Local title officers answer questions about real estate trends and offer tips to homebuyers and sellers considering buying or selling a home in or around McKinney.

Brian Hazelwood
Independence Title

What does a title company do?

We protect the future of commercial and residential real estate investments by researching the full history of property dating back to the beginning. We clear up any known issues such as [judgments or liens] then assume certain kinds of risk on behalf of the owners by issuing a title policy. The policy protects the owners against certain future claims on their property.

What does a title company charge?

We charge a flat rate of $350 per side [buyer and seller] as an escrow fee, and that is pretty standard in today’s market. However the title insurance policy itself is a set fee regulated by the state.

How do you determine if a title is valid?

Our plant from where we order our title work researches the history of the policy and checks to see if we have ‘clear title,’ meaning no judgments, liens or anything else is in the way from us being able to issue a new policy. If we have ‘clear title’ we can then issue a policy. If not, we have to make sure those items are addressed before we can move on.