A title search is the review of public records used to confirm ownership history and identify recorded claims against a property.
A title search is the review of public records used to confirm ownership history and identify recorded claims against a property.
A title search matters because a buyer and lender do not want to discover ownership problems after closing. The search helps uncover recorded liens, prior transfers, and other issues that could interfere with a clean transaction.
It also matters because the property can look perfectly normal on the surface while the public record reveals issues that need to be resolved before the deal is safe to complete.
This page matters because title search is the point where the transaction moves from assumption to verification. A buyer may have financing lined up and a signed contract in place, but the public record still has to support a clean and insurable transfer.
Borrowers usually encounter title search work during the closing phase, after the contract is accepted and before documents are finalized.
This step becomes especially important before Closing because title findings often drive what must be cleared, insured, or explained before the transaction can proceed.
It becomes even more practical when the search produces the next-stage documents and problems borrowers actually see, such as a Title Commitment, an unreleased Lien, or a recorded Lis Pendens.
Borrowers may also see a related Title Search Fee on the Loan Estimate or Closing Disclosure.
Near closing, the title company may perform a Title Bringdown to check for new recorded matters before documents are recorded. That final timing concern is related to the Gap Period between the latest check and public recording.
A title company reviews the public record and discovers an old recorded lien or a Lis Pendens tied to pending litigation. That issue may need to be cleared or understood before the buyer can receive clean ownership.
A title search differs from Title Insurance because the search is the investigative review, while title insurance is the policy that helps protect against certain covered title problems.
It also differs from Title. Title is the ownership interest itself, while the title search is the process used to examine the record behind that ownership.
It also differs from a Title Commitment. The search is the review work, while the commitment is one of the key transaction documents produced from that work.
It also differs from Title Search Fee. The title search is the review process; the fee is the charge for that work.