is safer from cybercrime: Mac or PC? The answer may surprise you. Remember the commercials with the young savvy man (Mac) vs the older stuffy man (PC)? These […]

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April 18, 2019

How Tax Reforms Affect the Housing Market

By: Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital The last time the U.S. underwent major tax reform was in 1986, and unintended consequences caused the 1987 “Texas Depression.” Two of […]

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April 1, 2019

Spring Cleaning! Safeguarding Your Email

Mary was a hard-working broker at a medium-sized office, she answered her agents’ emails and provided all the tools of the trade. She wanted every agent in her brokerage to […]

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March 13, 2019

How to Protect Yourself Against a Ransomware Attack

Dan, a Realtor®, was sitting down to his computer for a day at the office. He had two transactions in the works and needed to check on the lender’s progress […]

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February 13, 2019

Love? Not Actually… Steps to Protect Yourself from Cybercrime

Welcome to the first article in a series from Independence Title on how to keep yourself, your devices, and your transactions safe from cybercrime. Check out the bottom of the […]

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November 14, 2018

It’s the End of the (Paper) World As We Know It…and We Feel Fine!

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 […]

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October 30, 2018

“If Only I Had Known …”

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 […]

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October 23, 2018

The Sky Is Not Falling. Mark Sprague’s Texas Market Update

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 […]

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