Criteria for Selecting a Title Company

As a homebuyer, what is the proper criteria for selecting a title company?  At Federal Title & Escrow Company, we would like to think that your decision is based on service and pricing.  When somebody recommends you use a title company, whether it be your real estate agent, your loan officer or your neighbor, you should ask, was the referral based on service and pricing, or was it based on something else?

Service

Good service matters.  When selecting a hotel, a restaurant, a real estate agent, a loan officer or a car, we all look to see the online reviews.  The same should be true for your title company.  Just spending 15 minutes looking at online reviews could save you from a disaster closing.  Federal Title encourages prospective clients to read our Google and Yelp reviews.  Positive client feedback is the foundation of what we do and we take every review, positive or negative, seriously.  Making clients happy is a priority.  Purchasing a home is a stressful event.  The last thing you need is for the title company to be careless or unresponsive.  As an independent and neutral title company, we must do a good job in order to earn business.  Unfortunately, this is becoming less common in our industry, as most title companies have chosen to give up their independent status and create affiliations with the various parties in the transactions.  For these companies, service doesn’t matter, since the business is guaranteed through the affiliation.  At Federal Title and other like-minded, independent title companies, service is paramount.

Pricing

Pricing matters.  If it didn’t, people wouldn’t spend time shopping for the best deal on a car, on groceries or on clothes.  An independent title company charges less.  Don’t believe me?  Every major title company posts their fees online, do a search and you will see this to be true.  Sometimes, the savings can be $400-$500.  Sometimes, the savings can be thousands.  Use the tools available from our website, such as this video that will explain how to lower your closing costs.  When in doubt, use our quick quote feature, compare it to the online quotes from other title companies, and contact our office (services@federaltitle.com).  Homebuyers constantly contact us, amazed at how much they can save by switching to Federal Title, or disappointed to find out how much they overpaid by not shopping.

Buying a home is both stressful and expensive.  Don’t let your title company be chosen for you.  Follow basic criteria for selecting a title company and choose based on service and pricing.