When it comes to buying real estate—whether it’s residential or commercial—investigating the property’s title is paramount to a successful transaction. Unbeknownst to many new homebuyers out there, a property’s title may have a number of different issues with it that could slow down, or event prevent, a home purchase.
That’s why we can’t stress enough the importance of protecting yourself and your investment with a thorough title insurance policy. As a leading North Carolina title insurance agency, we want to make sure you have everything you need to make a smart real estate decision today.
So, here are five of the most common issues with property titles you should be on the lookout for!
Liens
Oftentimes, a property owner will agree to having a lien placed on their home when they cannot pay a bill right away. We see this frequently with contractors, who will place a lien on a home before beginning their work to ensure that they are paid.
If a previous owner was not meticulous about their bills and records, as well as paying people on time, they may have liens on their property they weren’t aware of. Liens such as this will prevent you from purchasing the home—delaying your home purchase until the issue can be financially resolved.
Public Errors
Nobody is perfect, which is why we sometimes see property title issues that are a result of clerical or filing errors.
These errors can then put a wrench in your real estate transaction, causing undue financial burdens to fix them before you can actually purchase your home.
Forgeries
While public errors are a result of human mistakes, forgery is another issue entirely. It isn’t uncommon to find property titles that have been forged in some areas, or completely fabricated altogether.
This issue can obscure who the property actually belongs to, which can lead to huge problems with your homeownership.
Illegal or Incorrect Deeds
As with forgeries or fabricated deeds, some property titles are made illegally.
These “fake” titles can cause a lot of issues, and are often hard to detect. Titles are illegal when they are made by an unofficial or unauthorized chain of command. This includes an undocumented immigrant, a person not of sound mind, a minor person, or someone claiming to be single who is actually married.
Missing Heirs
If a property owner passes away and the will cannot be found, another relative may elect to sell that property. However, issues may arise if an unknown heir comes forward to claim ownership of the property.
An issue such as this could come up any time, even years after you purchase the property.
Protect Your Investment with Title Insurance
Any one of these issues could come up at any point during your homeownership! A surefire way to protect your investment from any hidden title issues is taking out a title insurance policy.
Reach out to Tryon Title today to learn more about your title insurance options in North Carolina.