While existing home prices remain flat across most of Florida in the early months of 2026, the statewide supply of single-family existing homes was at a healthy 4.8-months’ supply while condo-townhouse properties were at a 9.3-months’ supply, boding well for an uptick in sales this year.
According to data from Florida Realtors Research Department, closed sales of single-family homes in Florida totaled 18,379 in February, up 3.9% compared to February 2025, while existing condo-townhouse sales totaled 7,060, up 8.6% year-over-year.
Title insurance agencies who have maintained a lean workforce over the past year are now analyzing how to staff up or reconfigure their operations to handle a potential growth in demand in 2026.
One strategy successfully employed by many agencies is to conduct a time study or task analysis to determine what is most effectively managed in-house and which tasks are so time-consuming that in a busy season outsourcing would be much more efficacious.
In the title insurance industry, there are many traditional tasks as well as specialty requirements that can be easily outsourced, such as RON closings, municipal lien searches, HOA estoppels, mortgage payoff ordering and tracking, mobile home title services or post-closing services.
Here is a brief outline of how to conduct a task time assessment to set yourself up for success in 2026.
The Time Study
Meet with staff to identify where the potential bottlenecks are that could be relieved by outsourcing certain tasks. In other words, from their perspective what is eating up an unconscionable amount of time vs. routine tasks that typically require a known amount of time.
For a prescribed period, 1 – 4 weeks, have staff carefully monitor specific identified tasks they feel are most likely to slow them down when processing a file. (Avoid time tracking every single task or you will bog down the entire works!)
Analysis
Analyze the data, specifically attempting to understand what events trigger vastly different results on the same task from file to file. For instance, do employees encounter consistent issues with HOA estoppels that often delay completing a closing file. When do municipal lien searches flow smoothly through the system and when do they completely upend a closing.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Research the cost and time efficiency of outsourcing each of the tasks you have identified and compare them to the cost and efficiency of managing these tasks in-house.
Interestingly, without this gathering of data and analysis, your managers may not even be aware of what is causing the biggest headaches. Working together through the analysis, managers and employees can determine which tasks are better outsourced to ensure your staff can more efficiently process more files in a given week without one item becoming the nightmare time drain that brings everything to a halt.
At Closing Suite, we offer additional resources to help you grow your agency, by taking on those specialized tasks that help you focus on your greatest strengths. Contact us today to learn about how we can assist you with eClosings with RON, municipal lien searches, HOA estoppels, mortgage payoff ordering and tracking, mobile home title services and more.