Buying a house may be the most significant and expensive purchase you will make. When you make such a significant investment in the purchase of a home, how can you be sure that there are no problems with the home's title? Problems with the title can limit your use and enjoyment of the property, as well as cause you financial loss. This is why you need title insurance.
Title insurance will pay for defending you against any lawsuit attacking your title, and will either eliminate title defects or pay your financial losses, up to the amount of the policy. Your title insurance policy remains in effect as long as you, or your heirs, retain an interest in the property. Title insurance will give you the peace of mind in knowing that the investment that you have made in your home is a safe one.
There are two basic types of title insurance: Owner's title insurance, called an Owner's Policy, and Lenders title insurance, called a Loan Policy. Most lenders usually require a Loan Policy when they issue you a mortgage. The Loan Policy is usually based on the dollar amount of your mortgage. It only protects the lender's (or any subsequent lender to whom the loan may be sold or assigned) interest in the property should a problem with the title arise. It does not protect the buyer.
Only an Owner's Policy fully protects the buyer should a covered title problem arise with the title that was not found during the title search. The Owner’s Policy is ordinarily issued in the amount of the purchase price and protects the homeowner from the potential risks which can arise. It is purchased for a one-time fee at closing and lasts for as long as you or your heirs have an interest in the property.
Title insurance is issued after a careful examination of the public records. Prior to issuing its title policy, a title company will perform a detailed search of the property records going back many, many years in search of title defects. Sometimes however, title problems occur that could not be found in the public records or are inadvertently missed in the title search process. Even the most thorough search cannot absolutely assure that no title defects are present, despite the experience of professional title examiners. In addition to matters shown in the public records, other title problems may exist that cannot be disclosed in a search. An Owner's Policy of title insurance will help to protect you in these events.
Title insurance protects against the following common hidden risks just to name a few:
Errors or omissions in deeds
Mistakes in examining records
Forgery
Undisclosed or missing heirs
False impersonation of the true owner of the property
Instruments executed under invalid or expired power of attorney
Mistakes in recording legal documents
Misinterpretations of wills Deeds by persons of unsound mind
Deeds by minors
Deeds by persons supposedly single, but in fact married
Fraud
Liens for unpaid estate, inheritance, income or gift taxes
Every homeowner must, however, carefully read the insurance policy. There are numerous coverage exclusions contained in an owner’s policy, such as:
Defects, liens or adverse claims not known to the insurance company but known to the insured and not disclosed in writing to the company prior to inception of the policy;
Taking of the property by a government (eminent domain);
Any law restricting or relating to the use or occupancy of the property; the subdivision of land; environmental protection, and
Defects, liens, encumbrances, adverse claims, or other matters attaching or created subsequent to the date of the policy.
There are a number of such exclusions from coverage, and all buyers should discuss these issues with their attorney before going to closing.