Thanks for the feed back Ellen,

I have witnessed this first hand as an 2nd shift manager for a abstracting company that had a sweet contract for prequalified home lenders. We covered the whole state of Florida and just in an 8 hour shift we could produce 100 current owner searches {at average current owner rates} a night using only 5 abstractors not including myself. I am sure that there are people out there that have seen it too, or participated in this process. I also know that if you can produce quality work with quick turnarounds at a volume. You will gain more lucrative contracts and can charge competive rates as well.

I compare what is going to happen to this industry as to what an effect a super wal-mart has on small businesses once it opens in a small town. They end up going belly up. The same principle can apply to this industry, when thirty year searches can be done online and the need for courthouse visits will diminish. That is when the super wal marts of the title industry will have what I envision similar to a small or large call center with employees at cubicles with a computer having internet access and printing software. That enables you to print to digital form then networked together for file transferring, and handling quality control issues, then sent to the client with what we would deem unsuitable by todays standards as an independant of a 2 hour turnaround..... in turn the need for independants would be pratically nonexistant.

The pay system can be done on a quota style, for number of orders completed correctly with your quota met and incentives for surpassing your quota. I understand your reasoning behind why some would still perfer to use some independants, loyalty, quality of work, and quick reliable turnarounds. Although I do not believe it will be a money issue, because we all know that even though we bicker about someone undercutting your rates, in the long run the group that you should be upset with is your client for tossing you to the wayside for a cheaper rate.

That is why I dont think it will be a money issue because if they will switch on you for a 5 dollar cut on your rate then what is to stop them from setting up there own searchers or contracting it out to a company that works on volume with quick turnaround and rates so low you cant compete with due to the volume they produce.

I am not complaining, this is just the nature of the beast called business. If you can not change with it it will leave you behind and belly up as the super wal marts get bigger and richer.

I hate to mention this but I really dont think an association will last long, because of this online trend but a national independant abstractors union will politcal pull and presence to lobby legislators to pass laws regarding the certification, standards, and guidelines as to the way title searches are done and who does them, as well as look out for and protect the way of life as an independant abstractor.

Food for thought: The title industry benefits the most from online documentation and trust me they have a large lobbying group that has looked into the future and see that they can charge the same amount for there services but acquire a part of that service at a rate they control as well as turnaround times that they can control by doing it inhouse. Thus not relying on independants that they only have phone or email conversations with, versus a company employee having to uphold company policy and is seen on a daily basis for easy followup.

Again Thanks Ellen

Ellen, are you anywhere close to Jefferson County Mo I have friend that is need of a deed for her deceased grandmother's property. I have contacted the appraisers office and they say the address I give them does not exist although it will map on several map sites and there is a address one number higher than the one I need. I know it exist's, I just think they have it indexed wrong on there website. She lives in Tampa, her and her sister are worried and would like to see the deed to the property to see who's name is on it now after there grandmother died.
Sam

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