Protecting Your Home with Title Insurance

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The biggest investment you will make in your lifetime will likely be the purchase of a home. So before you close, you need to know that no one else can claim the property.

A title insurance company ensures that your new property won't surprise you with encumbrances and other legal obstacles.

You pay the title insurance company a single premium which includes the cost of verifying clear title and covers you in case some fault is later discovered in the title.

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

Real Estate law is extraordinarily complex. 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 the limitations on your ownership. It will also set forth the title insurance company's responsibilities should any claim covered by the policy terms arise. Title insurance covers the following:

• 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 and will cost you nothing.
• Defective title — "Defective title" covers any number of problems with the title to your home. It can even include a "contested title". Other examples of title defects include problems with legal access to the property, easements that make the property less usable, unusable, or unsaleable. Any number of other complex problems define "Defective title" or "Clouded Title." The title insurance policy will protect you from these errors if the title company misses them.

At Harbor View Lending* a DBA of Megastar Financial, we answer questions about this process every day. Call us at (207) 571-8034.