Settlement Observer

DC Tax Abatement Income, Purchase Price Thresholds Increase

Written by Federal Title on October 5, 2020.

Officially known as the Lower Income Homeowner Exemption Program, DC Tax Abatement delivers a large tax savings to first-time homebuyers who qualify.

Without title insurance, new homeowner pays special assessment

Written by Federal Title on September 23, 2020.

The buyer was stuck with a $9,550 special assessment on her property tax bill because she waived title insurance coverage at closing. In this story, the homebuyer purchased a property from an estate in which the prior owner decedent had...

How to scan your closing documents when you don’t have a scanner

Written by Federal Title on September 15, 2020.

The pandemic brought on by COVID-19 demands we improvise in our lives. Not long ago, buyers and sellers would go to the office of the title company to sign closing documents, and often sit across from one another at the conference table,...

Help! My funds are being withheld

Written by Federal Title on September 10, 2020.

Just this morning we received an inquiry from a seller who discovered an old home equity line of credit was still open from a bank that had since merged several times. The seller had no paperwork for such a loan or any recollection of taking...

Realtor: ‘To have not had title insurance would have been a disaster’

Written by Federal Title on September 3, 2020.

In 35 years as a Realtor, Ellen Sandler of Evers & Co. has had just one buyer refuse title insurance. Thankfully, it was the not the buyer in this story, because the buyer in this story would one day become a seller with a real property...

Couple pays over $20,000 after waiving owner’s protection

Written by Federal Title on August 18, 2020.

We had a couple waive an owner’s policy that would have cost $815. They’ve spent near $20,000 in attorney fees defending title to their home. The seller sat across from them and signed closing documents. He brought a notarized Power...

Lack of owner’s protection can increase cost to sell property

Written by Federal Title on August 10, 2020.

Title insurance protects property ownership + marketability, but we tend to overlook the value of the owner’s policy for buyers who one day become sellers. We had to inform a seller that our title search revealed two unexpected mortgage...

The HELOC scam is a bigger threat during COVID-19 pandemic

Written by Federal Title on July 31, 2020.

The seller walked away with nearly $90,000, and the buyer was left holding the bag. One of the most common types of claims we’ve paid out is due to the HELOC scam. With pandemic delaying government services, now is an especially vulnerable...

Disconcerting trend emerging at closing table

Written by Federal Title on July 30, 2020.

Federal Title unveils campaign to educate public about value of ‘optional’ owner’s title insurance policy – and the inherent risks of waiving coverage Federal Title & Escrow Company, an independently owned title company in the Capital...

Financial assistance for Maryland homebuyers

Written by Raiha Singh on June 2, 2020.

If you are planning to purchase a property in Maryland and are: a first-time homebuyer, buying in one of the targeted areas, a veteran or someone with student debt, then this post is for you! The MMP 1st Time Advantage program is open to...

Covid concerns? Explore REALSafe™ closing options »

DC Tax Abatement Income, Purchase Price Thresholds Increase

Without title insurance, new homeowner pays special assessment

How to scan your closing documents when you don’t have a scanner

Help! My funds are being withheld

Realtor: ‘To have not had title insurance would have been a disaster’

Couple pays over $20,000 after waiving owner’s protection

Lack of owner’s protection can increase cost to sell property

The HELOC scam is a bigger threat during COVID-19 pandemic

Disconcerting trend emerging at closing table

Financial assistance for Maryland homebuyers

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DC Tax Abatement Income, Purchase Price Thresholds Increase

Without title insurance, new homeowner pays special assessment

How to scan your closing documents when you don’t have a scanner

DC Tax Abatement Income, Purchase Price Thresholds Increase

Without title insurance, new homeowner pays special assessment

How to scan your closing documents when you don’t have a scanner