If you pay for a title search, why do you also need title insurance? And if I’ve never heard of anyone that had a title insurance issue, why do I have to buy it? There are too many issues that even the best title search cannot find, and compared to the cost of your home, the one-time price of title insurance is low. There are good reasons lenders require title insurance to lend you money. The policy you buy as the owner and your lender’s required policy offer different coverage. A lender’s policy does not cover an owner’s claim and vice versa. Even though you need to purchase a new lender’s policy each time you refinance, your owner’s policy remains in effect as long as you own your home. Plus, your owner’s title insurance policy will usually get you a discount on lender policies both when you first purchase and at each refinance. Title insurance covers unknown issues that can affect or eliminate your property ownership. Common claims include boundary line disputes, unknown easements and liens, mis-indexed documents recorded in the public records, and undiscovered heirs of prior owners of your property. Your title insurance policy will cover the cost of fixing the problem, including paying for the lawyers who go to court for you when necessary to resolve the issue. Because of the low, one-time cost of title insurance, it can take a neighborhood’s worth of policy premiums to pay for just one claim.
