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August 20, 2024

What is FinCEN and Why Does the Title Company Care About It?

By Karen Burnett, Senior Vice President, Escrow Manager FinCEN is part of the US Department of the Treasury that was created to help identify how some cash funds were being […]

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July 11, 2024

How Does Your Title Company Protect You and Your Clients from Cyber Threats and Fraud? Independence Title Uses CertifID

By Kara McGregor, Independence Title’s Sr. VP of Branding and Public Relations Real Estate transactions are a rich target for fraudsters and cyber criminals, with valuable assets and staggering amounts […]

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June 24, 2024

Brokers Have Some Decisions to Make … FAST …

by Kara McGregor, Senior Vice President; Roland Love, Attorney and Vice President; and Kaema Roberson, Vice President of Education June 24, 2024 – As the legal landscape on agent commissions […]

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June 13, 2024

So now what?

Real Estate Market Update from Mark Sprague Independence Title’s Director of Information Capital In real estate, the big question is:  “When will we return to normalcy?” Would anyone be surprised if […]

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February 6, 2024

Unlocking the Power of Customer Reviews for Business Excellence

By Emily Rice, Social Media Manager In the dynamic business landscape, leveraging customer reviews is a game-changer for enhancing credibility, fostering trust, and garnering referrals from potential clients. These authentic […]

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January 3, 2024

But wait, about rates, you said …

by Mark Sprague, Independence Title Director of Information Capital First, my apologies for not anticipating the Fed’s reversing direction after two years of raising rates to pivot and talk about […]

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November 8, 2023

Some Texas counties subject to special reporting requirements by FinCEN

by Kara McGregor, Senior Vice President, Independence Title Beginning on November 21, 2023, Travis County will join Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Montgomery, Tarrant and Webb counties as part of the geographic […]

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September 13, 2023

Has the Residential Real Estate Market Changed? Market Update with Mark Sprague

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital A question Realtors, economists, real estate analysts, and more have been getting for the past 18+ months: Has the residential real estate market changed? For […]

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July 11, 2023

Market Update with Mark Sprague Summer 2023

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital The market had hoped that moderating inflation would have a positive impact on rates by the middle of this year. Not going to happen. Not […]

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April 7, 2023

6 Proven Tips to Help Real Estate Agents Increase Engagement on Social Media

By Becky Gervers, Technology Trainer & Marketing Automation Specialist As a real estate trainer who consults with real estate agents on the technology they use and the marketing automation available […]

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March 7, 2023

How Real Estate Agents Can Leverage Artificial Intelligence for Better Marketing

By Becky Gervers, Technology Trainer & Marketing Automation Specialist Are you a real estate agent looking for ways to get ahead of your competition and increase your business? Well, it […]

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January 4, 2023

Facebook Real Estate Listing Update!

By Shanahan Ramos, Curriculum Lead & Education Specialist YES, you can still promote your Listings on your Facebook Business Page even after January 30, 2023, but here is everything you need […]

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November 4, 2022

Market Update with Mark Sprague

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital The Federal Reserve Bank’s policy-making committee (FOMC) raised rates this week (at the November 1-2 meeting) by .75% and kept a hawkish tone given the […]

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October 18, 2022

Property Tax Time in Texas – Tax Prorations

 By Karen Burnett, Senior Vice President, Escrow Manager Property tax time comes around October 1 of each year. That is the date that the county tax assessors are supposed to […]

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September 23, 2022

How the Federal Reserve Impacts Mortgage Rates

Compiled by Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital The other day was the Federal Reserve meeting; their decision was another 75-basis point / ¾ point rate hike. Mortgage rates have surged […]

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September 16, 2022

TREC Wants Your Input!

 By Kaema Roberson, VP – Director of Education Get involved! Comment on the proposed TREC form revisions by September 26th. Currently, the proposed forms are out for public comment, and […]

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August 24, 2022

Wire Fraud – Is It Still a Thing?

By Karen Burnett, Senior Vice President, Escrow Manager Yes, it is!  Stealing has been part of human history since the beginning of time and as we have evolved, so have […]

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July 19, 2022

The Long-Awaited Slowdown In the Pace of Economic Activity Nationally is Here, or Is It?

By Mark Sprague, State Director of Information Capital Jobs nationally and locally continue to be created at a robust pace. (Job openings are twice the number of people out of work nationally and […]

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January 18, 2022

Tax Time in Texas – Homestead Exemption Q&A with Roland Love

By Roland Love, Vice President, Business Alliances & Field Operations Our recent note regarding the legislative change generally allowing a person to claim a homestead exemption anytime during the year […]

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January 4, 2022

Homestead Exemption Changes – Effective January 1st!

By Roland Love, Vice President, Business Alliances & Field Operations So maybe you’ve heard the buzz – “I can get a residential homestead exemption anytime during the year!” Is that […]

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