Title Searches Explained: What Happens Behind the Scenes

People ask me all the time what a title search actually is. So here's the plain version of what happens between the moment you open escrow and the moment you get your keys.

A title search is a deep dive into the public record of a property. We trace ownership from the current seller all the way back, link by link, to make sure the chain is unbroken. We look for liens — unpaid taxes, judgments, mechanics' claims. We look for easements and restrictions that might limit what you can do with the land.

Then we issue a commitment that lays out what we found, and (just as important) what we'll insure against. Title insurance is the backstop: if something we missed comes back to haunt you, the policy is what stands between you and a very expensive problem.

It's quiet, unglamorous work, and most of the time nothing goes wrong — which is exactly the point. When you close on a home and never think about title again, that means somebody did their job right.