| | What is Title Insurance?
|  | From contract contingencies to encumbrances, the home sale and purchase processes bring with them a new vocabulary. One of the processes that most first-timers find confusing is the title company’s role in a real estate transaction. Let’s try to clear up the confusion.
A title company serves two main functions in the real estate transaction. Its first role is that of facilitator for the closing. A title company manages the numbers, works up the settlement structures, and disburses the funds from the escrow account at closing.
Performing a title search and issuing a title insurance policy is a title company’s second function. When you borrow money, the lender requires that you buy a lender’s title insurance policy.
From Rocket Mortgage: "Title insurance is a type of insurance policy meant to protect home buyers, as well as lenders, from any damages or losses caused by a bad title. Most title insurance policies cover all the common claims filed against a title, including outstanding liens, back taxes and conflicting wills."
Before issuing this insurance, a title company will ensure that the seller has the legal right to transfer the title to you, and that the property isn’t subject to any tax liens, special assessments, or mechanic’s liens. Then, they will issue the lender’s title insurance policy which covers the lender in the event of future claims against the property, for the life of the loan. Although you pay for it, the lender is the only party to benefit from the insurance should there be a claim.
Title companies also issue owner’s title insurance policies, which, as the name implies, covers the new homeowner’s interests for as long as they own the property. While this policy isn’t mandatory, “The majority of people do tend to buy it because it protects the home purchase, which is usually your largest bank transaction,” says Gerry Glombicki, director of insurance at Fitch Ratings.
Both lender and owner’s policies are one-time expenses, rolled into the closing costs. The cost of the lender’s policy is based on the amount borrowed, whereas the cost of the owner’s policy is based on the home’s value.
If you fell asleep while reading this article, that’s okay – I’m here to help! Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about the title process. | | | | Get Prepped for Growing Season | | | Dust off your garden gnomes! Spring is just around the corner, and gardeners across the country are counting down the days. Here are 3 steps you can take right now to prepare for the growing season.
Plan for success
Whether your passion is growing your own food, or you prefer ornamental landscaping, or both, creating a plan is your first step. Take stock of last year’s successes and failures and adjust this year’s plan accordingly.
There are many garden-planning tools and apps available online to help you: Once you have a plan, make a list of what you’ll need to purchase. Seeds or seedlings? Will you need soil amendments? Which plants have you been eying in nursery catalogs over the way-too-long winter?
If you’re unsure of how much soil you’ll need, check out the soil calculator online at Gardeners.com.
You're only as good as your tools
 If you’re like many gardeners, your shovels, shears, and other tools have been sitting in the shed since last season and likely need a little TLC. If a deep clean is in order, a soapy rinse and soak paired with a scrub brush should do the trick. Wooden handles? Give them a light sanding to help remove splinters.
Pruning shears are the workhorses of any garden, so ensure that yours are in top shape before spring rolls around. To remove rust, soak shears in white vinegar overnight, then scrub with a wire brush. Dried sap? Use warm water and dish soap to loosen it up. Dull blades? A file or whetstone will get them sharp again. Disinfect your shears and other tools with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution.
Clean your containers
Planning to reuse last year’s flowerpots? They, too, will require a good scrubbing and disinfecting.
Dump out any soil and debris from each pot and grab that wire brush. Fill a bucket with warm, soapy water and scrub the pots inside and out. Create a 10 percent bleach solution and soak each pot for about 15 minutes; bleach helps to kill any unwanted organisms. Rinse with water and set outside to dry.
Get these chores done now and you can hit the ground running when the warmer weather rolls around. I would love to see pictures of your garden creations! | | | | | | | |
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