Proposed TREC Changes to Contract Require Earnest Money to Be Delivered in 3 Days
With a list of proposed TREC contract changes up for discussion, have you ever wondered how TREC decides when to change the promulgated forms? Typically, the forms are revised every other year following the Texas Legislative Session. TREC’s Broker Lawyer Committee meets first, and their proposed changes are discussed at the August TREC Commission meeting. […]
Read More >> August 11, 2017New Statistics Tools for Austin!
Does the word “statistics” intimidate you? Not only is it a hard word to say, but statistics themselves can often be confusing. As you know, in the world of real estate it’s important to differentiate yourself from the competition, and market statistics could very well be the factor that separates you from the rest. That’s […]
Read More >> August 10, 2017The State of the Austin Luxury Market
by Cassandra Majors, Independence Title The Austin real estate market has exploded in recent years, and the luxury market has been no exception. In times of economic trouble, home sales plummet and our industry takes a major hit. However, the luxury home market is usually the last sector of housing to feel the effects of […]
Read More >> July 27, 2017The Importance of Online Reviews
What makes online reviews a powerful tool for lead generating? They help consumers evaluate an agent’s honesty, reputation, and knowledge. When choosing a real estate agent, consumers consider these four things: The reputation of the agent If the agent is honest and trustworthy If the agent is a friend of family member The agent’s knowledge […]
Read More >> June 13, 2017Utilizing a CRM for Your Business
The top two sources of business for Realtors are referrals and past clients. With that being said, our question to you: How are you keeping up with your past clients?? Many real estate agents still use Excel spreadsheets or a simple contact manager (like the one in Outlook or Gmail) to manage their database of […]
Read More >> June 8, 2017What Is CodeNEXT?
Have you heard of CodeNEXT yet? If not, this is a topic that could have an impact on the real estate market and you will want to gain knowledge on the topic. CodeNEXT is the new City of Austin plan to update the current Land Development Code. The land code consists of how a piece […]
Read More >> April 30, 2017[DFW] Spring into Education! New Classes Available.
The Independence Title Education Team has been working hard on developing new and improved classes for you! See a list below of all the brand new classes we are offering this Spring. Please also check out our menus for all classes offered by the Education Team. To schedule one of these great classes in your […]
Read More >>[SAN ANTONIO] Spring into Education! New Classes Available.
The Independence Title Education Team has been working hard on developing new and improved classes for you! See a list below of all the brand new classes we are offering this Spring. Please also check out our menus for all classes offered by the Education Team. To schedule one of these great classes in your […]
Read More >>[AUSTIN] Spring into Education! New Classes Available.
The Independence Title Education Team has been working hard on developing new and improved classes for you! See a list below of all the brand new classes we are offering this Spring. Please also check out our menus for all classes offered by the Education Team. To schedule one of these great classes in your […]
Read More >> April 27, 2017Protect Your Money, and Your Dreams!
Are you dreaming of buying your first home? Or maybe you are dreaming of selling your current house so you can move to your dream home, or realize some other life goal? Look out, because there are well-organized criminals intent on making that dream impossible for you. They insinuate themselves into your real estate transaction […]
Read More >> April 17, 2017Utilizing the Stats Tab in Matrix
Do you love the monthly statistics Independence Title sends out but are constantly wishing you could have more narrow, specific statistics to use in your personal marketing? Maybe you want to show a Seller the average list price compared to the average sales price specifically in his subdivision? Or maybe you want to go even further […]
Read More >> April 4, 2017Introducing A New Member to the Education Team!
Spring is in full bloom here in Texas, as is the real estate market! Our Education Team is busy educating Realtors on the most important information and topics in the industry. The demand for our classes has prompted the expansion of our team. We are excited to announce our new trainer, Kaitlyn Mandry, who be […]
Read More >> March 7, 2017New Document Upload in Matrix
Do you have questions about the new Document Upload in Matrix?? You’re not alone! The good news is, the Education Team at Independence Title is here to help you with the New Transaction Desk System. The document upload portion of the program is the only piece that you are required to use so we want […]
Read More >> February 28, 2017Tax Deduction Cheat Sheet for Real Estate Agents
It’s that dreaded time of year…. Tax Season. As a real estate agent, it can get a little confusing as to what you can and can’t write off as a deduction. We found this list posted on one of our favorite websites, lightersideofrealestate.com, and wanted to share. (If you are ever having a bad day […]
Read More >> February 9, 2017Translating Transaction Desk
If you’ve tried to upload documents to your listings in MLS in the past week, you’ve probably noticed a big change. If you haven’t tried yet, get ready – it is now a completely different process. The Austin Board of Realtors recently announced the release of an all-inclusive transaction management system called Transaction Desk available for […]
Read More >> January 31, 20173 Key Elements to the Over 65 Property Tax Exemption
One of our favorite classes to present is Property Tax Chat. It’s not the most exhilarating topic on the Independence Title class menu. However, agents end up enjoying it and walk away with the valuable knowledge to add to their arsenal of information. In our class, the exemption that gets the most attention is the […]
Read More >> January 19, 2017Tech Tips For the New Year
As a continuation of our previous blog, New Year, New Goals – now is the time to reflect on 2016. While looking back, do you see a lot of things that took your valuable time that shouldn’t have!? We like to call those time bandits. To help with these so-called time bandits, we’ve scoured the […]
Read More >> January 10, 2017New Year, New Goals
It’s the beginning of January and you are probably reflecting on 2016 analyzing what worked, what didn’t work and how you want to change in this brand-new year. This is the time of year when it traditionally makes sense to set new goals. You feel as if you have a clean slate, you are refreshed […]
Read More >> January 4, 2017Closing Costs….Who’s Responsible?
Every agent knows the excitement of clients purchasing a new home or clients finally selling their house. Then your clients ask you “What am I responsible for paying for at my closing?” It can be difficult to explain everything that goes into closing costs so we created a new marketing piece called “Closing Costs…Who’s Responsible?” […]
Read More >> December 6, 2016What to Know When Selling a Smart Home
Smart home technology is becoming more and more popular among homeowners. In fact, per a recent survey by HGTV, forty-six percent of consumers want their current or next home to have smart home technology. These gadgets are beginning to reshape how homes operate, and they are influencing our industry such as staging homes, holding open houses, setting […]
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