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Opinion: How the title industry protects homeowners

Housing Wire

When people think about the title insurance industry , what comes to mind is often its core products – title insurance policies that protect property rights of homeowners and lenders. As an industry, our commitment to protection goes beyond title insurance policies.

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ALTA: Protecting property rights with title insurance

Housing Wire

For most real estate industry professionals, title insurance needs no introduction. A trusted product , title insurance has been used to protect real estate transactions and property rights for over a century. nationally since 2004 and roughly 5% the past two years, based on the most recent industry data from 2021.

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Opinion: Improving housing affordability without exposing homebuyers to more risk

Housing Wire

While mortgage rates will likely fall this year, conversations about how to increase accessibility to homeownership are still top of mind — and should be top of mind — across the real estate industry. Accounting for geography, differences in title and settlement costs across groups of borrowers were not “economically meaningful.”

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Opinion: Title and settlement fees aren’t a barrier to homeownership

Housing Wire

In 2023, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced plans to make it easier to buy a home and close the racial homeownership gap in the United States. The research found that title and settlement fees are neither regressive nor represent a significant component of the overall closing costs. In fact, neither is true.

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Purchase market will highlight closing process problems

Housing Wire

The closing process, that time between underwriting approval and the actual closing, is the mortgage industry’s not-so-secret Achilles’ heel. That’s not a knock on the good professionals who enact minor miracles choreographing the multi-faceted ballet that is a typical closing. Let’s admit it.

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Title insurers reckon with attorney opinion letters

Housing Wire

Prior to the advent and widespread use of title insurance, before taking title to a property, the buyer required that the title be free of any rights, interests, liens or encumbrances of others for which the buyer would be responsible for. It is also the third-biggest source of claims in our industry right now.

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Top Tips and Considerations For Buying Land

Realty Biz

Can you imagine buying a lot only to discover it has crept too close to the neighboring lot line? Similarly, for utilities, if the land lacks access, investigate the cost and feasibility of installation before purchasing. The real estate attorney you are using should conduct a title search to ensure no liens against the property.

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