Off The Closing Desk

If your closing team is still filling out a Notice to Purchaser from an old Word doc template, this episode is a warning worth hearing. Cameron Kernan is back with Andrew Kernan of LoneStar NTP to talk about why TREC updated the NTP requirements starting January 2025, and why a document that hasn't been refreshed in years can put a title company at real legal risk.

Andrew explains what actually changes year to year on a MUD or PID notice, the bond amounts issued and approved on a jurisdiction, and why an outdated figure isn't just a paperwork problem. He walks through a real case where a title company was sued after a buyer wasn't properly notified, what auditors look for when they check a closing file, and the specific steps a closer needs to follow to get the Notice to Purchaser right today, not the version that was right two years ago.

Key takeaway: a stale template is a liability. Keep the document current, keep the numbers current, and keep the notice filed.

Timestamps

0:00 Why last year's NTP template could get you sued

0:25 Welcome back, Andrew Kernan

0:27 How an outdated NTP template creates legal exposure

0:36 What changed in the Notice to Purchaser requirements

1:19 What gets recalculated year to year on a MUD or PID

2:05 Why TREC mandates buyer notification

2:11 The real exposure: audits and a title company that got sued

3:26 How a closer would know their template has gone stale

4:09 Step by step to get the notice right

5:10 Where to get an accurate, up-to-date Notice to Purchaser

About LoneStar NTP

LoneStar NTP generates statute-compliant Notice to Purchaser and Notice of Obligation documents for Texas properties in MUDs, PIDs, WCIDs, and all 18 Texas special district types, pulled fresh for every order.

Get your Notice to Purchaser: https://lonestarntp.com/

Off the Closing Desk is a series about the technology and processes shaping Texas title closings, hosted by Cameron Kernan.

Closers ask this question all the time: how do you find out if a property sits inside a MUD or PID district before it's too late to fix? On the first episode of Off the Closing Desk, host Cameron Kernan sits down with Andy Kernan of LoneStar NTP to break down the difference between Municipal Utility Districts and Public Improvement Districts, why Texas law requires buyers to be notified, and why this notification gets missed more often than you'd expect.

Andy walks through what a Notice to Purchaser (NTP) actually is, why some district names are obvious (like Harris County MUD No. 3) while others give no clue at all, and why the tax certificate is often the first and only place you'll see the full list of jurisdictions a property falls under. He also covers when in the closing timeline to check, what happens if it gets caught late, and the fastest way to get a reliable answer when you've only got five or ten minutes before closing.

Key takeaway: don't assume a property is clear of a MUD or PID. Verify it.

Timestamps

0:00 The question closers ask most

0:23 Welcome to Off the Closing Desk

0:34 Introducing Andy Kernan, LoneStar NTP

0:45 What is an NTP, and the difference between a MUD and a PID

1:25 Why buyer notification is legally mandated

1:44 Why MUD and PID jurisdictions are hard to identify

2:31 When to check in the closing timeline, and when it's too late

3:36 How closers find this today, and where the process breaks down

4:36 The most common way this gets missed

5:06 What to do with only 5 to 10 minutes before closing

5:17 How LoneStar NTP delivers a Notice to Purchaser in minutes

6:12 Don't assume, verify

About LoneStar NTP

LoneStar NTP generates statute-compliant Notice to Purchaser and Notice of Obligation documents for Texas properties in MUDs, PIDs, WCIDs, and all 18 Texas special district types. Order online and get your document back by email in minutes.

Get your Notice to Purchaser: https://lonestarntp.com/

Off the Closing Desk is a series about the technology and processes shaping Texas title closings, hosted by Cameron Kernan.