I need to vent, and since no one in my immediate family,  husband, or friends are self employed, I will share my frustrations with you.  Why is it that we are at the bottom of the totem pole?? We (abstractors) carry all of the liability,  but yet make the least in this chain? Without a title search, there is no title insurance, without title insurance there is no mortgage, without a mortgage there is no purchasing, no closing, so on and so forth. The closing company is charging the client hundreds of dollars for our services, but they do not want to pay us hardly anything for that. Could you imagine if our fees were $200 for a current owner search?? My sister and her husband just purchased their home and I looked over the paper work,  do you know that they were charged $300 for title search PLUS $125 for the exam fee,  that same company is only willing to pay $70 for a purchase search.  Things have seriously got to change.  Would you ever go into Dillards, or The Gap, and ask to pay $10 for a $40 pair of jeans, I hope not, So why would someone ask that of me, (or you)? We are running an auction, or a yardsale.  I have a set rate of fees,   and I do not lower them.  I am actually considering raising them, If you read this whole thing,  thanks and sorry for being soo long winded,  I just have to see if I am the only one feeling this way??  Has anyone ever considered starting a union??? What is the chance of that???