Protecting Your Home with Title Insurance

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Buying a home may be the biggest investment you make in your life. Before you close, you'll want to know that no individual or entity has a right, claim or lien to the property.

A title company does all the research to insure that a property has clear title. Making sure that a property is clear of all legal encumbrances is the job of a title company.

For a modest, one-time title insurance premium, you will receive continuous title insurance protection equal to the purchase price of the property or its current market value.

The title company searches the title history of the property. Through its research, the title company can usually find any title problems that may arise and clear up these problems before you close on the property.

Real Estate law is extraordinarily complicated. Title companies make sure that all the T's are crossed and all the I's are dotted so you don't end up with a clouded title and legal problems. Your title insurance owner's policy will describe the property and outline any recorded limitations on your ownership. It will also set forth the title company's responsibilities should any claim covered by the policy terms arise. Typically your title insurance will protect you in the following cases:

• Contested title — This usually happens when someone who owned or even lived in the home before you claims to still hold an interest. In this case, the title insurance company will defend the title at no expense to you.
• Defective title — This is a general term for a legal problem with the title that cannot be corrected and includes "contested title" above. Defects are rare, but they can be very difficult, making the property inaccessible, unbuildable, or unsaleable. Any number of other complicated problems define "Defective title" or "Clouded Title." The title company will discover these problems, or should they miss them, insure your loss up to the amount of the policy.

Harbor View Lending* a DBA of Megastar Financial can answer questions about title insurance and many others. Give us a call: (207) 571-8034.