5 Reasons To Buy an Owner’s Title Insurance Policy
By Cody McCaughan, Esq.
Buying a home is an exciting and emotional time for many people. To help you buy your home with more confidence, make sure you get owner’s title insurance. Here’s why it’s so important for you.
1. Protects Your Largest Investment
A home is probably the single largest investment you’ll make in your life. You insure everything else that’s valuable to you—your life, car, personal property, health, pets, jewelry, etc.—so why not your largest investment? For a one-time fee, owner’s title insurance protects your property rights for as long as you or your heirs* own the home.
2. Reduces Risk
If you’re buying a home, there are many hidden issues that may pop up after purchasing it. Getting an owner’s title insurance policy protects you from legal title discrepancies. Don’t think it will happen to you? Think again. Here are just some of the many situations that you’ll be protected from if you have owner’s title insurance.
Unforeseeable title claims, such as:
- Forgery: making a false document
- For example, the seller misrepresents the identity of the person selling the property.
- Fraud: deception to achieve unfair gain
- For example, someone steals your identity and either sells your house without your knowledge or consent, or takes out a second mortgage on the property and walks away with the money.
- Clerical error: inconsistent paperwork and historical records
- For example, an unforeseeable discrepancy in the property or fence line causes confusion in ownership rights.
Unexpected title claims, such as:
- Outstanding mortgages and judgments, or liens against the property because the seller didn’t pay required taxes
- Pending legal action against the property that could affect your ownership
- An unknown heir of a previous owner who is claiming ownership of the property
3. Good Value
A home is probably the single largest investment you’ll make in your life. You insure everything else that’s valuable to you—your life, car, personal property, health, pets, jewelry, etc.—so why not your largest investment? For a one-time fee, owner’s title insurance protects your property rights for as long as you or your heirs* own the home. As long as you or your heirs* own your home, owner’s title insurance protects your property rights. Each year, more than 80% of America’s homebuyers choose to get owner’s title insurance.
4. Peace of Mind
If you’re buying a home, owner’s title insurance lets you rest assured, with the knowledge that you won’t be stuck with certain existing debts or legal problems once you’ve closed on your new home.
5. Required by Lenders
Most lenders require a title insurance policy to protect their investment, and so should you. You will have to cover the cost of obtaining a title insurance policy for your lender, so you may as well get one for yourself as the cost of an additional policy is negligible.
Contact Us
We are a title insurance agent of Old Republic Title and a member of Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund, the premier organization providing support for real estate attorneys in Florida. For a no-charge consultation, including a quote for attorney representation and title insurance, contact us at (305) 928-4190.
