Title Insurance FAQs

Simply stated, the title to a piece of property is the evidence that the owner is in lawful possession of that property.

Title insurance protects real estate owners and lenders against any property loss or damage they might experience because of liens, encumbrances or the defects in the title to the property. Each title insurance policy is subject to specific terms, conditions, and exclusions.

Insurance such as a car, life, health, etc. protects against potential future events and is paid for with monthly or annual premiums. A title policy insures against events that occurred in the past of the real property and the people who owned it, for a one-time premium paid at the close of the escrow.

Title insurance protects against claims from defects. Defects are things such as another person claiming ownership interest, improperly recorded documents, fraud, forgery, liens, encroachments and other items that are specified in the actual policy.

Purchasers and lenders need title insurance in order to be insured again various possible title defects. The buyer, seller, and lender, all benefit for the issuance of title insurance.

After the escrow office or lender opens the title order, Liberty Land Transfer begins a title search. A Preliminary Report is issued to the customer for review and approval. All closing documents are recorded upon escrow’s instruction. When recording has been confirmed, demands are paid, funds are disbursed, and the actual title policy is created.

Escrow refers to the process in which the funds of a transaction (such as the sale of a house) are held by a third-party, often the title company or an attorney in the case of real estate, pending the fulfillment of the transaction.

A standard policy insures the new owner/home buyer, and a lender’s policy insures the priority of the lenders security interest.