Surety Abstract Services, a Surety Title Company

With 2021 right around the corner, I'm sure most of you are very excited to start a new year! And with a new year, comes new years resolutions. Hopefully, after a year like 2020, you have plenty of motivation to keep your new years resolution. But if you need some help, check out these tips!

Whether you are spending the day with loved ones in-person (safely, of course) or virtually, we hope you all have yourselves a merry little Christmas full of love, joy and peace!

Today is National Cookie Exchange Day! While actually exchanging cookies in our current COVID environment may not be possible. We thought sharing cookie recipes via social media could do the trick! So check out this image that goes over how you can make your preferred chocolate chip cookies and feel free to leave you favorite cookie recipe in the comments below.

Title fraud increased more than 30% in the previous quarter! To help keep yourself and your clients safe from fraudsters, be sure to take the following steps: 1. Always use a previously confirmed phone number to verify any changes to a file requested via email. 2. Be suspicious of emails from free, public email account domains.... 3. Never open a link from an unfamiliar email address. 4. Always be on the look out for signs of a fraudulent email: misspellings or incorrect grammar, suspicious attachments or links, or a sense of urgency.

We are very excited to announce that our Ocean City office has moved to a new location! Please make note that the new address is 111 E. 9th Street, 2nd Floor, Ocean City, NJ 08226.

Happy Halloween!!! Check out the awesome costumes our employees had on display yesterday. We hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday today full of tricks and treats!

REMINDER: The end of the month is always the busiest in our industry, which means more people entering our offices. While we are doing all we can to keep our onsite staff and our client interactions at a minimum during these times, if you are required to come to one of our Surety or affiliate offices please remember to practice the following: - Only those who are necessary to the closing should be present.... - Maintain a 6 feet distance from others. - Wear a mask at all times. - Be respectful of others around you. Thank you!

WIRE AND EMAIL FRAUD IS ON THE RISE!!! Internet-enabled crimes and scams show no signs of letting up according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Criminals are getting sophisticated and it’s getting harder and harder for people to spot the red flags. If an email you received has any of the following red flags, it may be fraudulent:... - Came from an unrecognized sender - Poor grammar/spelling - Conveys a sense of urgency PLEASE BE SAFE! If you are questioning the legitimacy of an email, the safest bet is to call a VERIFIED contact number for that company or individual (not the contact number listed on the email in question).

The end of the month is always the busiest in our industry, which means more people entering our offices. While we are doing all we can to keep our onsite staff and our client interactions at a minimum during these times, if you are required to come to one of our Surety or affiliate offices please remember to practice the following: - Only those who are necessary to the closing should be present. - Maintain a 6 feet distance from others. - Wear a mask at all times.... - Be respectful of others around you. Thank you!

All October long our offices have been 'going pink' for Breast Cancer Awareness Month! At our Surety and affiliate locations, we think it is crucial to raise awareness to help fight this terrible disease. Which is why all month long we have been encouraging our employees to go ALL OUT in pink! If you want to volunteer, donate or learn more about this month of awareness, head to the National Breast Cancer Foundation website - nationalbreastcancer.org

Don't forget to check out our latest blog post: https://www.mysurety.com//suspect-real-estate-wire-fraud-a

Happy National Apple Day! To celebrate this holiday, check out these crazy DIY caramel apple recipes: Choco-holic: Dip in caramel, dip in melted milk chocolate, roll in chocolate chips, drizzle with dark chocolate. Peanut Lover: Dip in caramel, dip in melted peanut butter, roll in crushed peanuts, roll in chopped reeses. Cereal Killer: Dip in caramel, dip in melted white chocolate, roll in Lucky Charm marshmallows.... Cinnamon & Sugar: Dip in caramel, roll in crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, drizzle with white chocolate. Cookies & Cream: Dip in caramel, dip in melted white chocolate, roll in crushed Oreos, drizzle with milk chocolate. Apple Pie: Dip in caramel, roll in crushed ginger snap cookies, drizzle with white chocolate. Snack Attack: Dip in caramel, dip in melted milk chocolate, roll in crushed pretzels, roll in chopped reeses, roll in mini m&m's. S'mores: Dip in caramel, dip in melted chocolate, roll in crushed graham crackers, roll in mini marshmallows. See more

Today is Clean Your Virtual Desktop Day! Check out these 6 tips you can utilize to de-clutter your desktop to not only help speed up your computer, but to also help keep your virtual workspace organized. 1. Do a quick review of your files and remove anything that does not need to live there, either by deleting it completely or moving it to a location other than the desktop. 2. Sort what is left into folders and subfolders, labeled clearly and concisely in a manner that will m...ake sense down the road, such as by date or subject. 3. Consider moving folders to a location on the hard drive, such as the documents folder, to create additional space. 4. Set reminders to tackle this task on a regular schedule. 5. Use the desktop cleaning wizard available with some versions of Windows. 6. Spread the joy by helping someone less tech-savvy clean up their desktop. Source: http://ow.ly/YyOe50BMuVq

What's scarier than ghosts and ghouls? Not getting title insurance! Title insurance is the only way to protect your property rights. Not only will an owner's title insurance policy pay valid claims and legal fees to defend against hidden title issues, but it also helps to decrease ownership risks by providing a thorough title search prior to the issuance of the policy. Without it, your property rights could be at risk!

It's that time of year again! Time to break out the carving tools and make some Jack-O-Lanterns with family and friends. If you have an impressive pumpkin you'd like to show off feel free to leave a picture in the comments! We would love to see it.

Our Surety Suggested App: Photo Perfect This app is an easy to use app that takes the PERFECT PHOTOS with your mobile phone. Using a proprietary exposure blending process, each image will be PRO like in quality and an average savings of $150 per listing. The app includes a Photo-Show system that includes opening and closing segments of video content along with Royalty Free music. Mass texting to other agents and clients is fast and it’s not a group text. Transfer any video or photos to another mobile device anywhere in the world!

Friendly Settlement Reminder: Limiting attendance during in-office closings and maintaining COVID-19 protocols: 1. Only those who are absolutely necessary to the closing should be present, such as signers and attorneys. We are asking non-essential parties, such as real estate agents and non-signers, to not attend closings at this time. ... 2. Face coverings must be worn AT ALL TIMES while you are in the building. 3. Please practice social distancing and maintain a 6 feet distance from others. The safety of our staff and our customers remains a priority for Surety Title and our Affiliates. Please be reminded of our COVID-19 protocols. We ask that you help us in our mission to keep all of us as safe as possible as we continue to navigate the current environment. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

"Realtors can usually count on their biggest season being spring, followed by summer. But nothing about 2020 has been normal, including home-buying patterns. With shut-down orders in the spring, summer became the new home-buying season, and homebuyers were still incredibly active in August." Read the full article here: http://ow.ly/cUWC50BJIqF