Hello Lisa,

I am sorry you feel so negative toward my post.  Maybe you didn't quite understand my take on it.  The reason most everyone's prices around here have gone down is because many of us saw a rapid decline in receiving any work because of the new abstractors, their marketing tactics, and companies requesting lower prices in order for us just to compete.  It seems there has been a "flood" of newbies in this area, all thinking they can do this work with little to no training. 

While I know some particular abstractors that belong to SOT too, they are the "poster children" for needing a good lesson in abstractor ethics!  They've done a grand job of client "stealing", notorious for looking right over your shoulder and writing information down, or just bad mouthing other abstractors to clients in out right lies!  They have even called many of our clients in front of us and told them they'd do the work for almost half the price!  Yes, it's not just me, but others that have been in this business for 25 years!  I wish more abstractors would post too Judy!

I've had to do what was needed to make ends meet like many of the other abstractors in this area.  Although I am not going to let these people get me down.  I've called clients old, new, and current and asked how service was, about prices, etc.  I have received much information and comments, both positive and negative about pricing effects in our area.  Much of it stems from yes, the newbies are getting orders to the clients fast and at cheaper prices of $25 to $40 for current owner searches.  So they do stay with them.  Even though I have more education, experience, and am much more polite with the same turn time, they stick with them.  Some of the larger corporations said it's the computer that picks the abstractor according to prices, turn time ranges, and larger coverage areas.  So the lowering of my prices in the first place just to compete had nothing to do with my quality of service, my years of training and education, but had everything to do with yes-they found someone to do it cheaper and in the same time frame.  Unless I did it for the same price or cheaper, I wasn't getting any work!  How do you compete with that???!!! 

I did try for the longest time to hold on to my prices, and stand my ground telling companies they get what they pay for, and some of them have come back.  In talking to some of these clients, some say they just go from abstractor to abstractor and back, there was no real system.  Some keep a log on your profile for how fast you returned an order, if there were any problems, and so on, and if you had any negatives---like even sending too many docs--they'd pass the work onto someone else.  Some companies are just hiring their own abstractors to work JUST for them as an employee. 

I do not own a title company for those that posted about that.  I don't want to pay others or have to worry about things like that. I don't want to even set up an abstractor network that places limits and restrictions and-- I can't say the rest of what I want to here--on abstractors that are doing the work for them, and getting a lot less $ for the work! 

I want to succeed enough for me and my family, sorry if you feel I am part of the problem, but this is why I think states should regulate or make abstractors get licensed or certified.  It wouldn't be something just anyone could jump right into without the proper training or education or state passed test and certification!

In this area, we are hit hard with not just these new abstractors, new abstracting companies, but other out of state abstracting companies that are utilizing the online title plants that cover this entire area.  A local title company- without it's own plant - has just recently stopped using abstractors all together, with the exception of some northern counties, and now subscribes to those online plants to complete their work.  A person I know who works there says they have had so many problems with missing information within the plant or old effective dates, but nothing is being done about it.  She wishes they'd go back to using their tried and true vendor abstractors.  But that is not going to happen.

As far as pricing goes, I know there are others out there that refuse to admit they've done the same thing, for the same reasons.  That's fine.  But my original post was to tell THESE people that we should stick to our guns and do what it takes to get our clients back, within ethics of course, from these new abstractors, newbie abstracting companies, and national vendor companies that all do it or want it done so cheaply.  I am worth much more than $40 for a last owner search.  And by the way, I did $35 searches for only ONE national title company out of Ohio, they just refuse to pay anymore for them (they are listed on the Hot List).  I have not worked for them for a year now, but I know the person that does, and she's banging her head on a wall as to what they ask for, for so little $.  Hopefully, I can get her to raise her prices too.  I know someone said that standardize prices can be illegal, but we all have to have some standards in this business.  Prices do vary from region to region within the United States, and even local companies want it cheaper here, and why not!  All they have to do is get it online.

I hope that better explains my side of the pricing effects.  If I hadn't of changed my prices at least for that time being, I would have been out of business.  But now we've had more interested companies, new interest in this area, and with continued service that exceeds our clients expectations, I can be a top contender again.  I've added services like becoming a signing agent to help supplement income and expenses.  No matter what, there is still a great deal of competition in this area that I have to contend with.  I am happy for you that things are better in your area.  I've enjoyed reading the posts and information supplied by everyone.  It is always nice to have others input and ideas on problems.  Thanks to all. Jen