REAL ESTATE & TITLE INSURANCE
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UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE SIGNING—AND WHAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY BUYING
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A real estate transaction involves more than signing a deed and receiving the keys. The property’s legal history must be examined to determine how ownership was acquired and whether recorded problems may affect the buyer, seller, lender or property.
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Hampton Law Firm helps clients understand the property, the title work, the closing process and the documents they are signing before the transaction is completed.
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REAL ESTATE SERVICES
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We assist with:
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• Residential and land closings
• Cash and lender-financed transactions
• Title examinations
• Owner’s and lender’s title insurance
• Cash deeds and credit deeds
• Donation deeds
• Family property transfers
• Partitions
• Mortgage and lien releases
• Servitudes and rights of way
• Corrective deeds and other curative documents
• Property remaining in the name of a deceased owner
• Purchase agreements and selected real estate contracts
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WHAT IS A TITLE EXAMINATION?
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A title examination reviews the public records affecting the property. It may reveal:
• Mortgages and liens
• Unpaid taxes
• Recorded judgments
• Servitudes and rights of way
• Incorrect or incomplete legal descriptions
• Missing successions
• Conflicting ownership interests
• Problems in earlier deeds or transfers
• Other recorded claims affecting ownership
A survey and a title examination serve different purposes. A survey generally concerns the physical location, measurements and boundaries of the property. A title examination concerns the legal history and recorded ownership.
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WHAT IS TITLE INSURANCE?
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Title insurance provides protection against certain covered title problems connected to the property’s history.
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A lender’s policy generally protects the lender’s financial interest. An owner’s policy protects the buyer’s covered ownership interest, subject to the policy’s terms, exclusions, exceptions and limits.
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A lender’s policy does not ordinarily replace the buyer’s own title-insurance protection.
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READ MORE ABOUT TITLE INSURANCE HERE:
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BEFORE CONTACTING OUR OFFICE
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Gather any available:
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• Purchase agreement
• Prior deed
• Survey or plat
• Tax notice
• Mortgage or payoff information
• Lender and realtor contact information
• Proposed purchase price and closing date
• Information about known ownership or boundary problems
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BEGIN YOUR REAL ESTATE REQUEST
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Complete our Real Estate and Title Intake Form and upload any available property documents.
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Do not sign a purchase agreement, deed or other binding document unless you understand its terms and legal effect. Submission of an intake form does not mean the firm has accepted the closing or agreed to protect a deadline.
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To see our self-help Real Estate templates, shop below:
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