The questions that come up every week.

Title insurance protects a property owner's rights if a defect turns up in the title after closing: a lien, an ownership dispute, an error in the public record. Unlike most insurance, which covers things that might happen in the future, title insurance covers problems that already existed before you bought the property but were not discovered at the time.

A lender's policy protects the mortgage lender's interest in the property, up to the loan amount, and most lenders require one. An owner's policy protects the buyer's own equity in the property. A lender's policy does not protect the buyer.

An escrow agent is a neutral third party that holds funds and documents during a real estate transaction and releases them only once every condition of the deal has been met. That includes holding the deposit, receiving loan funds, paying off existing liens, and disbursing proceeds at closing.

A title search is an examination of the public record for a property to identify who legally owns it and whether anything is attached to it: mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, unpaid taxes. Anything found has to be resolved or disclosed before the property can transfer cleanly.

Never act on wire instructions sent or changed by email. Call the title company directly using a phone number you already have on file, not one taken from the email, and verify the instructions before sending anything. First Choice Title Associates will never change wire instructions by email.

More on how we protect your closing →

Yes. First Choice Title Associates is based in Miami and handles real estate closings across the state of Florida.