Do I need Title Insurance for my
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DO I NEED TITLE<br />
INSURANCE FOR MY<br />
CONDO?<br />
GUARDIANTTI.COM<br />
HTTPS://ARTESIANTITLE.COM<br />
/
As an expert in the field<br />
of title insurance, one<br />
thing I can tell you is<br />
that most homebuyers<br />
think they don’t <strong>need</strong><br />
insurance until<br />
something bad happens.<br />
But once a problem<br />
arises, it’s already too<br />
late to get insurance.<br />
While you might never<br />
use your coverage,<br />
buying a title policy can<br />
literally protect your<br />
most valuable asset<br />
against a variety of title<br />
defects.<br />
Going Beyond the Concept of <strong>Title</strong> insurance<br />
Just the other day, I read about a lawsuit filed by<br />
the heirs of a deceased owner against the<br />
existing owners of a few properties, including a<br />
shopping mall, several homes and businesses.<br />
Based on the evidence presented, the successive<br />
changes of ownership were accurately<br />
established, and the judge ruled in favor of heirs,<br />
awarding them all the properties. Existing<br />
owners lost the ownership of the properties in<br />
question.What I’m trying to say is that, even<br />
though there is a highly unlikely chance that<br />
there will be a challenge to a title, title problems<br />
may appear. For just several hundred dollars, you<br />
can easily eliminate the risk of losing your<br />
investment.Now, coming down to the topic of<br />
this post, title insurance is available <strong>for</strong> condos,<br />
just as it is <strong>for</strong> any other piece of property.<br />
Though in a condominium, you don’t own the<br />
land, a title policy can protect your rights to your<br />
condo against any title problems that may arise<br />
in the future.
<strong>Title</strong> <strong>Insurance</strong> <strong>for</strong> Condos: Assessing Potential<br />
Implications and ConsequencesThe previous<br />
owner, <strong>for</strong> instance, may have had a lien or<br />
judgment filed against him <strong>for</strong> unpaid taxes,<br />
work done by a contractor or condo fees. Or he<br />
might have got divorced, and the divorce decree<br />
required him to buy his ex-spouse out of the<br />
condo or sell the unit. If he didn’t, and the exspouse<br />
have filed a suit and received a judgment<br />
against him, the ex-spouse still has a right in<br />
the condo you bought. In this case, you might<br />
not only lose the condo but also <strong>need</strong> to repay<br />
the mortgage you took out to buy the unit in the<br />
first place.If you want to protect your asset<br />
against claims that may arise from dierent title<br />
problems, including faulty or <strong>for</strong>ged titles,<br />
document defects that aect the classification of<br />
the unit as a condo, unpaid assessments and<br />
encumbrances, opting <strong>for</strong> an owner’s title policy<br />
is truly worth it.Applying <strong>for</strong> an owner’s title<br />
insurance policy be<strong>for</strong>e buying a condo unit<br />
involves a detailed title search that may bring<br />
out a series of title defects. When defects are<br />
found, the title insurance company issues a<br />
detailed report so that you can make an<br />
in<strong>for</strong>med decision regarding whether to buy or<br />
not buy a piece of property. What’s more, if<br />
clouds covered by the policy are presented at a<br />
later date, the insurer will defend your rights in<br />
court and reimburse you <strong>for</strong> title-related loss, in<br />
accordance with the policy term.<br />
EVEN IF IT’S NEW CONSTRUCTION, YOU SHOULD STILL GET AN OWNER’S POLICY. FOR<br />
INSTANCE, IF THE BUILDER DIDN’T PAY HIS SUBCONTRACTORS FOR THE WORK<br />
PERFORMED, THERE MAY BE ONE OR MORE LIENS PLACED ON THE CONDOMINIUM.