Settlement Observer - FTE Blog

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Title Insurance - Federal Title & Escrow Company
Real estate articles for agents, mortgage lenders, homebuyers and homeowers looking to refinance.
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Google "owner’s title insurance," and you will find scores of blogs and other publications scorning this misunderstood insurance product.  Frequently, at the settlement table, we hear homebuyers opine that title insurance is a "rip-off" and not worth the cost.   Most of these comments stem from a...
06/01/2012
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," Ben Franklin once famously said. Yet when it comes to taxes on real property – especially for first-time homebuyers – we find much uncertainty and confusion exists. Homebuyers should expect to pay two main types of taxes o...
05/29/2012
Too often we hear prospective homebuyers or real estate agents dismiss the need for owner’s title insurance coverage because the property is "new or in a newer development."  In fact, nothing could be further from the truth since a large percentage of title claims occur on new construction proper...
05/29/2012
As a homebuyer, you have the choice in the type of owner’s title insurance coverage. Throughout this series of comparing the two types of coverage (Standard Coverage vs. Enhanced Coverage) you have observed that the primary difference relates to matters affecting your title post-policy date and p...
11/29/2011
So you’ve just completed the purchase and closing on your new “fixer-upper” home. Now it’s time to hire an architect and spend countless hours planning for a new addition to the family room. You submit an application for your building permit. After a few weeks, your permit is denied based on a pr...
11/29/2011
In my view, the most underrated insuring provision of the Enhanced Owner’s Title Insurance Policy relates to real estate tax assessments occurring after the transfer of ownership. The Enhanced policy we offer through our underwriter First American states (as a covered risk): "A taxing authority a...
11/29/2011
As a homebuyer in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, you have a choice between two types of owner’s title insurance coverage — Standard (Limited) Coverage or Enhanced Coverage. When deciding on which coverage, you may consider the possibility of being forced to remove a structure be...
11/29/2011
In the world of real estate closings and title insurance lurks an oft misunderstood concept we call the “Reissue Rate.” Simply put, a reissue rate is a homebuyer discount on the cost of an owner's title insurance policy. To obtain a reissue rate discount, the transaction must satisfy certain cond...
06/17/2011
Washington, D.C. (17 February 2011) – SHOPPING FOR TITLE SERVICES in the District of Columbia could save homebuyers up to $1,180, according to a recent study, while shopping in Maryland or Virginia could mean a savings of over $900. "This serves as a reminder to homebuyers and their agents the im...
02/17/2011
Congress renewed the $5,000 DC homebuyer tax credit for another two years as part of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010, the office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) announced earlier this month. The DC tax incentive will be retroactive...
12/30/2010
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We re-post our articles here that pertain to real estate pros. Find the original articles on the Federal Title & Escrow Company blog.

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