Protecting Your Home with Title Insurance

Buying a home may be the biggest investment you make in your lifetime. Before closing on the house, you'll want to know that no other individual or entity has a lien or claim to the property.

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

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 performs an extensive search on the title history of the property. Through its research, the title insurance company can usually find any title problems and have these problems cleared-up prior to closing.

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 cover what the title company is responsible for. Title insurance usually covers:

• Contested title — Someone, usually a previous owner or occupant, claims they still own the property or have not given up their claim. If this happens, the title 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, unable to be built, 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.