We have launched our GREEN PROJECT here at The Preferred Title Group, Inc.   As of July 1, 2011 we are doing all we can to NOT use paper for our files.  Each file starts out digitally and continues on through the entire process in a digital fashion. At closing the borrower is given a disk with copies of all pertinent documents, including their title commitment, copies of all documents signed at closing, the location survcey, etc.  on it.  This has already resulted in a HUGE savings for me in terms of the cost of paper and toner, etc.,  BUT...... This project has come at a large PERSONAL cost to me; the inability to stick countless little sticky notes on the file that I have reviewed so that I remember (or someone on my staff) remembers to follow up on something critical.  I am an admitt... 07/18/2011

I haven't been blogging much lately on AR.  I became somewhat disenchanted with AR for a while because some of the blogs that were featured seemed to be just FLUFF.  By that I mean that they seemed not to impart any particular wisdom but rather just seemed to be posted for purposes of creating a blog for the day. I do blog almost daily on other sites, these are mostly professional sites and my blogs are geared to those professionals who are driven to those sites.  I need to make my AR blog more appealing to Realtors and to consumers, because, after all, I am trying to market my title and settlement services to Realtors and consumers.  I just don't quite know how to do it!! I am an admitted news junkie and a geek. I LOVE to talk about, learn about and blog about the ever changing real e... 07/14/2011

THE REALTOR ON THE DATE CLOSING   The realtor plays a very important role in the settlement transaction.  It is the job of the realtor to assist the buyer in obtaining financing, assist the buyer in getting inspections done ordering title work and ultimately getting the deal to closing.  Ultimately of course, you want this deal to close and you want to collect your commission check. YOU EARNED IT.   The realtor should always attend the settlement.  The buyer may have questions that the title agent cannot answer.  You have been involved in the transaction from the very beginning and you have been privy to conversations and discussions that may be referenced at settlement.  On the date of settlement you will want to communicate with your buyer (or seller) to remind them to bring their pho... 07/13/2011

Since the beginning of 2010 rwe have all been using the "new" HUD-1 settlement statement. The purpose of this revised HUD was supposed to enable consumers to make informed decisions relating to the cost of thier real estate transaction. The THEORY was sound, the end result though is that nothing has changed. EXCEPT that in some cases the consumer is actually paying MORE for settlement services than they may have been post 2010. Prior to the revised HUD an agent or lender would call our office, request a preliminary HUD and presumably would then share the ITEMIZED costs with the consumer. This same scenerio still plays out daily. But the revised HUD does not enable us to itemize the cost of title services, but rather shows title related fees as a lump sum. Because of the "new" rules rela... 07/12/2011

  DO YOU OWE TOO MUCH ON YOUR PERRY HALL, MARYLAND HOME BUT HAVE TO SELL IT?   HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF SELLING YOUR PERRY HALL, MARYLAND HOME THROUGH A SHORT SALE?   Mike Klijanowicz is an experienced Short Sale Real Estate agent servicing your local Perry Hall, Maryland community area.  Mike Klijanowicz is an expert real estate short sale specialist agent who has the right network of contacts and systems in place to get your short sale real estate transaction on your Perry Hall, Maryland home closed quickly!  If you are in a situation where you are contemplating selling your Perry Hall, Maryland home going through a short sale or know anyone else who is in that same  situation, Mike Klijanowicz wants you to know that he is here as a FREE resource for you and all of your referrals!  Simp... 05/12/2011

The use of a POA in your real estate closing should not be your FIRST CHOICE I am doing a transaction on a property in Maryland with a purchase price of $550K and a loan amount of $440K. The buyers, husband and wife, cannot both be in town at the same time. The wife asked if we could do a POA I told her that as long as the lender approved the use of a POA we could have one prepared for her, send it to her with instruction for execution and notarization, etc.  The bank agreed to the use of the POA, and then..... The wife advised that she wanted to appoint her real estate agent.  I have never believed that to be a good idea and suggested that she go ahead and appoint her husband as her attorney in fact.  She ultimately agreed to this and then..... She wanted me to MAIL the entire closing ... 05/09/2011

One of my hobbies is creating scrapbooks for my children and grandchildren.  As I was working on some scrapbooks yesterday it occurred to me that a real estate closing is very similar to a scrapbook page.  The page starts with an idea, then you lay out your pictures, embellishments and so on until you have a page that is appealing to you.  Once you lay out the page you begin to glue the picture and embellishments to the page to create a permanent memorial to a time in your life or that of your loved ones.    NANA and MADDIE sharing a moment.  A real estate closing is very much the same.  It starts with an idea or a vision, if you will.  The seller's vision is to sell the property the buyer's vision is to buy the property.  Many other people are involved in the transaction and they repre... 04/18/2011

I have been very lax in posting for about the last month or so.  It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's that I have been busy with some other things that have just been all consuming. I have been invited to speak at the National Settlement Services & Compliance Summit to be held in Cleveland, Ohio on June 7-8.  What an honor to have been invited. I will be presenting on the state of foreclosures and how they impact our industry.  In particular how difficult is it to insure title on foreclosed properties, what the future holds as far as more foreclosures nationwide, how the real estate industry as a whole will need to respond to the foreclosure crisis, etc. In addition to that honor, I have joined a panel of title professionals through the MLTA who have taken on the task of pr... 04/11/2011

I am forced to be working from home today as a result of a well malfunction. Oddly enough when I woke at 5 a.m. all was well with the well.  (no pun intended) After reading some news and checking and responding to e-mail, I went to take a shower and much to my surprise found that the well pump was not working at all.  So.. a quick and angry call to my husband at work yielded an argument between us and a phone call by me to a well specialist.   Luckily the well specialist will be able to come out today to hopefully correct whatever the problem is and I will be able to get back to normal in short order. That leaves me though working from home today.   I am able to do most of what I need to do from here because I have a wonderful assistant who truly runs my office and is able to handle mos... 03/14/2011

The Wrong Decisions Lead To A Lower Price A home owner decided that she wanted to sell her home.  Her first step was to contact a real estate agent.  It looks good so far. If the home were in good condition, then a reasonable price would have been "X" dollars. The particular home was in sound condition, meaning that its functional systems, such as heating, plumbing, and such, as well as its structure and foundation were fine. However, this particular home lacked appeal, primarily because it was in need of new carpet and an interior paint job. To get top dollar, the best thing to do would be to replace the carpet and paint the interior.  Although the home owner had the money available to make these improvements, she chose not to have them done. Appropriately, the house was put on the mar... 03/04/2011

ROBO SIGNING NOT THE ONLY ISSUE -CHECK OUT THIS SHOW CAUSE ORDER by CHARLENE PERRY | 2011/03/04 | JACOB GEESING, et al., * * Plaintiffs * * VS. * * Defendant *  IN THE CIRCUIT COURT KENT COUNTY, MARYLAND CASE NO. 14-C- ************************************************************************ SHOW CAUSE ORDER This Court having received Plaintiff's Affidavit of Deed of Trust Debt dated April 15, 2010 which includes a mathematical error involving a credit in favor of the Defendant of $12,690.31 which was added to the Defendant's debt, and having before it for consideration an Order of Ratification and Referral to Auditor, and this Court having signed on this day a Show Cause Order in the matter of Geesing v.  , 14-C-10- 8272, containing similar irregularities involving the Affidavit of Deed... 03/04/2011

I have been unwell for the last several weeks with the Swine Flu.  I am finally back at work and I feel so much better and I do want to thank all of you who took a moment out of your busy days to wish me well. Being out of the office and truly not working has wreaked havoc on my desk!!  I am sitting here now at my desk which is usually pretty tidy and I am OVERWHELMED.  There is paper everywhere, I don't know what all this paper is but I do know that I don't feel like dealing with it     -:) Mail has piled up, titles for review are stacked high and miscellaneous paper from faxes, e-mails, etc. are lying in an unruly pile awaiting my perusal and decision making.  My desk needs a make-over.  I need at least a whole day just to try to cull this mess so that I can figure out just what the h... 03/02/2011

Many of you may have heard about micro-lending but because it is generally a tool used by persons in countries like Pakistan, India and Bolivia really never gave it much thought.  Neither had I until I recently read an article on Source of Title http://www.sourceoftitle.com This short article reveals the potential pitfalls of micro-lending in a way that while was not meant to be humorous, for some reason just really made me laugh.  I do not feel good about my reaction, but that was my honest reaction.  But, then, I started to really think about this issue and read a bit more on the subject.   The article mentioned above relates to a story about a micro-lender in the U.S. who lent a sum of money to a farmer and used the farmer's goat(s) as collateral against the loan.  The repayment term... 02/24/2011

I have been a smoker for my entire adult life, spanning more than 25 years now.  I have smoked upwards to 1 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day for at least the last 20 years.  That is a serious lot of smoking and no small amount of money wasted over the years.  At $65 a carton, smoking a carton a week I spent about $260/month on something that was killing me, affecting those around me and generally making my life a living hell.  I have repeatedly tried to quit smoking by making New Year's Resolutions, promises to my self and others that I would finally quit and offering myself treats for every hour, day, month, etc., that passed without a cigarrette.  All to no avail.  And then.... I got the Swine Flu!!  I have been deathly ill for the last 2 weeks with the Swine Flu.  If you have never had... 02/23/2011

Every day we all do the same thing.  We tweet, re-tweet, blog, like, comment, LinkIN and Branch out.  But, are you doing these things selfishly or are you playing fairly? It's exciting to see your numbers increase isn't it?  You check every day to see how many people are following you, who has subscribed to your blog, who has recommended you on LinkedIn, how many have invited you to Branch Out, commented on a Face book post,  and who has tweeted or re-tweeted you and so on.  BUT...... What have you done for your followers?  I just started using Twitter (@PREFERREDTITLE) more diligently this month. In the short time since I have begun "tweeting" and "re-tweeting"  I have been blessed by a number of people from far and wide who have begun to "follow" me.   I am so grateful to these people... 02/08/2011

9600D Haven Farm Road Perry Hall, MD 21128 PERRY HALL FARMS COMMUNITY  MORE PICTURES OF 9600D Haven Farm Road By Mike Klijanowicz - Your #1 Local Realtor CLICK HERE ANOTHER BRAND NEW LISTING IN PERRY HALL FARMS!  PRISTINE CONDITION LIGHTLY LIVED IN GROUND LEVEL 2BR 2FULL BATH UNIT IN HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER PERRY HALL FARMS! ENTER/EXIT DIRECTLY FROM YOUR PATIO DOOR NO NEED TO ENTER LOBBY & NO STEPS AT ALL! FEATURES: BRAND NEW CARPETING THRU-OUT,FRESHLY PAINTED,NEUTRAL DECOR,SECURE BUILDING W/ASSIGNED PARKING,WALKING DISTANCE TO HONEYGO VILLAGE SHOPS,GROCERY STORE,RESTAURANTS,BRAND NEW LIBRARY,PARKS,& MUCH MORE! FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS PROPERTY VISIT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.ISELLMDHOMES.COM AND CLICK ON THE FEATURED PROPERTIES TAB!      If you are considering listing and selling your Baltimor... 01/29/2011

I got my real estate license again in November, 2010.  I tried to place my license with a national brokerage but was told that because I hold a title producer's license, I could not place my real estate license with this brokerage, but, that they had a program for referral agents.  I chose to go that route.  Today I made my first referral to a good friend and phenomenal agent, Dan McDevitt, http://www.danmcdevitt.com/ Dan and I have worked together on some other transactions and I am always very pleased with the service that he rendered to his clients.  The referral I gave to him, and that he will hopefully accept, is for a seller who is facing a short sale situation.  I know that Dan will do all he can to get this property sold.  I hope to able to make other referrals in the coming mon... 01/27/2011

This weekend I listed a beautiful 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath brick front Colonial Detached home in Perry Hall, Maryland.  9423 Harcrest Way in Forge Landing. A delightful 7 year old community in a great North Baltimore location. I spent a large part of Saturday morning filming a home tour video for The Active Rain and Kodak contest and then the next 30 or so hours I spent cropping, tweaking & cringing having to listen to my own voice over and over again, putting together a video for this contest. 8.42 minutes of house tour that I can tolerate only to find out later that there is a 4 minute cap on the contest entry! Feel free to click on my "You Tube" to see this "work of Art"! Back to the drawing board. MEANWHILE I have heaps of photos and footage of this terrific home and I was interested to ... 01/24/2011

My husband and I will (hopefully) celebrate 30 years of wedded bliss on February 15, 2011. These years have been blessed with 4 beautiful children and 5 wonderful, healthy, and geourgous grand-daughters. There has been laughter, joy, tears, fights, good times and bad. But we have always held on to our absolute love for one another and the comfort found in each other's arms.  That was until..... This past Christmas my family gave me the best/worst gift ever.  I need to start out telling you that I am a technology junkie.  As I sit here writing this post I am surrounded by: A lap top computer A cell phone An IPOD and the new gift... NOOK COLOR Over the course of the last 30 years, as you might imagine, I have received numerous wonderful (and not so wonderful) gifts from my beloved family.... 01/23/2011

I got this from a friend today and I was absolutely appalled after viewing it.  This is the BEST ever explaination I have ever seen on the way that banks make money on REO and short sale.  It will make you wonder then, what the heck takes them so long to approve short sales. It's definately NOT because they are LOSING anything.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA This little video clip will make your blood boil, but it will also educate you so that when you are going to make your offer on either a short sale or an REO you are armed with a little more knowledge that the average consumer and can make a more informed decsion on what to offer. 01/20/2011