If you make a mistake and don’t have the proper title insurance policy in place to protect you and your assets when transferring real estate, you can blow it. Title insurance is an important part of real estate investing. Today, Clint Coons of Anderson Business Advisors talks to Latra Szal, attorney and chief operating officer (COO) of Texas National Title. She describes all the critical aspects of title insurance.

Highlights/Topics:

A day in the life of Latra: Work with clients, real estate agents, and investors to help them navigate transactions and get them through closing

Piece of the Pie: Title insurance is tiny piece of real estate transaction that can go wrong when processed improperly

Common mistakes made:People take title in their name because it’s easier and faster, but haven’t created their LLC; altering warranty deeds may change/end coverage

People want to get into individual financing arena by loaning their money to other investors to purchase and renovate a property to resell it without title insurance

Additional Insured Endorsement: Moderate fee for investors to transfer or change name on insurance policy from individual to their LLC to extend coverage

Title Commitment: Identifies owner of property and prior existing liens

Differences between American Land Title Association (ALTA) states vs. states with other insurance regulations could change or end coverage

50/50 Split: Lenders either don’t care about transferring title from individuals to their entity, or have an issue with it; depends on how the loan is structured

Avoid do-it-yourself (DIY) approach to deed preparation; an attorney or someone specialized should handle it to prevent mistakes

Two ways to title Series LLC: Deed it directly into name of series, or deed it to parent LLC with notation at bottom of deed

When loaning money on real estate, get the right title insurance policy to protect your interest and have quality escrow company conduct data research

Real estate investors should ask the right questions and use keywords to make sure title company understands particular model and transaction

Resources

Latra Szal

Texas National Title

Texas Department of Insurance

American Land Title Association (ALTA)

Clint Coons

Anderson Advisors

Tax and Asset Protection Event

Anderson Advisors on YouTube

Anderson Advisors’ Blog