Real Estate Professionals on the Front Lines: Going Above and Beyond

We’re in the thick of the COVID-19 virus here in Maryland, and are reminded daily of the heroic efforts of the front-line workers in our community. Velocity Title gives a huge thank you to all of the front-line warriors out there, from doctors and nurses to grocery clerks, police officers and more. We greatly appreciate the risk you take daily to keep us all living the best lives possible during this crisis.

Highlighting Your Efforts

There’s a special group of people we want to highlight right now, Settlement Officers! Considered essential workers, you all are navigating uncharted territories and working to keep the real estate market moving while still exceeding your clients’ demands. Our hats go off to you.

Real estate has always been an in-person business. Whether walking clients’ through potential new homes or sitting down to sign closing documents, a lot face-to-face time was involved. With COVID-19, limiting contact with others is a must, so continuing on in our profession has to be done in strategic and creative ways.

For Velocity Title, we’re working hard to keep our clients moving forward with their home buying and refinancing needs — while keeping them safe and healthy. Like many other title companies, our Settlement Officers are the individuals that sit down with clients on their day of closing and walk them through signing and reviewing the final paperwork before handing them the keys or new deed to their new homes. Sitting across from clients right now can be a stress for all parties involved, so we’ve worked hard to come up with creative ways to get closings completed as safely and easily as possible. Here’s some examples of how we’ve made this happen:

• Recent clients of ours were an elderly couple, one of whom is going through Chemo and is a vulnerable individual. On April 9, one of the windiest days of the year so far, Tracey DeHaut, our Settlement Officer knew her clients needed extra distancing and safety measures, so she came up with a plan to meet them outside and do a “drive-up” settlement.

• She met with the couple outside in the parking lot, and followed all necessary health protocols, while helping this lovely couple safely complete their settlement without ever having to leave their car.
• One of our Founders, Christina Garvey Berman, had an older client who wasn’t comfortable leaving home during the quarantine, but still wanted to finalize their closing. She offered to drive to their retirement community in Kent Island to conduct the settlement in their home. When she arrived, she wore full protective gear, and safely conducted the settlement for them.
• Anne Walsh, Velocity’s Senior Commercial Settlement Officer, has been regularly offering drive-up settlements for clients who aren’t comfortable entering the office building. The clients will arrive out front and Anne will conduct the settlements for them without them ever having to leave their vehicles.
• Our other Co-Founder, Glenn Donaldson, recently drove to Washington, D.C., to serve an elderly couple that needed to complete their refinance. He too was welcomed into their home where he wore protective gear and helped them quickly and seamlessly complete their settlement.

Many other essential real estate businesses are open right now, and are also coming up with new ways to meet their clients’ needs. We salute you, and would love to hear some of your stories! As the real estate market continues on, Velocity Title will remain open and ready to keep our clients moving forward. We are all in this together, so let’s share as much love as possible and continue to help those we serve to the best of our abilities!

To learn more about how Velocity Title is managing the COVID-19 virus, and the safety protocols we have put into place, click here.

About Velocity Title

Velocity Title supports realtors with a comprehensive line of technology-driven title services that add value to each and every transaction. To learn more about how we can serve you and your clients, visit our homepage or contact us today!