Title search.
In plain English
A title search is the background check on a home's ownership. Before a sale closes, a title company or attorney examines public records, deeds, court judgments, tax rolls, and liens, to confirm the seller has the right to sell and to surface anything that could cloud your ownership: an unpaid contractor lien, back taxes, an old mortgage never cleared, or a boundary dispute. Problems found can be resolved before closing. The search is separate from title insurance, which pays if a covered problem the search missed shows up later.
01Why it matters
A clean title is what makes your ownership secure, so the search protects you from inheriting someone else's debts or a challenge to your claim on the home.
02The math, step by step
During a title search, the company finds a 4,000 dollar unpaid contractor lien from the prior owner. It must be cleared before closing, so the debt does not become the new buyer's problem.
03What this is NOT
A title search is NOT title insurance. The search looks for problems before closing; title insurance pays to defend or cover a covered problem that surfaces after you own the home.
04Receipts
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