Why Title Insurance Isn't Optional
The stories no one tells you until it's too late
A $140,000 Lien. Discovered Two Weeks After Closing.
The Reyes family closed on their first home in late October. The seller had disclosed nothing unusual. Their agent saw nothing unusual. Three weeks later, a certified letter arrived from a contractor who had placed a mechanic's lien 14 months prior — unpaid, unresolved, and now legally attached to their property.
"We had no idea this was possible. We thought closing meant it was ours."
A 40-Year Lien Search Surfaces Every Recorded Claim
- Full chain-of-title search across county recorder and court records going back 40+ years
- Mechanic's lien index cross-referenced against permit history — contractor liens are often missed by standard searches
- Underwriting review flags open liens before commitment is issued; seller required to resolve or escrow
- Owner's policy issued — if anything is missed, Encumber defends the claim and covers the loss
Result: The Reyes family's lien would have been caught at the preliminary commitment stage, 30 days before closing.
A 1987 Easement Halted a $4.2M Development. On Day One of Construction.
A regional developer had assembled four adjacent parcels from three different sellers over 18 months. The title work was spread across two different attorneys. An access easement granted to a utility company in 1987 — recorded in the grantor-grantee index under an entity name that had since changed — sat undiscovered through two rounds of due diligence.
"The equipment was already on site. We had to shut down and renegotiate the entire easement."
Multi-Parcel Assembly Requires a Single, Unified Search
- Consolidated title search across all parcels treated as a single chain — not four separate files
- Entity name trace: all prior owners searched under current and historical corporate names
- Easement and restriction mapping — every recorded encumbrance plotted against the development footprint
- Commitment issued only after all easements are identified, mapped, and either resolved or insured over
Result: The 1987 easement would have appeared in the entity-name trace during the preliminary search phase.
Who We Serve
Whether it's your first home or your fortieth parcel
Title risk looks different depending on the transaction. We search accordingly.
The biggest purchase of your life deserves a clean record
You've saved for years. You've found the house. The last thing you need is a claim from a previous owner surfacing six months after you move in. We search so you can sleep.
- Full 40-year title search before commitment
- Owner's policy that covers you for as long as you own the property
- Plain-English explanation of every finding — no legal jargon
- Free preliminary title snapshot within minutes
Thirty closings a month need a title partner, not a bottleneck
We integrate with your workflow. Fast commitments, clean reports, and a direct line to a title officer who knows your files.
- Commitments issued within 48 hours on standard residential
- Dedicated title officer assigned to your firm
- Bulk file management and digital delivery
Multi-parcel assembly demands a unified search, not four separate files
We handle complex, multi-seller transactions with consolidated chain-of-title analysis, easement mapping, and entity-name tracing.
- Consolidated search across all parcels in an assembly
- Historical entity name tracing for corporate grantors
- Easement and restriction mapping against development plans
Free Title Preview
We already know something about your property. Let us show you.
Enter a property address and we'll run a preliminary title snapshot — surfacing any obvious red flags in our database. Delivered to your inbox within minutes. No commitment, no credit card.
Complex or multi-parcel transaction?
Talk directly to a title officer. We handle commercial assemblies, estate closings, and anything that doesn't fit a standard form.
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