How to Choose the Right Title Company and What Separates Them

Closing table with signed document, new house keys, and a small wooden house for home buyer

You've made it through the long, tedious real estate process to find your perfect home. Now there's one final step required: title insurance. This is an additional layer of protection for your real estate purchase, and it's easy when you choose the right title insurance NJ company.

Clear Skies Title Agency is a great place to start with a free estimate at (908) 810 7402. Let’s look at title insurance and how to identify the best title insurance New Jersey company to oversee your transaction.

Title Insurance Defined

A real estate purchase is essentially a title ownership change from the seller to the buyer. Title insurance protects the buyer if there are liens or defects linked to the title. For example, a title insurance policy covers incorrect ownership if the seller has an ongoing inheritance conflict surrounding the property. Without it, buyers must foot any financial and legal costs to rectify ownership before the title changes hands.

A title search is the only way to determine a title’s status. Title agencies in NJ conduct title searches to identify any liens or claims against a title. A clear title establishes the rightful property owner to transfer ownership legally.

Why Is Title Insurance Important?

A title search reveals any issues surrounding property, such as:

  • Missing or undeclared heirs in older properties
  • Fraud, such as the illegal sale of property, false impersonations of previous owners, or forgeries
  • Joint property ownerships in case of a separation or divorce
  • Ownership by a trust or other body
  • Unpaid mortgages, credit card debts, or other financial obligations
  • Unresolved building violations
  • Incorrect or outdated survey information in public records
  • Boundary disputes
  • Any other defects affecting the title.

These scenarios don’t necessarily nullify the real estate purchase but make the process more complicated than necessary. Title insurance NJ covers you in case of these surprises before you commit your money to buy your property.

Does the Buyer or The Seller Choose the Title Company New Jersey?

Under Section 9 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), a buyer chooses the title company. Sellers may suggest a title company, but the final decision rests with the buyer. If a seller insists that you use their title company as a condition for sale, you can sue them for this violation.

Choosing the Right Title Company New Jersey

A title insurance NJ company does all the research surrounding your property’s title before you buy it. Of course, your title may be clean, but it’s always best to be sure about where your investment money is going and prepare yourself for the unexpected. Here are the key things to consider when you choose title agencies in NJ today.

1. Good Reputation

Remember that your title insurance NJ company handles sensitive information, issues insurance policies, and maintains an escrow account for your money. Ensure that they have a good standing in the real estate industry. Do your due diligence when shopping around or title agencies in NJ. Check their website, testimonials, and social media links to assess their reputation.

2. Years of Experience

The best title company New Jersey knows precisely how to handle your type of property. A home buyer looking to renovate old properties has different title insurance needs than a first-time apartment buyer or a commercial property investor. In addition, choose a title insurance NJ company that uses the latest technology to run thorough title searches, including digital automation, to help you close the deal faster.

3. Service Fees

The right title insurance NJ company will disclose all fees for all their title insurance services. These fees are in the loan estimate or closing disclosure agreement. Still, you can certainly ask the title company for a fee breakdown.

Title charges include settlement fees, title search fees, notary fees, and document preparation fees, which vary from one title insurance company to another. Remember that title costs comprise up to 70% of your property closing budget. You can save thousands of dollars by comparing companies.

Note: Title insurance premiums are relatively standard due to state-level regulation. The cost differences come from the title company’s service charges which can vary by up to $1,500.

4. Company Location

Choose a title insurance NJ company close to the property you’re buying for convenience. If your prospective property is in a different state, find out if your title company has satellite offices. If not, the title company should send their agent to meet with you at a suitable location.

Or ask your title insurance NJ company if offer Remote Online Notarization (RON) services. this method of notarizing documents, as the name suggests, signors no longer need to be in the same room as the notary. Reviewing and signing documents is now allowable online. You can be anywhere in the world, anytime of day or night. The notary is the only person who needs to be in New Jersey for your documents to be recorded or considered legally binding.

5. Customer Service and Protection

Find out how your title insurance NJ company handles your money regarding escrow accounts, cyber insurance, identity theft, fraud protection, and other means of keeping your investment safe. The ideal title company New Jersey promptly addresses your questions and concerns and guides you throughout the title insurance process.

Clear Skies Title Insurance Is Your Safest Bet

At Clear Skies Title Agency,we encourage you to compare estimates from different title agencies in NJ. Use our instant estimate calculator to see a complete price list of title insurance services from Clear Skies.

Enter the value of your property cash purchase, loan purchase, or refinance, then download your estimate or order our title services with one click. You can also schedule a consultation at (908) 810 7402 to speak with our expert Real Estate Title Guide.

In addition, we offer comprehensive title insurance NJ services for individual property buyers and real estate agencies, including:

  • Real estate title search
  • Real estate title examination
  • Escrow fund management
  • Real estate title insurance
  • Settlement services
  • Notary services
  • Automated digital closing services

Our title insurance New Jersey services go through public records to clear your property for purchase. Clear Skies Title insurance packages protect you from losses in case of risks due to title problems. We also accelerate your closing process through automation and save you time and money. You’re only one step away from your dream property, so let Clear Skies Title Agency do the legwork for you. Call us at (908) 810 7402 today.