One of the decisions I made early on following my father's death was that I knew I had no desire to keep my parents' house in Coatesville, Indiana. While my parents loved the home they'd lived in for many years, and it was certainly a nice home, I'm happy with my life in Indianapolis and it was also pretty clear my father had set things up believing I would sell the house. My parents lived in a popular and growing lakeside area. So, I knew I could pretty easily sell the home even if the economy was rough. I was right. In going through paperwork, I discovered my parents had previously dealt with Danville-based Abstract & Title Guaranty Company. Abstract is a family owned, locally owned company that has been in existence for over 100 years. I believe it has been within the Comer family that entire time - Ben Comer currently serves as its president. As I looked at their signage, it was clear this is a family of attorneys that has somehow managed to maintain a sense of being relational. I first reached out to Ben Comer as I needed a purchase agreement. We hadn't gone through realtors and the sales was a very friendly one. We wanted to cover our legal bases, of course, but overall it was a friendly sale and one we hoped to expedite so I could resolve the estate and the new owner could begin working on upgrades by fall. Abstract offers the perfect combination of expertise and relationship. Because I was also dealing with loss and grief, I really wanted that "relationship." It mattered to me. I could have sold the home for more, at least a bit more, but I also wanted to know the home would be in good hands. I accomplished that and I appreciate that every aspect of this time with Abstract was handled incredibly well. An awful lot of the process is handled electronically. While you might be thinking "small town," being in Danville doesn't mean Abstract isn't up on the latest tech and innovations. They have satellite locations (Danville is the corporate office) in Greencastle, Rockville, Avon, Plainfield, and Brownsburg. They facilitate a lot of the records process via secure electronic storage. Interestingly, I probably picked the least accessible location. There's a step into the corporate office (the building is historic). I had identified being a wheelchair user upfront, however, I was honestly pretty stunned to arrive to the fact that a ramp had been placed at the doorway. It was a temporary ramp, however, nicely done. I love proactive customer service instead of awkward "Let's get you over this step." I also had to laugh. I had told Comer that I'd never tried Square Burger (I'd been trying to support Danville businesses while traveling through it on my way to my parents' house) because of accessibility issues. He even arranged for that while I was at my closing. That was one of those things you dismiss as a fun conversation - to have him act on it was just a nice touch. I also appreciated that Ben Comer stepped into the closing (these are typically handled by actual closers) simply for introductions. The closer, Kandace, was also a gem. She was a delightful combo of very professional and efficient but not losing the humanity. You really can be both. I loved the receptionist (name escaping me). She was fairly new and noted that her daughter also worked for Abstract (and had before her). During a difficult time in my life, Abstract helped me get through processes that can be difficult and stressful. They did so with a winning combination of expertise and relationship building. I was reading this on their website - and I think it sums up nicely what I experienced with Abstract. Teamwork Integrity Trust Leadership Excellence Dedication Professional Relationships Overly Thankful Service Ultimately, I'm quite happy with this experience and would easily turn to Abstract again should the need arise. read more