Has anyone had any luck with online Title search? If so which one?
Also if you perform a Title search before making an offer, are you going to be charged again by the bank at closing?
Thanks
What you want is the for the title company to do a title search and charge you for it. That is because the title company will issue title insurance. That way if you mess up the title search and later on a legitimate claim is made on you property, you are not on the hook for the deal, your title insurance takes over.
That is what they are really charging for. They are in the insurance business.
So if I understand this right, online title searches are useless or redundent in this case. I should find a local title company and have them do the search for me, then if/when I purchase the house I get title insurance through them instead of having the lender assign the title insurance?
Sorry if I’m a lil unclear on this. It probably won’t be clear until I go through my first purchase.
Hi, if you mean to conduct a title search BEFORE you make an offer, then you can do that via your County’s Auditor and Recorder’s office. All liens have to be filed with the recorder’s office. Also, your County’s municipal/civil court database. Where do you live. I’ve been conducting my own search for as long as Cuyahoga County has had it online. I use this as a “preliminary” search so I can make an “informed” offer on property. When you buy property, you don’t always get a choice of the title company. Therefore, if you use one yourself, there’s no guarantee that the lender you choose will use that title company, unless they give you a choice. The title company normally runs the report after your loan has gone threw underwriting - you’ve already decided the purchase price. I always do a “preliminary” to avoid any surprises a week before close such as unpaid child support or alimony, unpaid taxes that were in a “dispute” state, any liens by people who have quit claimed their property back and forth to others. The more information you have before you make an offer is better. Then at that time, you know you can rely on the information the title company comes up with at closing and if you found something they didn’t, you can pass it along to them. I have a step-by-step guide to how I lien search on www.buyingincleveland.com. It pretty much outlines how to do it in Cleveland, however, some of the techniques are the same anywhere.
I had read somewhere on the board that you should check for a clear title after you have made an offer but before you scedule an appraisal or inspection.
If thats the case I was wondering what luck people had with the online services if any and if you do end up paying for a title search is it possible to deduct that fromyour closing costs if you provided certifyable paper work.
My full time job is a day killer. I work m-f 8:30am to 7pm so I do not have the luxury of doing foot work at county buildings myself.
Thanks for your help