A title insurance policy is an ultimate protection for you against the possible defects that can persist even after the detailed research of public records. A title insurance policy will be responsible for paying the policyholder if there are any mistakes with the title of a property. Getting tittle insurance is carried out by most of the home buyers before completing a home-buying procedure. It is very important because it protects both the buyer and the lender from potentials threats like your seller or earlier sellers might not have clear ownership of the property. This may have a situation where they cannot lawfully transfer the complete ownership to a new buyer. Even though you may not claim your coverage from the insurance, the situation and intensity of loss if you do not go with coverage, is riskier with also chances of losing the property itself.
Why is title insurance important?
With a lot of risks involved, it is even possible for someone with an older piece of ownership paper to ask a claim on the newly bought home, in an event of a previous forgery or fraud evidence. Hence title insurance from a Utah’s leading title insurance company, Title Guarantee, holds the lifeline here as it pays for settling the dues if you lose the property and correcting your tittle rights in any possible situations.
Types of title insurance:
Title insurance will cover one among the owner or the lender who has financed the mortgage for the property. Lenders will need the owner to pay for lenders’ title insurance as part of the mortgage closing charges. Homeowner’s title insurance policy is not compulsory as it is paid by the seller or purchaser of the property. The specialty of the title insurance is that its coverage starts from the time of purchase of the policy and also covers up to unspecified time in the past. This will ensure that it will safeguard both known and unknown discrepancies in the registered record of the ownership.
The major two types of insurance are:
1.Lender or mortgagee protection:
The majority of lenders need mortgage title insurance as a safety for the investment in property. When there is the availability of title insurance, lenders are ready to produce mortgage capital in farther locations where they would be knowing very little about the marketplace.
2.Owner’s title insurance:
Once purchased, it will remain as long as the owner or his successors will be having an interest in the insured property. It may also remain even after you have sold your property.
Reliant on local practices and state rules where the property is present, it may be required to give an extra premium for the owner’s title insurance or it may be needed to give a concurrent issue cost for the separate lender’s insurance. You can choose to divide the clearing costs with the seller for paying the owners or lenders coverage.
What are the coverages of the title insurance?
A major and crucial element of title insurance is its stress on risk removal. It is your best bet to avoid any tittle claim or loss of property. The initial process starts with thorough research of public property records that influence the concerned assets. An intense check is carried by the title agent (attorney) on account of its sponsor to know whether the property is good for insurance. This inspection of evidence is very decisive to find out all the physical objections to the title. There are chances that documents that don’t properly transfer the title are discovered in the search as every part of property history is searched.
Below are a few of the types of documents that can post worries.
- Unsettled judgments or mortgages or a lien against any property since the vendor has not paid the appropriate taxes.
- Wills, deeds or trusts which may have wrong wordings or names.
- Easements that permit the creation of a utility line or road.
- Awaiting legal action against the property that may influence the buyer.
- Inappropriate notary credits.
With detailed research and inspections, title issues are revealed early so that they can be rectified as soon as possible. But there are still chances that even the most precise, cautious and anticipatory actions cannot find some hidden threats.
Risks of Not Having Title Insurance
Holding no title insurance will make the executing parties open to major risks in the presence of any title flaws. For example, if a person purchases a home and completes the purchase soon. After closure, he gets to know that property taxes are pending to be paid from the earlier owner of the property. With no title insurance, the complete load of this claim for unpaid taxes will completely fall on the new buyer. They will have to pay the pending property taxes or lose the house to the taxing unit. If the same owner had bought title insurance before closure, it would have covered him from all the taxes and other issues until they own the property. In the same way, the lender’s title insurance will cover them from any hidden liens, unregistered access rights or any other issues.
But even with the intense commitment and expertise of insurance agents or attorneys in searching the title documents and inspections, hidden risks may appear after the closure, causing pricey surprises. Few of the risks are:
- An unknown successor of an earlier owner who can claim the ownership of the property.
- Forged signature present on the deed, that implies that you are not the owner of the property.
- Legal documents completed under an expired or a made-up power of attorney.
- Any faults in the public records.
Bottom-line:
Title insurance provides a financial shield against many hidden title hazards. A one-time premium at closure will defend you against a claim on the title or pay any unsettled valid claims. Before going to closure, enquire about the title insurance protection and make sure to protect your property from Title Guarantee, Utah’s leading title insurance company.