Purchasing a home in the Guntersville, Alabama area will likely be the largest financial decision of your lifetime. You’ll want to have capable people behind you when you make this move. Consider Boundary Title & Escrow your title company of choice. If you’re buying, selling, or refinancing, Boundary Title & Escrow will guide you through the process with industry-leading expertise.

A lot goes into the real estate transaction, but don’t let the details overwhelm you. A good team can simplify things considerably. To start, find a licensed real estate agent in the Guntersville area. You’ll want to make sure you trust them, and that they have a solid working knowledge of the local market. Once you’ve secured an agent, you can move on to securing the rest of your team using their contacts. Most real estate agents will have worked with reputable lenders, title companies, home inspectors, surveyors, and settlement agents. 

Your agent will be familiar with the process, and you’ll be able to get a lot of good advice and recommendations from them. Of course, it’s also a good idea to ask any family and friends who have recently gone through a similar situation. You can also look online to gauge the reputation of a company with online reviews.

If you’re not a professional yourself, it’s normal to be a little confused on who does what, where, and why. Again, there’s a lot going on with any real estate transaction! 

To clarify, the title company handles general closing procedures and escrow accounts, along with title searches. The title search is the invaluable step that will ensure your new home is coming with a clean title. The title company will also arrange for a property survey, but only if your situation calls for one. 

So, the process unfolds like this: 

After an offer is accepted and you are under contract on the home, the title company (usually selected by the buyer) will undertake an extensive title search to ensure everything about the property’s title is in good order. This is vital, because any issues with the title could complicate or hold up the transaction.  

The title company may also order a survey if it determines your property needs one, but that’s usually only if there are any discrepancies about its reported boundaries. 

Finally, title companies like Boundary Title & Escrow issue title insurance policies for both lender and borrower. Lender’s title insurance serves to protect the lender’s stake in the property in the event a complication emerges with the title. Homeowner’s title insurance does the same for the homeowner, and is usually a one time purchase that applies as long as the individual owns the home. These problems are unlikely, but it’s important to have coverage just in case.

With real estate transactions being the largest financial commitments many people make in their lifetimes, you need a title company that understands the significance of each and every transaction. When you choose Boundary Title, rest assured our team of talented professionals have years of experience in the industry and will work diligently to ensure the process runs smoothly. The Boundary Title & Escrow guarantee is one of excellent service and dedicated professionals throughout the process.

Title Insurance and Selling Your Home

If you’re ready to sell your property in the Guntersville area, consider taking these steps to maximize your return once your house moves. Consider a deep clean of your house, even if that means investing some money now for a return later. Also, try to revisit all those little repairs that you never got around to because they were low priority. In both cases, the idea is to present the nicest possible showing to prospective buyers. You want to create a good value impression. 

Typically, the buyer, not the seller, chooses the title company. That means most of the responsibilities related to the title company will also be handled by the buyer. That doesn’t mean you won’t be responsible for covering your share of expenses though. 

The seller’s closing costs vary depending on the situation, and will almost always be deducted from the closing proceeds rather than come out of pocket. But, these fees might include: 

• Real estate agent fees
• Tax transfers
• Title insurance costs
• HOA costs
• Termite bond fees 
• Home warranty

This likely won’t account for everything, so be sure to review costs with your closing agent and know what to expect.

Purchasing your home is a huge investment. That means it’s important you work with a title company you trust. Your title company will be responsible for the following: 

• Detecting and title issues
• Providing title insurance to relevant parties
• Managing closing of escrow accounts to complete the transaction

Remember, homeowner’s title insurance offers legal and financial protection if your title is discovered to be problematic after your title search has concluded and you’ve purchased the property. This policy is hugely important, and it’s also required by law.

If you’re interested in refinancing, you might be curious if you need to buy a new title insurance policy. The answer is yes and no. While you’ll remain covered by your existing homeowner’s title insurance policy, you’ll need to get a new lender’s policy. This is because the lender’s policy only persists so long as the loan terms and origination don’t change.

Title search can take different amounts of time depending on the circumstances around the property. Most often, you should expect an older property to take longer for the completion of a title search than a newer one. This is because older properties tend to have a longer chain of ownership and more transactional records to inspect. In any case, title searches rarely take longer than 2 weeks to complete.

The title company’s fees are usually proportional to the overall value or scale of the transaction. If you’re a seller, don’t expect to pay anything out of pocket as your costs will simply be deducted from your selling proceeds. Make sure you get a breakdown of the fees from your title company. 

We want to provide exceptional title insurance and settlement experience for all of our customers in the Guntersville, Alabama area and beyond. Check out what recent clients have to say about their experience with Boundary Title. 

“As a Realtor, I get to interact with many different title companies/closing attorneys. Elise stood out from the very beginning with her timely responses and excellent customer care. We weren’t just another number at Boundary Title, and the difference was palatable! LaToya, the closing coordinator, was a delight to work with, too! Thank you Boundary Title for chasing excellence in this crazy industry! I can’t wait to work again together very soon!”

-Ada Handley
Capstone Realty

Looking for a rewarding career in the title industry? Boundary Title is looking for top talent to expand our team. If you have an eye for detail, enjoy helping people, and work well in fast-paced environments, we would love to speak with you! Give us a call today at (256) 291-9720 or contact us online.