(NAPSA)—Experts say one of the best ways new home buyers iia can protect their investment is with title insurance. That’s because defects in thetitle of the property can causeloss of all or part of the investment in your home. Title insurance is the only protection against that risk. Thetitle is the key to the ownership of your property. Title is passed from owner to owner each time the property is sold. Over the course of the life of a property, any number of people could have laid claim to various rights in that land, which can create quite a complex trail to follow. To ensure that your property is Title insurance can protect home owners from unexpected claims made on their property. through the deeds, court records, necessity, both legally and for personal peace of mind. Title insurance is the only type of insurance clear, a title search must be conducted prior to closing on the property. A title search includes pouring property and name indexes and other legal documents, the purpose of which is to verify the seller’s right to transfer ownership and to discover any claims, defects or rights in the property. A title search can turn up a numberof liens or restrictions on the property, including unpaid taxes, unpaid mortgages, etc. However, there are other hazards that a title search may not turn up. For instance, previous owners may have incorrectly misstated marital status (leading to a claim by his/her legal spouse), or there could be unknown fraud, mental incompetence, or confusion due to similar names orclerical errors in the records. Experts say these types of concerns have madetitle insurance a that protects an owner against potential historical claims on their property. It means that you, as a homeowner, and/or your lender cannot be held liable for any of these liens or restrictions—found in the title search or hidden— against the property. If a claim is made against your property, title insurance will provide an automatic defense for you and will pay court costs and related fees. And if the claim proves valid, the policy will, in accordance with its terms, reimburse the loss up to the face amountof the policy. For additional information on real estate closings or title insurance, contact a Land Americaoffice by visiting www.landam.com.
