A discussion on the Title-Opoly blog got me thinking about the role of the Internet (and technology) in the title industry. It seems to me that many title companies have tried to ignore emerging technology like the Internet for as long as possible. I see signs of that changing every so slightly but there are still many in the industry who do not take advantage of what the Internet has to offer.
I understand some reluctance to technological changes as change can be scary. Sometimes it requires totally overhauling processes and investing heavily in new systems. The way I look at it though is that eventually these changes will need to be made so doing it early puts one ahead of the competition. The Internet also offers the ability to present your message and even gain customers outside of normal business hours.
For the most part the real estate industry has incorporated Internet functionality into their businesses and they are better for it. The title industry us lagging behind and it needs to catch up. A few companies have taken proactive steps to move forward technologically and IMO they will see the benefits from this. Others are fighting it as much as possible and in the end they will either fail or have to start playing catch up with the early adopters. The Internet and associated technology is not going away and will continue to become more important. Title companies need to realize this and begin developing their business to compete in this new landscape.