Carolyn Redmond Title Specialist

06/24/2022

This versatile recipe works with any toppings you’d normally put on your pizza. Leave out the pepperoni and add sausage or experiment with other toppings.

11/22/2012

51 HOME SALES TIPS

People usually decide within two minutes whether they like your house. The first impression is often the lasting impression. And they start forming their opinion before they even walk in the front door!

So it is smart to ask yourself if your house is as presentable as it can be for a faster sale at the best price. The best way to find out is to imagine you're a prospective buyer. You've probably been looking at other homes, so approach your present home the way you look at other houses.

Your real estate representative will do all of the things necessary to bring in the prospects--but when it comes down to the nub of it, your house is going to have to help sell itself. Here are the 51 time-tested tips Chicago Title Insurance Company suggests to make your home more presentable. A good rule to follow is to do cosmetic things which will improve your chances of selling, but avoid making major changes unless they will increase the value of your home more than the cost of the improvement.

CLEAN UP, FIX UP, PAINT UP OUTSIDE

• Invest in landscaping where it can be seen at first sight. A well-manicured lawn, neatly, clipped shrubbery, cleanly swept walks create a good first impression.

• An extra shot of fertilizer, in season, will make your grass look lush and green.

• Cut back overgrown shrubbery that looks scraggly or keeps light out of the house.

• Paint your house if necessary. This can probably do more for sales appeal than any other, factor. If you decide against painting, at least, consider touching up front shutters and window frames.

• In winter, walks should be free of snow and ice.

• Inspect the roof and gutters. Any missing shingles to replace? Gutters and down spouts in place? Need paint or repair?

• Consider putting flowers outside the front door.

• Repaint the front door.

• Put a bright coat of paint on your mailbox.

• Repair broken outdoor steps.

KITCHEN

• The kitchen is the most important room in the house. Make it bright and attractive. If dull, paint cabinets and put up perky new curtains.

• Clean the ventilating hood in the kitchen.

• If the kitchen floor is badly worn, put down new flooring. Replace any loose tiles. To remove a loose tile, first soften the adhesive by applying heat with an iron covered by a soft cloth.

• Remove any appliances that you keep on your counters. Clean counters make the room look larger.

BATHROOM

• Repair dripping faucets.

• Keep fresh towels in the bathrooms.

• Use special cleaning products to remove stains from toilets, bathtubs, sinks and showers.

• If sink and bathtub drain slowly, unclog them.

LIVING AREAS

• Have all plaster in top shape. Cracks (or nailpops, visible seams in dry walls) are easy to fix.

• Check ceilings for leak stains. Fix the cause of the damage, repair the ceiling and paint.

• In painting and redecorating, avoid offbeat colors--stick to conventional white and easy-to-work-with pastels inside.

• Faded curtains or bedspreads can be dyed bright colors.

• If you have a fireplace, clean it out and lay some logs in it to make it look inviting.

• Wash windows.

• Replace broken glass.

• Mend torn screens.

• Check to see that all windows will open and close.

• Replace burned-out light bulbs. Use brighter light bulbs.

• Make sure every light switch works.

• Make the floors shine; clean and polish them. And nail down any creaking boards or stair treads. (Drive two long finishing nails at opposing angles through the floor and sub-floor into the joist.)

• Straighten up the closets--get rid of excess items. Use air freshener to eliminate musty odors. Lubricate any sticky or squeaking doors.

• For doors that stick slightly, rub a block of paraffin against the surface that shows signs of wear.

• For sliding doors that stick in their tracks, rub the tracks with paraffin or candle wax.

BASEMENT, ATTIC, GARAGE

• Clean out attic, basement and garage and dispose of everything you are not going to move. And package everything you won't need until you're settled in your new home.

• Make sure there is plenty of light on the stairs to the basement.

• If your basement is dark and gloomy, paint ceilings and walls a light color.

• Repair cracks in the basement floor with ready-mixed concrete.

WHEN YOUR HOUSE IS BEING SHOWN

• Keep room draperies and shades open to let in light. This also makes rooms appear larger.

• Have your home well-lit during showing.

• At night, turn on porch light and outdoor lighting in back if you have it.

• Neatness makes a room look bigger. Avoid clutter.

• If possible, leave your furniture and rugs in the house while showing it.

• Avoid having dirty dishes in the sink or on counters.

• Keep any toys in the children's rooms. Bikes, wagons and skateboards should be made as inconspicuous as possible.

• Keep radio, stereo, TV off or turned way down.

• Take your family away if your broker is holding an open house.

• Children should be quiet.

• Refer direct inquiries you receive about seeing your house to your Realtor to take advantage of his or her professional skills in selling your home.

• Don't mention furniture or furnishings you wish to dispose of unless asked. Such discussion can kill the sale.

• Take pets outdoors when your house is being shown.

• Let the real estate expert show your house, and don't tag along. Answer questions candidly when asked, but don't offer answers to unasked questions.

AND NOW A WORD ABOUT THE NEXT HOME YOU BUY

Now that you have been a home owner, you know what a valuable investment real estate is and will want to protect the title to your next home with a policy from Chicago Title Insurance Company.

Your mortgage lender will insist upon a Chicago Title insurance policy to protect the lender's investment in your property. However, this policy will insure only the lender against title defects that might affect the security of the mortgage loan-- not your investment!

You will need a Chicago Title owner's policy to protect your investment. Your Realtor will advise you to request a Chicago Title insurance policy at the same time that the lender's policy is ordered. There are cost savings when both are ordered together.

And, unlike most other forms of insurance, you pay for a Chicago Title insurance policy just once! It costs far less than you think, and this relatively modest charge insures you for as long as you or your heirs own the property.

09/25/2012

http://activerain.com/blogsview/684770/did-you-know-facts-about-title-insurance-that-you-may-not-know

Good morning, my friends, Title insurance may be the most misunderstood product and part of the real estate transaction in the whole process of transferring property. Property records are disjointed and confusing at best. There is no consistent recording methods and the laws pertaining to them are n...

09/04/2012

http://www.bankrate.com/mortgage.aspx

Find mortgage rates and compare ARM and fixed loan rate mortgages from Bankrate.com

08/20/2012

http://www.ehow.com/about_6670490_job-description-title-closer.html

Title closers work in the real estate industry, representing title or abstract companies at closings. They gather all the documents necessary to determine that the buyer is receiving a clear title to the purchased property. This protects the lender by ensuring that he becomes the first and only lien...

08/13/2012

Title Insurance is a form of indemnity insurance predominantly found in the United States which insures against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage liens. Title insurance is principally a product developed and sold in the United States as a result of an alleged comparative deficiency of the U.S. land records laws. It is meant to protect an owner's or a lender's financial interest in real property against loss due to title defects, liens or other matters. It will defend against a lawsuit attacking the title as it is insured, or reimburse the insured for the actual monetary loss incurred, up to the dollar amount of insurance provided by the policy. The first title insurance company, the Law Property Assurance and Trust Society, was formed in Pennsylvania in 1853.[1] The vast majority of title insurance policies are written on land within the United States.
Typically the real property interests insured are fee simple ownership or a mortgage. However, title insurance can be purchased to insure any interest in real property, including an easement, lease or life estate.
There are two types of policies - owner and loan. Just as lenders require fire insurance and other types of insurance coverage to protect their investment, nearly all institutional lenders also require title insurance [a loan policy] to protect their interest in the collateral of loans secured by real estate. Some mortgage lenders, especially non-institutional lenders, may not require title insurance. Buyers purchasing properties for cash or with a mortgage lender often want title insurance [an owner policy] as well. A loan policy provides no coverage or benefit for the buyer/owner and so the decision to purchase an owner policy is independent of the lender's decision to require a loan policy.
Title insurance is available in many other countries, such as Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, China, Korea and throughout Europe. However, while a substantial number of properties located in these countries are insured by U.S. title insurers, they do not constitute a significant share of the real estate transactions in those countries. They also do not constitute a large share of U.S. title insurers' revenues. In many cases these are properties to be used for commercial purposes by U.S. companies doing business abroad, or properties financed by U.S lenders. The U.S. companies involved buy title insurance to obtain the security of a U.S. insurer backing up the evidence of title that they receive from the other country's land registration system, and payment of legal defense costs if the title is challenged.

08/08/2012

http://www.thinkglink.com/2011/08/26/neighbor-law-fence-matters-wrong-property-line/

Q: We found out that the property line between my home and my neighbors’ home is different from what the builder said when he sold us our

08/03/2012

http://www.crosscountryllc.com/

07/30/2012

What is a Title Search?
A title search is a process that is performed primarily to determine the answer to three questions:
Does the seller have a saleable interest in the property?
What kind of restrictions or allowances pertain to the use of the land (real covenants, easements, or other servitudes)?
Do any liens exist on the property which need to be paid off at closing (mortgages, back taxes, mechanic's liens, or other assessments)?
Anyone may do a title search. Documents concerning conveyances of land are a matter of public record. However, it is often the case that people choose to contact a title company or attorney to conduct an exhaustive title search. For example, a title report may also show any easements, or recorded legal rights to the property or portions of the property. A previous owner may have legally given a neighbor the right to share the driveway, or the city may have a right to strips of the property for putting power lines, communication lines, water pipes, or sewer pipes. A few on-line services offer title searches for relatively little cost, and their accuracy is not inferior to what a title company or attorney will offer; however on-line businesses rely mostly on electronically available information, and for that reason could at times be limited.
In the United States, the buyer of a property will usually purchase title insurance, which protects the buyer from any title problems that may arise after sale (such as liens that were missed during the title search). The title insurance company issues a report and issues an insurance policy in support of its findings. However, title searches are most often carried out before contracting is completed between parties and sometimes during the escrow phase of a closing.
A title search is also performed when an owner of a certain real property wishes to mortgage his property and the bank requires from owner to insure their transaction.
Generally, there are two main types of title searching, a full coverage search and limited coverage search; other types include non-insured reports and foreclosure guarantee search.

07/23/2012

Differences in Types of Bankruptcy

When a petition for bankruptcy is filed, it is as if the petitioner is saying to the bankruptcy court, "Here are all of my possessions, you figure it out." This is called a chapter 7 bankruptcy. (Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies involve the petitioner creating a plan to pay the creditor's back, and are a different breed of cat.) A trustee is appointed to represent the petitioners creditors and divvy up the petitioners assets among those creditors. If a states homestead law says that a certain amount of the petitioner's equity in his home cannot be used to satisfy certain debts, the trustee cannot use that equity to pay off creditors. The court is in no better position than the creditors would be. Thus, when the trustee allows the exemption of the petitioner's property, the trustee is saying that whatever equity the petitioner has in his home is protected by the petitioners declaration of homestead. If state law allows a $75,000 homestead, the exemption is $75,000. If the state has a $50,000 limit, the exemption is limited to $50,000 and so on.
The trustee also has the right to determine that a piece of property has too many liens or encumbrances. In this case, the trustee can abandon the property. If the property is exempt or abandoned, it is no longer subject to the bankruptcy, although the petitioner may still benefit from the protection of the automatic stay which prevents anyone from bringing an action against a petitioner while the bankruptcy proceeding is pending.

After the petitioner's property has been divided among the petitioner's creditors, and those debts which can be satisfied have been satisfied, the petitioner is discharged. This means that the creditors cannot look to the petitioner for payment of any remaining debts. This discharge of the petitioner has nothing to do with the petitioner's property. State law determines the effect of any liens recorded against the petitioners property.

The effect of all this is that if property is deemed exempt or abandoned or if the petitioner is discharged and retains title to the property, any recorded liens are still attached to the property and must be reckoned with. In most instances whatever equity the petitioner has in the property will be protected by the declaration of homestead. Had the equity exceeded the amount of equity protected by the homestead, the trustee would have probably used it to satisfy the creditors. Excess equity (or property upon which a homestead cannot be declared) is the usual reason that the trustee will ask the court to authorize the sale of the property free and clear of existing liens. The free and clear part is intended to make the property more attractive to a potential buyer, assuring the highest price and getting the most money to satisfy the greatest number of creditors.

Remember, a bankruptcy relieves the discharged petitioner of his debts. It has no effect on the petitioner's property. Unless the bankruptcy court decides otherwise and issues an order removing the lien of existing encumbrances, the property is still subject to the effect or recorded liens under state law.

07/16/2012

Facts About Bankruptcy

Many times the subject of bankruptcy seems baffling in its complexity. Actually the basic principals of bankruptcy are fairly simple even though the federal status on bankruptcy are extensive. The reason that the statutes are so complex is because in as effort at social engineering, the lawmakers want to cover every possible contingency. The very complexity of the Bankruptcy Code gives the lawyers ample opportunity to try to obtain interpretation of the law which best serves their clients interest. This results in extensive litigation and occasionally in interpretations of the Code which were not what legislature intended. This on turn results in additional legislation, which results in additional litigation and on and on. Nevertheless, the underlying principals are not as complex as the Code makes them seem. Here we will discuss the personal nature of bankruptcy.

The concept of bankruptcy is an old one in the English common law. If a person could not pay his debts, his creditors hauled him into court, took all of his assets, and used those assets to satisfy their debts. If the assets were insufficient to satisfy the debts, the debtor was taken from the bankruptcy court to debtors prison. Since this is a rather extreme remedy, Article 1 Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives the Congress the right to establish "….uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States."

As the popularity of debtors prison declined, the concept of giving the debtor a fresh start became one of the primary purposes of the bankruptcy process. It is important to remember that a bankruptcy is a personal action which at time of discharge gives the petitioner (formerly the debtor) a fresh start. The property owned by the petitioner does not get the fresh start, the individual does.

The fact that bankruptcy is a personal action may shed some light on the effect of a homestead in a bankruptcy proceeding. The bankruptcy code acknowledges the validity of homesteads. A homestead is a personal exemption which, in an effort to preserve a person's home, protects a certain amount of an individual's equity in the homestead property. State law determines the extent and effect of a homestead. Thus, if state law says that a person can declare a homestead up to $75,000 and if there is less than $75,000 equity in the property, that equity in the property, that equity is protected by the homestead. This principal operates without regard to the Federal Bankruptcy Code.