I’m writing this late on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. And, you know what day that is, right? Due to some fiddling around with a new CPA, tax time got a tad bit delayed this year, and I ended up spending a lot more time today worrying about it than I wanted. And, the bottom line numbers were not as advantageous as I’d hoped.
So, since I’m still rather grumpy, there will be no typical whimsy in this post. If I wrote about something that bugged me today, I’d probably be taken away by the people from that three letter agency. But, I did come across an issue that I’d like some feedback on, and today would be a good time to ask.
Do you ever find that the more people who become involved in a real estate transaction, the more complicated it gets?
If you do, have you seen the article at Inman about a new site called Fairclosingcosts.com? This site is being developed so that home buyers and real estate and mortgage professionals can comparison shop for title insurance, appraisers, home inspectors, surveyors and termite companies.
The founder wants to be the “Zillow” for settlement services. Their website isn’t fully active yet, but there is a call for service providers to start signing up:
“We invite you to learn more about participating in America’s first, one-stop online shopping directory empowering borrowers to find information regarding low-cost settlement services providers anywhere in the United States.”
What do you think?
- Does this seem to you like a way of encouraging consumers going to the lowest bidder, not necessarily the best provider?
- And, my experience has been that the closing process goes so much smoother when the parties involved have worked together before. I don’t think anyone should have an unfair advantage by insisting on the service providers to be used. But, if I have trusted the agent, then I’ve always thought it would make sense to work with providers they know and can vouch for.
- Does it seem like the real estate industry has just too many people finding ways to get involved? There are a lot of other industries that could be set up so providers compete.
So, what do you think? Is this really a bad idea or am I just being grouchy?
