This year’s National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) will take place May 21-23, welcoming hundreds of industry leaders and title professionals to the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Fla. An underwriter panel will take on the subject of “What we’re doing for our agents,” highlighting what agents can count on from their underwriter partners and the current trends affecting the real estate industry.
The discussion will take place on Wednesday, May 22.
“There are so many things that agents are confronted with these days and it may seem like it is overwhelming, but agents are not alone,” Bluhm told The Title Report. “You don’t have to go at it alone and don’t be afraid. Your underwriter is here to help, support you, keep you aware and informed. They keep you in the game with all sorts of tools, resources, support and responsiveness that will get you through whatever it is you are facing. They keep you relevant and are of great value through helping you grow the business, keeping a smile on your and your employees’ faces and aiding in the success of your business.”
Bluhm said it’s important for the industry to evolve in tandem with its customer base while staying abreast of renewed regulatory scrutiny.
“We continue to trend downward from an amazing peak and you could say our industry’s value is being aggressively questioned by uninformed parties,” he said. “The picture being painted might be a slightly different color, but we have been through this before. The good thing is we have new tools and resources to help us all get through this. Even better, the industry has vast amounts of members that have been through this before. Those members have a great amount of knowledge and experience that can be drawn upon, put in play and keep us all relevant and of value.”
Townsend echoed those sentiments and said it’s more important than ever for members of the industry to become involved in advocacy.
“We have a great story to tell,” he said. “Our industry is integral to the economy and the housing industry. As far as who needs to hear our message the most, it’s anyone who thinks that regulation only affects lenders or large companies.
“It is up to each of us to share our story and promote the value of the industry.”
Bluhm added that challenges lobbed toward the title and real estate industry can provide a great opportunity for self-reflection and improvement, with knowledge provided in his NS3 session aimed at helping in that area.
“The challenges we are faced with will require us to take a good look at ourselves,” he said. “How we do business, how we communicate with others, how we serve others, how we want to be known and recognized. They force us to further crank up our creative minds and think outside the box as to what the future could be and how we are securely placed in that future. After all, if you don’t evolve, your value diminishes and eventually you are no longer relevant. We all know what happens when you are no longer relevant.”