FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

What do I need to bring to closing?
Please bring your driver’s license and social security card and we will make a copy of both at the closing. In addition and as passed by the 2017 Florida Legislature and signed by Governor Scott on May 9, 2017, a veteran health identification card will be an acceptable form of identification for a notary effective July 1, 2017.

Effective July 1, 2017, forms of acceptable identification will be:

a. A Florida identification card or driver license issued by the public agency authorized to issue driver licenses;
b. A passport issued by the Department of State of the United States;
c. A passport issued by a foreign government if the document is stamped by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services;
d. A driver license or an identification card issued by a public agency authorized to issue driver licenses in a state other than Florida, a territory of the United States, or Canada or Mexico;
e. An identification card issued by any branch of the armed forces of the United States;
f. A veteran health identification card issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (effective July 1, 2017);
g. An inmate identification card issued on or after January 1, 1991, by the Florida Department of Corrections for an inmate who is in the custody of the department;
h. An inmate identification card issued by the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Prisons, for an inmate who is in the custody of the department;
i. A sworn, written statement from a sworn law enforcement officer that the forms of identification for an inmate in an institution of confinement were confiscated upon confinement and that the person named in the document is the person whose signature is to be notarized; or
j. An identification card issued by the United States Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Also, if your lender requested that you provide documents at closing, please bring those too. If you have not provided evidence of homeowner’s insurance, please bring your policy to closing. Lastly, if funds are required for closing, please remember to contact our office for wiring instructions for the balance needed for closing.  We require that all funds for closings be wired into our escrow account. Also, bring your personal checkbook to the closing. You may have to make up a small difference between the amount wired and the actual closing figure required. Please contact our office should you require further clarification.

WIRE FRAUD ALERT. Criminals are hacking email accounts of real estate agents, title companies, settlement attorneys and others, resulting in fraudulent wire instructions being used to divert funds to the account of the criminal. The emails look legitimate but they are not. Buyer and Seller are advised not to wire any funds without personally speaking with the intended recipient of the wire to confirm the routing number and the account number. Buyer and Seller should not send personal information such as social security numbers, bank account numbers and credit card numbers except through secured email or personal delivery to the intended recipient(s).

How long will the closing take?
For a sale, a closing usually takes an hour. For a refinance or construction loan closing, these usually take 30 minutes to an hour. If you would like advance copies of documents prior to closing, please notify us and we can make sure that we obtain your closing documents from your lender in time and we can copy the entire package prior to closing for your review. Also, we require that all parties sign in at the front desk. We have to track all visitors in and out of our office on a daily basis.

What is title insurance?
Title insurance is actually a process with the insurance policy being the end product. This process starts with a comprehensive search of public records to determine if any liens or other encumbrances are attached to the title. During the search, detailed information from potentially hundreds of sources is gathered and reviewed, including tax records, federal, state and local records, court judgments, deeds and an evaluation of whether the property characteristics are accurately reflected by the information on the title. Not surprisingly, one in four title searches uncovers some problem that must be rectified prior to the closing.

What kinds of problems?
There are four primary categories that can cloud a title and result in significant risk for a prospective homebuyer. The title search meticulously seeks out and evaluates any known indication of any of these known issues; however, even the most comprehensive search may not uncover every hidden area of title risk:

*Liens can be placed against a title by any party with an unpaid financial obligation against the property owner. The nature of these claims can be everything from unpaid child support or alimony to unpaid parking tickets, taxes or bills from contractors like electricians or plumbers.

*Errors may have occurred during the course of previous ownership changes that could have included recording errors, typographical errors, incorrect legal descriptions, incorrect indexing of land records or title search errors resulting from undisclosed issues like unsatisfied claims not shown in the public record.

*Claims against a property may come from missing heirs or heirs born after the execution of a will, the dower or courtesy rights of spouses of former owners, claims from ex-spouses or even from government or corporate entities. They can also arise when the mental competence of a grantor of deed is called into question; when wills are not properly probated or are misinterpreted; when a title was transferred by a minor; or when a grantor of a deed did so while under undue influence.

*Fraudulent activity such as forged signatures or fraud in the execution of documents, the use of false powers of attorney in the execution of documents, false impersonation of someone claiming to be the owner of the property or any other fraudulent activity can invalidate any title work that occurred from that point on.

Prospective buyers should be certain they know what issues affect the title of the property that plan to buy and recognize that even new construction properties can be subject to these same kinds of problems. Buyers should make sure that all issues that come to light from the title search are adequately resolved prior to the closing.

What does title insurance cover?
Once the title search has been concluded and curative work to resolve any issues has been completed, title insurance can then be issued. The title insurance policy protects policy owners against covered financial losses associated with claims against the title that were not discovered during the title search process. It also insures against the title being rejected by the subsequent buyer of your property due to pre-existing title defects and covers losses that may arise after the property is sold if title covenants were included in the sales contract. This includes attorney fees and costs associated with defending the title and insures that the policy holder is the legal owner and has access to the property. Since the final title insurance policy may have some coverage exceptions (such as conditions, utility and other easements or set-back requirements), policy owners must carefully read the coverage information for their specific policy provisions.

Who is covered by title insurance?
There are two different kinds of title insurance policies, and each covers a different kind of policy owner:

* Lender’s (or Loan) title policies are required by lenders and paid for by the borrower(s) at the closing. However, these policies only protect the lending institution in the event a title problem is later uncovered and causes a financial loss. Lender title insurance covers institutions up to the amount of the mortgage loan associated with the property, but makes no provision for the borrower’s losses.

* Owner’s title policies are not required for homebuyers, and in many jurisdictions an Owner’s policy is not offered during the mortgage process. As a result, homebuyers are left without title risk coverage and often don’t know they had a choice. Without an Owner’s policy, homeowners must pay for title curative work out-of-pocket and the equity they have in their property can be at risk. However, with an Owner’s title insurance property in effect, the homeowner’s investment is fully protected since the policy usually covers buyers up to the full sale price.

Lender’s title policies and Owner’s title policies cover many of the same things. In both cases, the policy holders are protected from title risks such as title search errors, claims by missing heirs or ex-spouses, forged signatures in the chain of title and many other title problems that could go undetected before the closing. Attorney fees and settlement costs are also covered up to the policy’s limit.

What does title insurance cost?
Many states set the rates for title insurance and major lenders may be able to secure volume-based rates for their borrowers. Homeowners should always feel free to shop policy coverage and rates before making their final choice.

Unlike other types of insurance that require ongoing payments, title insurance covers things that happened in the past (prior to the closing) that could affect the status of the property’s title. There is a one time cost for title insurance at the time of the closing and the policy is good for as long as homebuyers or their heirs own the property.

Please view our rate schedule for our title insurance rates. Also, please note that if you have an existing Owner’s Title Insurance Policy and it is within Three (3) years of age, you are eligible for a reissue credit. Further, if you are refinancing or obtaining a construction loan, you are entitled to a reissue credit as well and the there is no time limit on the age of the Owner’s Title Insurance Policy. Please contact our office for the appropriate quote for these type of transactions.

How is title insurance regulated?
Each state has a department of insurance that generally regulates all forms of insurance, including title insurance. These governmental bodies are responsible for establishing and enforcing regulations for insurance sold in their respective states.

A time-tested profession
Unlike many countries around the world, the United States has a time-tested extensive system of maintaining public land records that gives property owners an unmatched level of confidence in their ownership status. But the system only works because of the extensive research and corrective actions that are taken to maintain the integrity of property titles.

Homeowners should ask about the title insurance options available to them and feel free to discuss the provisions and exceptions of any title insurance coverage they might be considering. Whatever they ultimately decide about title insurance, it should always be an informed choice.