Affiliated business arrangements and joint ventures are all too common in our industry. Specifically, it seems like every real estate broker — from small independent ma-and-pa shops, to nationally recognized franchisees, like Coldwell Banker or Century 21 — are partnering with a title agency in an effort to drive more money to the bottom line, or profit. If you’re unfamiliar with this business idea, it’s where two companies partner together and exchange benefits. The most common case is where [...]

Raising awareness about the scourge of cybercrime in the real estate industry has been our top priority in recent years (see here, here, and here). Our goal is to make sure consumers know that they will be targeted by cybercriminals throughout their real estate transaction, which is often one of the largest financial transactions a person will make. To further bring attention this critical issue, President Michele Richardson sat down with Guy Gordon on WJR to explain [...]

  Buying, selling, or refinancing a home is one of the largest financial transactions a person will make in their lifetime. With the major transfer of funds between parties in these transactions, they are particularly susceptible to cybercrime. In today’s world, it’s a whole lot easier for criminals to steal money online than it is to rob a bank. According to the 2018 FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the FBI reports that they received an average of more [...]