I keep hearing ads for Home Title Lock. Part of me dismisses that it could be that easy to steal the title to a home because home buying traditionally requires a bit of paper work and ID verification. But that’s less true if you’re just transferring the title without all the financial aspects. Transfer taxes would be one impediment but can’t think of many others especially since there’s no ID verification required when a deed is recorded.
Has anyone had experience with either property transfer fraud or using this company? Thoughts on whether it’s worth it?
I have no experience with this company. But, I am real estate attorney. I have dealt with the issue of sovereign citizens and the issues they can create with title (it is a real issue). In general, it is difficult to muck up someone’s title. Realistically, if you purchased property and got a loan, you likely purchased title insurance (you probably do not know that you have it). Title insurance may not insure these sorts of issues. It would insure title through a certain date as to the property except for noted exceptions and provisions noted in the policy jacket. The issue here is, presumably, someone files something after the policy has been issued. What the title insurance does is insure your ownership from the claims of others prior to your purchasing the property (I always advise clients to purchase it). I assume this company is a back-end title insurance-type policy. The issue though is that the likelihood of these issues happening is minute. For example, I have been practicing for twenty years. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen these issues. When they happen, they are serious and potentially expensive, but do you need insurance? Probably not on the back-end. On the front end, absolutely. There is a functional difference between insuring that you have good title on the day you purchase your property and insuring that you keep it. As an aside, some register’s offices (I know the local one is doing this) are setting up free services to alert you when liens and other such matters are filed in your name. This is a free service (at least locally). This would seem a better option in the long-run as it would alert you to any back-end issue. You could then self-insure and address the issue, if any, should it occur.
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