What is title insurance?
Title insurance provides homeowners and lenders with protection from claims made against a piece of property. Imagine this scenario: you purchase a home. You paid the cost of the house, and have moved in with your family. One day someone shows up saying that they have a claim against the property. Perhaps the previous owner used the property as leverage in order to get a loan. As it turns out the person has a legitimate claim to some of the value of the property. What can you do to avoid this situation from occurring?
The answer, of course, is to get title insurance. These insurance policies will protect your ownership. If there is a defect in the title that you received in the transaction, then the insurance will cover the costs associated with settling the lien or other interest that another person has in your property.
Of course, title insurance is extremely important to lenders. Lenders do not wish to lend money to someone, using the home as collateral, just to find out that their interest in the property is secondary to someone’s prior interest.
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HOW IS THE TITLE INSURANCE PREMIUM CALCULATED IN SOUTH CAROLINA?
Purchasing real estate involves a number of costs and expenses that are unfamiliar to anyone who has not been involved in frequent transactions. Gathering the proper documents can seem like a massive task in itself, and once you make it to the closing, you will likely find yourself signing more documents than you can keep track of. If you are currently planning to purchase property, it is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the terminology and to try to understand what the costs you are paying are going towards.
HOW EXPENSIVE IS TITLE INSURANCE?
The cost of title insurance is based on the cost of the real estate being purchased. The more expensive the property, the more the policy will cost you. If you are purchasing a rather modest home, the cost might be a few hundred dollars, but if you purchase a 5-million-dollar home, your premium would be in the thousands.
DO I HAVE TO HAVE TITLE INSURANCE?
You are not required by law to hold title insurance. This does not mean that you should forgo getting title insurance. Property is very expensive, and putting your ownership of what is likely the most valuable thing you own at risk to save a few hundred dollars is just not worth it.
DO I HAVE TO KEEP PAYING FOR TITLE INSURANCE?
The premium you pay for title insurance is a one-time fee. The policy will cover any defect to the title you received for the entire time that the property belongs to you.
If you are looking to purchase real estate in South Carolina, you will need an experienced real estate attorney. At De Bruin Law Firm, our attorneys understand how important the purchase of a new home or other real estate is for someone. We work to ensure that every real estate transaction that we handle goes as smoothly as possible for our clients. Contact us today at 864-982-5930 to learn more about your legal options.
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