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Real Estate Agent vs. Client Reviews: Why the Divergence in Opinion?

Written by Todd Ewing on . Posted in Article.

reviews

Nearly all established title companies in the Washington DC market boast a substantial number of online reviews.  However, unlike other service industries, the title industry invites highly divergent review ratings when comparing reviews by real estate agents versus the homebuyers and sellers. For example, take a peak at the Yelp reviews of a few of the largest title companies in the area and you’ll quickly find that homebuyers and sellers are more likely to deliver a scathing 1-star review as compared to a real estate agent who is more likely to deliver a glowing 5-star review.  In other words, clients are more often very dissatisfied with the services of the title company, whereas real estate agents are more often very satisfied.

Why is there such a divergence of opinion?

Among area title companies, this divergence of opinion is most prevalent in the reviews of those title companies who participate in an Affiliated Business Arrangement, or among those who pay real estate brokers for Marketing Service Agreements. So, perhaps the real estate agents are giving the title company a 5-star review not because the title company provides great service to their client.  Rather, that 5-star review could be influenced because the title company supports the agent’s brokerage by participating in a Marketing Service Agreement or Affiliated Business Arrangement.

With all of Yelp’s supposed built-in algorithms, wouldn’t it make sense to filter the 5-star reviews of referral sources whose opinions may be influenced by their company’s business interests? It seems that homebuyers and sellers, the folks paying the title company’s fees, would be better served by the reviews of fellow homebuyers and sellers and not the reviews of referral sources.

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Todd Ewing
Todd Ewing is an entrepreneur and attorney. After receiving his law degree from Drake University, Ewing left his home state of Iowa for opportunity in the Capital Region.He launched Federal Title & Escrow Company in 1996. The company that began on a piece of plywood strewn across a couple of sawhorses in a tiny office in Tenleytown had a unique premise: Give back to homebuyers what other title companies kick back to their referral sources.The innovative REALCredit™ distinguished Federal Title from its competitors and helped move Federal Title to the top echelon of independent title companies in the United States.A perennial trail blazer, over the years Ewing has also introduced one of the title industry’s first paperless closing workflows and a mobile app known as Close It! that was first to pinpoint for buyers, sellers and agents exactly how much cash would traverse the closing table during settlement.Ewing is an active outdoorsman who enjoys golf as well as hunting and fishing.
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Todd Ewing

Todd Ewing is an entrepreneur and attorney. After receiving his law degree from Drake University, Ewing left his home state of Iowa for opportunity in the Capital Region.He launched Federal Title & Escrow Company in 1996. The company that began on a piece of plywood strewn across a couple of sawhorses in a tiny office in Tenleytown had a unique premise: Give back to homebuyers what other title companies kick back to their referral sources.The innovative REALCredit™ distinguished Federal Title from its competitors and helped move Federal Title to the top echelon of independent title companies in the United States.A perennial trail blazer, over the years Ewing has also introduced one of the title industry’s first paperless closing workflows and a mobile app known as Close It! that was first to pinpoint for buyers, sellers and agents exactly how much cash would traverse the closing table during settlement.Ewing is an active outdoorsman who enjoys golf as well as hunting and fishing.