Settlement Observer - FTE Blog

Buying a home is an important financial decision that should be considered carefully. Homebuyers must become familiar with the various stages of the home-buying process, including deciding whether it's the right time to buy a home or not and factors to consider in determining how much they can af...

Given that homebuyers are confronted with monumental tasks in the home-buying process, it should be expected that many of the finer details are entrusted to their real estate agent or mortgage lender. After a lengthy home search, contract offers and negotiation, gathering financial information fo...

Recently I've heard feedback from a few Maryland real estate agents who are concerned about the validity of e-signatures on Maryland real estate contracts. As a company that prides itself on empowering real estate agents with knowledge to make their clients' closing experience as pleasant as poss...

Want further proof that it's a bad idea to open a new line of credit while trying to buy a house? Beginning June 1 your lender will likely be pulling a last-minute second credit report immediately before closing. If you've taken out a new loan that's large enough to affect your debt-to-income rat...

While the Federal Tax credit is a thing of the past for most of us, those serving overseas in the U.S. military, the foreign service and the intelligence community may still be able to claim the $8,000 credit. "Members of the military and certain other federal employees serving outside the U.S. h...

The overhaul of an existing Web site or launch of a new one is an undertaking that comes with a lengthy checklist of tasks and possibly a substantial price tag.However, in the world of Web 2.0 technology and mounting expectations from increasingly tech-savvy customers, title companies around the ...

I came across an article in Forbes today entitled "Why Title Companies Hate Technology." At Federal Title, we love technology! We worked pretty hard around here to develop our consumer-friendly automatic quote software and then dove head-first into the world of Web 2.0 when we re-launched the Fed...

The $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers expired for most of us a little over a month ago, but mortgage rates continue to hold at historic lows prompting the question: Is it better to rent or own? The big picture story tells us conditions are prime for buyers, but the truth is on a...

Seeking to assure a more transparent settlement transaction that delivers a guaranteed quote for closing costs and directs a financial benefit to the home buyer instead of the referral source, Federal Title & Escrow Company introduces to the Miami-Dade market an unprecedented model that empowers ...

On average, title charges (i.e., closing fee, title search, title insurance, binder fees, etc.) comprise 70% of the total variable closing costs*. Since title charges do vary significantly from title company-to-title company in DC, MD, VA, and FL, it is very important for a home buyer to comparis...