One fee you may pay when you buy a home is for an owner’s title insurance policy and for a lender’s title insurance policy. Title insurance for a lender assures the lender that you own the home free and clear, with no liens on it. When you buy title insurance a title company will run a title search to check public records for information on the home. When you get an owner’s title insurance policy, the title insurance company protects you from title issues that your real estate property might have had prior to your ownership. It may be fraud, it may be a lien that is not discovered, or another title issue. In these instance, the title company’s title insurance policy will protect you from undisclosed issues. Who pays for the title insurance varies by state – sometimes it’s the buyer, sometimes the seller. Learn the ins and outs of title insurance here.
Why You Buy Title Insurance
Why You Buy Title Insurance Q: A previous owner owes taxes on the home we purchased. We are trying to refinance our home and we were told that there are taxes owing from 2002. We purchased the home in 2004. Are we responsible for paying these real estate taxes? A: It’s hard to believe that [...]
Is Title Insurance a Waste of Money?
Is title insurance a waste of money? The title company handling the purchase offered it and the homebuyer wants to know if it’s really necessary. Q: Have you ever heard of an "enhanced title?" A friend of mine is buying a home and the title company handling her purchase is offering that to her. I [...]
What to do When You Discover an Old Oil Tank Leak on Recently Purchased Property
What can you do when you discover an old oil tank leak on your recently purchased property? Your options may be limited, especially with the title company. Q: I bought an investment property located on the edge of a river. Apparently, years ago, a nearby oil tank leaked. The tank was not disclosed in the [...]
Who Pays for Title Insurance When Selling a Home: The Buyer or the Seller?
Who pays for title insurance when selling a home: the buyer or the seller? The answer depends on the customs and practices of each individual state. Q: Is it mandatory for a seller to pay for title insurance in Oregon especially if they were sole owner of home from the day it was constructed? A: [...]
Will Title Insurance Save This Homeowner From Paying an Outstanding Private Mortgage?
Will title insurance save this homeowner from having to repay a mortgage? A homeowner is trying to rely on her title insurance to help her repay an $80,000 mortgage so that she may transfer ownership to his children in the future. Q: My neighbor can’t transfer the title of her house to her children due [...]
Title Insurance For Your Home: Do You Need an Owner’s and Lender’s Title Policy?
By the time you have saved for your down payment, put funds in escrow for your dream home, and paid for a home inspection or survey, you may be in the mood to conserve some cash. But if skipping the purchase of title insurance seems like a good idea, you might want to think twice. [...]
Why Buy Title Insurance On a House When You Pay Cash For the Home
If you are making the largest investment of your life, wouldn't you want to make sure you are protected by obtaining and buying title insurance? When you buy title insurance on a house, a title company gives you certain guarantees that you are the rightful owner of the home and certain other title protections. Title insurance does not protect you against future title problems that might develop nor does it protect you from fire or other casualties. But if you are paying cash to a seller are you certain the seller will give you good title to the home?
Seller and Buyer Closing Costs State By State
Seller and buyer closing costs are usually a mystery, and we frequently receive emails asking us to give sellers more information on who generally gets to pay for survey and title insurance expenses. So, we prepared a list of two of the most popular closing costs paid by sellers and buyers on a state by state basis: title insurance for the owner's title insurance policy and survey costs. There are so many closing costs to deal with, but these two costs are usually not thought about by a home buyer or a home seller.
Title Search May Reveal Lien
A divorced woman wants to make sure the property she's buying from her ex-husband does not have any outstanding liens. Liens may include mortgage loans and home equity lines of credit or HELOCs. An attorney can also help sort out whether there are any outstanding liens and ensure that the title is free and clear of liens.
Tenancy In Common And Property Ownership
A father changed the ownership of his property from joint tenants with right of survivorship to tenancy in common. The father later signed a quit claim deed giving his interest in the property to his daughter. What does tenancy in common mean for property ownership? Is the property ownership divided equally so everyone gets the same amount of land? State laws and how the father changed the joint tenancy will determine the answer to the property ownership.