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Understanding Title Insurance What is title insurance? Newspapers refer to it in the weekly real estate sections and you hear about it in conversations with real estate brokers. If you've purchased a home you may be familiar with the benefits of title insurance. However, if this is your first home, you may wonder, "Why do I need yet another insurance policy?" While a number of issues can be raised by that question, we will start with a general answer.
The purchase of a home is one of the most expensive and important purchases you will ever make. You and your mortgage lender will want to make sure the property is indeed yours and that no one else has any lien, claim or encumbrance on your property.
The Land Title Association, in the following pages, answers some questions frequently asked about an often misunderstood line of insurance -- title insurance.
What is the difference between title insurance and casualty insurance?
Title insurers work to identify and eliminate risk before issuing a title insurance policy. Casualty insurers assume risks.
Casualty insurance companies realize that a certain number of losses will occur each year in a given category (auto, fire, etc.). The insurers collect premiums monthly or annually from the policy holders to establish reserve funds in order to pay for expected losses.
Title companies work in a very different manner. Title insurance will indemnify you against loss under the terms of your policy, but title companies work in advance of issuing your policy to identify and eliminate potential risks and therefore prevent losses caused by title defects that may have been created in the past.
Title insurance also differs from casualty insurance in that the greatest part of the title insurance premium dollar goes towards risk elimination. Title companies maintain "title plants" which contain information regarding property transfers and liens reaching back many years. Maintaining these title plants, along with the searching and examining of title, is where most of your premium dollar goes.
Who needs title insurance?
Buyers and lenders in real estate transactions need title insurance. Both want to know that the property they are involved with is insured against certain title defects. Title companies provide this needed insurance coverage subject to the terms of the policy. The seller, buyer and lender all benefit from the insurance provided by title companies.
What does title insurance insure?
Title insurance offers protection against claims resulting from various defects (as set out in the policy) which may exist in the title to a specific parcel of real property, effective on the issue date of the policy. For example, a person might claim to have a deed or lease giving them ownership or the right to possess your property. Another person could claim to hold an easement giving them a right of access across your land. Yet another person may claim that they have a lien on your property securing the repayment of a debt. That property may be an empty lot or it may hold a 50-story office tower. Title companies work with all types of real property.
What types of policies are available?
Title companies routinely issue two types of policies: An "owner's" policy which insures you, the Homebuyer for as long as you and your heirs own the home; and a "lender's" policy which insures the priority of the lender's security interest over the claims that others may have in the property.
What protection am I obtaining with my title policy?
A title insurance policy contains provisions for the payment of the legal fees in defense of a claim against your property which is covered under your policy. It also contains provisions for indemnification against losses which result from a covered claim. A premium is paid at the close of a transaction. There are no continuing premiums due, as there are with other types of insurance.
What are my chances of ever using my title policy?
In essence, by acquiring your policy, you derive the important knowledge that recorded matters have been searched and examined so that title insurance covering your property can be issued. Because we are risk eliminators, the probability of exercising your right to make a claim is very low. However, claims against your property may not be valid, making the continuous protection of the policy all the more important. When a title company provides a legal defense against claims covered by your title insurance policy, the savings to you for that legal defense alone will greatly exceed the one-time premium.
What if I am buying property from someone I know?
You may not know the owner as well as you think you do. People undergo changes in their personal lives that may affect title to their property. People get divorced, change their wills, engage in transactions that limit the use of the property and have liens and judgments placed against them personally for various reasons.
There may also be matters affecting the property that are not obvious or known, even by the existing owner, which a title search and examination seeks to uncover as part of the process leading up to the issuance of the title insurance policy.
Just as you wouldn't make an investment based on a phone call, you shouldn't buy real property without assurances as to your title. Title insurance provides these assurances.
The process of risk identification and elimination performed by the title companies, prior to the issuance of a title policy, benefits all parties in the property transaction. It minimizes the chances that adverse claims might be raised, and by doing so reduces the number of claims that need to be defended or satisfied. This process keeps costs and expenses down for the title company and maintains the traditional low cost of title insurance.
Article by CLTA
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Real Estate, Houses , Homes, Cottages, Lake Huron Waterfront Property, Waterfront Property on Inland Lakes,Land, Tawas, East Tawas, Tawas City, AuGres, Oscoda Michigan
TO SEARCH LISTINGS
GO to www.all-northern-michigan.com
WELCOME TO NORTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN!
Best Choice Realty, Inc. means this sincerely and knows that once you visit NORTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN you, too, will feel the same way we do about the abundance of nature and beauty to be found in NORTHEASTERN LOWER MICHIGAN!
Iosco County, Arenac County and Ogemaw County are just an hours drive north of Saginaw, but offer a full range of recreational activities for those seeking an escape from city life. The Huron National Forest offers excellent hunting and the AuSable River has great fishing. Near Hale, Sand Lake Heights and the surrounding areas there are hiking, snowmobile and cross country ski trails and many all sports lakes for swimming, water skiing and fishing. And, of course, Au Gres is on the shore of Saginaw Bay and Tawas, East Tawas and Oscoda are on the shores of Lake Huron. So come up to Iosco County, Arenac County and Ogemaw County, check out the real estate available here and enjoy life!
Best Choice Realty, Inc. maintains an outstanding reputation in the real estate profession and we can assure you that YOU and YOUR needs are our #1 priority. Our real estate office and associates are members of real estate multi-list services (RMLS) covering Iosco County, Arenac County, Ogemaw County and Alcona County.
Our high quality staff of professional Real Estate Consultants have been trained to make your real estate move go as smoothly as possible. Each real estate associate is kept up to date with the real estate market and the changes in the real estate industry by ongoing real estate training and informational meetings. We're proud to have real estate agents that go the " extra mile " to provide you with the utmost in professional real estate service. We are locally owned and staffed by individual real estate agents who have spent years living and working in this area. We know the area and we know the real estate market.
We are a full service real estate company offering sellers agency, buyers agency, broker price opinions and real estate consulting. We have residential, commercial, resort, lakefront, acreage, hunting land and recreational properties available. If you are considering a move, or just have a question concerning real estate, don't hesitate to contact us. We personally guarantee the highest level of professional service...
Sincerely,
Michael D. Fournier
President/Associate Broker
BUYERS: "LOYALTY PAYS OFF"
Some buyers like to leave their name with three or four sales people. Although it may seem to be to the buyer's advantage to have a number of real estate agents to work with, it is usually a very ineffective approach. The assumption is that many real estate agents will produce more results than working exclusively with one. THIS IS NOT TRUE! YOU NEED THE TOTAL COMMITMENT OF ONE REAL ESTATE AGENT. My advice to you is to find a Realtor whom you feel will get the results you need. Tell this real estate agent that you will work exclusively with him or her ( SIGNING A BUYERS AGENCY CONTRACT IS RECOMMENDED ) as long as you see the effort required to get the job done. In this way, you will have a dedicated real estate agent who will take on the personal responsibility of handling all the details of your home purchase.
REAL ESTATE AGENTS are paid on a straight commission basis. They don't receive a salary. They are not on an expense account. They don't get paid unless they SELL YOU SOMETHING. This is why working with more than one agent is not a good idea. None of the real estate agents know if their efforts will result in any income. If a agent knows that you will be loyal to them that is all the motivation needed to provide, a real estate agent, dedicated to getting the job done right.
PRICING YOUR HOME TO SELL
Get a comparative market analysis.
EXPIRED
Out of range. Up to 35% of all homes put on the market never sell. The prices at which these homes expired represent the overpriced range. IF YOU PRICE HERE, THEN YOUR LISTING WILL ALSO EXPIRE!
CURRENTLY FOR SALE
Represents the upper end of the market. These are asking prices only. They have not been attained in the real estate market. Examine the number of days on the market and if it has been a long time, the homes(s) is/are priced to high.
SOLDS: - TRUE MARKET VALUE.
NEVER SELECT A REAL ESTATE AGENT BASED ON THE PRICE THAT THEY TELL YOU!
A real estate agent has no control over the price the market will allow. SELECT YOUR REAL ESTATE AGENT FIRST based on competence of the real estate agent, company and services provided. Don't encourage or allow the real estate agents to " bid the price up", by telling you what they think you want to hear, to get the listing. True professional real estate agents will give you candid feed back and factual information, based on "SOLD PROPERTIES", so you can price within the "MARKET".
BENEFITS TO PROPER PRICING
1. FASTER SALE
2. LESS INCONVENIENCE
3. EXPOSURE TO MORE PROSPECTS
4. BETTER RESPONSE FROM ADVERTISING AND DRIVE BY CALLS
5. INCREASED SALESPERSON RESPONSE
6. ATTRACTS HIGHER OFFERS
7. MEANS MORE MONEY TO SELLERS
REASONS SELLERS USE WHEN OVERPRICING
1. WE'VE MADE IMPROVEMENTS: Improvements should be made for enjoyment, not for sale. You cannot add an item to a home, select it to your style, use it, then expect a buyer to pay the original cost.
2. WE NEED THE MONEY: An owners need for money does not increase the value of the home.
3. BUYING IN A HIGHER REAL ESTATE MARKET: Real estate values are location specific. High real estate values in the destination market/home do not increase the value of your existing home.
4. WE PAID THIS MUCH: Chances are you paid market value. It's not that the price was too high, but sometimes the market experiences subsequent changes. The real estate market is effected by interest rates, the economy and supply and demand.
PRINCIPLES OF VALUATION
1. COST - The amount actually paid for a property plus any capital improvements made since the purchase.... 2. PRICE - The stated amount an owner is willing to accept for a property.... 3. VALUE - The amount a single buyer is willing to pay given a certain set of circumstances.... 4. MARKET VALUE - The amount many buyers would pay a reasonable, willing, seller. It is based on the history of similar real estate recently sold in the area.
Office is Locally Owned and Operated.
1106 Bay Drive, Tawas City, Michigan 48763 - 1-866-585-5980
FULL SERVICE NORTHERN MICHIGAN REAL ESTATE COMPANY, RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE, RESORT REAL ESTATE,WATERFRONT PROPERTY, INLAND LAKEFRONT PROPERTY, LAKE HURON PROPERTY, COTTAGES, HOMES, HOUSES, ACERAGE, COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE, NORTHERN MICHIGAN PROPERTY, INVESTMENT PROPERTY, BUYERS AGENCY, SELLERS AGENCY
Marketing Areas: TAWAS, SAND LAKE HEIGHTS, OSCODA, GREENBUSH, HARRISVILLE, HALE, AUGRES, EAST TAWAS, TAWAS CITY, ROSE CITY, WEST BRANCH, NATIONAL CITY, WHITTEMORE
Marketing Zip-codes: 48763, 48748, 48730, 48750, 48703, 48654, 48738, 48661, 48739, 48740, 48770
Tawas Michigan Real Estate, Tawas City Michigan Real Estate, East Tawas Michigan Real Estate, Oscoda Michigan Real Estate, Au Gres Michigan Real Estate, AuGres Michigan Real Estate, Hale Michigan Real Estate, Iosco County Michigan Real Estate, Arenac County Michigan Real Estate, Alcona County Michigan Real Estate, Ogemaw County Michigan Real Estate, National City Michigan Real Estate, Sand Lake Heights Michigan Real Estate, Hale Michigan Real Estate, Lake Huron Michigan Real Estate, Northern Michigan Real Estate, Northeastern Michigan Real Estate. Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services, CMA'S, BPO's, Consulting, to buyers and sellers in the greater Northern Michigan Real Estate Market, Tawas City, East Tawas, Sand Lake Heights, National City, Oscoda, Au Gres, Hale, Greenbush, Tawas, Iosco County, Arenac County, Alcona County and Ogemaw County, Michigan.
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