Written by Joe Gentile on . Posted in Article, FAQs, Home Buying.
When purchasing a property, there are many different expenses, a lot of which seem to overlap. One expense that is frequently questioned is whether it is worth it to obtain a location drawing, a boundary survey or no survey at all. Need help with a survey? Speak with a survey expert Most buyers choose to […]
Written by Todd Ewing on . Posted in Article, Home Buying.
At Federal Title and Escrow, we require a property survey for single family home purchase closings. Homebuyers frequently ask us why it is necessary to have a survey.
The main reason we obtain a survey is that the lender providing the purchase financing requires that we issue a lender’s title insurance policy that does not take exception to survey matters, and in order to do that, we need to review a survey.
My recent post discussing encroachments onto neighboring property is an example of how important obtaining a survey can be from a homebuyer’s perspective.
There are several different types of surveys. Click beyond the jump to read about each one.
Written by Federal Title on . Posted in Article.
Survey finds it’s often up to Realtors to clue millennials in to closing costs [March 25, 2015]
Written by Federal Title on . Posted in Article, Home Buying, Lenders.
Q. What is a location survey? A. A location survey is a sketch or drawing that shows the boundaries of a particular property. Also, the survey typically includes the dimensions of the house, patio or any additions as well as the locations of fences and any easements or rights of way. Mortgage lenders generally require […]
Written by Federal Title on . Posted in Article.
As a homebuyer in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, you have a choice between two types of owner’s title insurance coverage — Standard (Limited) Coverage or Enhanced Coverage.
When deciding on which coverage, you may consider the possibility of being forced to remove a structure because it extends onto adjoining land or easement.
The Standard owner’s title insurance policy contains 4 basic insuring provisions including
While the coverage under the Standard policy is broad, the policy form excludes coverage for certain matters that are traditionally outside the scope of a title search of the public records. One of those excluded matters concerns existing encroachments of structures or encroachments created subsequent to the date of the policy.
In other words, the Standard policy includes an exception for survey matters.
Unlike the Standard coverage, the Enhanced owner’s title insurance coverage insures against forced removal of a structure (except for boundary walls and fences) due to an encroachment. Moreover, the Enhanced coverage covers the insured in the event that, after the date of policy, someone else builds a structure that encroaches on to the insured’s land.
Specifically, the Enhanced policy covers the insured in the event the insured is forced to remove an existing structure because it extends on to adjoining land or on to any easement, or it violates a subdivision restriction, or it violates an existing zoning law.
There are many other insuring provisions to consider when selecting the type of owner’s title insurance coverage and I invite all of our prospective homebuyers to take a look at our Comparison of Coverages.