Common Title Issues That Delay or Kill Closings

The title search is supposed to be boring. The title company pulls public records for the property, confirms that the seller actually has the right to sell it, and issues a title commitment. In most transactions, this happens quietly in the background. When it doesn't, when the search turns up a real problem, the deal can slow down for weeks or die altogether.

Here are the issues that most commonly show up in title searches, and what usually has to happen to fix them.

Unpaid Liens

A lien is a legal claim on the property by someone the owner owes money to. Common examples: unpaid contractor bills (mechanics' liens), unpaid property taxes, old mortgages that were paid off but never formally released, HOA assessments, and judgments from lawsuits against the seller.

Liens must be cleared before the property can transfer clean title to you. Usually that means the seller pays them off from the closing proceeds. Sometimes it's simple. Sometimes a lien from a decade ago requires finding and negotiating with the original creditor, which takes time.