Should Residential Real Estate Investors Work with a Multi-State Title Company?
Real estate has traditionally been a very local business. This is obvious on some level, because real property doesn’t move. It exists in a city, county, or state, and thus, is most important to the people and governments in those areas. The professionals involved in real estate have traditionally lived, worked, and operated in their local or regional communities.
Yet, like so many other local industries, the digital age has upended the hyper local sensibilities of real estate. Now, someone from thousands of miles away can easily learn markets, find properties, and sign purchase agreements. Residential real estate investment from anywhere in the country has never been easier than it is today.
The title and closing industry
While there are powerful title companies who have operated on a national level for nearly a century, most title agencies have stayed small and local. These agencies understand the local community, the ins and outs of the local regulatory regimes, and have relationships with the important players in their area.
While this may be great for those looking to purchase or even invest in a single area, the rise of national investors means that a new perspective on title and closing is necessary. One that takes into account the processes and technology that support a national business.
For example, let’s say that someone from California decides to invest in single-family rentals in Nashville, Austin, and Miami. Traditionally, that investor may work with three different title agents, one for each city. This means that while the investor is trying to accomplish fundamentally the same thing in each location, they are dealing with three different sets of people, all with different processes, which could create roadblocks and slow down business.
What a multi-state title agency brings to the table
This is where the ability to process transactions in multiple states becomes really valuable.
A licensed multi-state agency, like Blueprint Title, can work with investors operating in multiple markets. These companies specifically build teams that acquire a level of expertise to effectively manage closings in multiple states, as well as the technology to help streamline the processes. This gives real estate professionals one source of information, one set of people to work with, and ideally, one streamlined experience for all their transactions.
Now, because the agreements, the deeds, and regulations can differ by state, county, and city, each closing is still going to have its nuances. That said, a multi-state agency is in a better position to recognize those nuances and communicate the differences effectively.
This is why multi-state agencies like Blueprint jump through the legal hurdles and build the expertise necessary to operate in as many states as possible. Rather than having to babysit each transaction, investors can have confidence that their agent is taking care of their businesses in each location and providing important information.
Does that mean that a multi-state title agency can only provide value to professionals operating across multiple states?
The short answer is no. These companies are still valuable partners for more local businesses. Title and closing companies that operate more nationally still have experts on their team who understand city-to-city or county-to-county closing procedures and regulations.
Additionally, multi-state title agencies like Blueprint are built for scale. So even local investors, if they are doing a lot of transactions, can find working with a multi-state agency to be very beneficial. They are more able to build processes for scalable investing, working to cut down time to close and be more cost-effective.
So what does that mean for you?
There are pros and cons to working with any kind of title agency. That said, there are a few ways to know what is right for you. When looking at who you want to work with, ask these questions:
- Am I operating in multiple states?
- Am I expecting to expand?
- How many transactions will I do each month (five or more is a good benchmark)?
- What type of experience do I want?
If you answer yes to any or all of these questions, then working with a multi-state agency that can build and scale with you may be the direction you want to go.