What is Title Insurance? Basically, title insurance protects an owner’s right to their property when someone else tries to make a claim against it.
A loan officer would require a buyer to have title insurance to protect the lender’s interest in the property, this is called lenders title insurance and only covers the lender for the mortgage amount.
A buyer may want to purchase their own Title insurance to protect their interest in their property as the lenders policy does not help the buyer. To get Title insurance the buyer may have to purchase both Title and Escrow services depending on the Title company policies. The buyer and may still save money and distress in the long run if the property turns out to have defects in the title. An owner’s title policy protects the owner for the entire property value including the equity that may have built up, for as long as the owner or any of the owner’s heirs has a claim to the property.
In Oregon the seller usually pays for the buyer’s title insurance unless negotiated otherwise. Contact your local title company regarding questions about title insurance and what it covers.
What is Escrow? The escrow agent is a neutral third party who carries out the instructions of the buyer and seller as to the sale price and terms of the transaction, holds the earnest money in an escrow account until disbursement, orders a title search and gathers the necessary documents from the interested parties, such as loan officers and agents, that are needed to create the closing documents.
Contact your local title and escrow company with any questions.
Oregon Agency Disclosure Pamphlet
http://oregonrealtors.org/sites/default/files/Initial_Agency_Disclosure_Pamphlet.pdf
Buyer and Seller Advisory
http://oregonrealtors.org/resources/membership-resources/buyer-seller-advisories
Please review these COVID-19 updates to our seller and buyer advisories.
https://oregonrealtors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/OAR-Seller-Advisory_COVID-19-Updates.pdf
https://oregonrealtors.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/OAR-Buyer-Advisory-_COVID-19-Updates.pdf
BEWARE of wire fraud! Do not send financial information in an email. When you receive instructions to wire money, call to confirm the information with a trusted source. If you feel uncomfortable with the method you must use to send money, talk to your escrow agent first