You purchase homeowners insurance to protect yourself financially in case something happens to your property or its contents. However homeowners insurance won’t protect your financial interests if a matter arises regarding past ownership of your property. That is where title insurance comes in. Only the title to the land and not the land itself can be purchased. So, unless a homeowner possesses a clear title, he or she risks losing his/her home and the land under it. Title insurance guarantees the title as reported.Actually there are two types of title insurance: lender policy and the owner’s title insurance. Most lenders require a loan policy when they issue you a loan to protect their interest (the amount they loaned you) should a problem arise. The policy amount decreases each year and eventually disappears once the loan is paid off. Therefore the owner should also have title insurance to protect his/her financial interest. Only owner’s title insurance fully protects the buyer. Should hidden defects surface at any time challenging an owner’s rights, the title company will defend the title, in court, if necessary, and cover the owner’s losses up to the full value of the policy.
Real Estate Markets do not “Crash.” We all remember October 19, 1987, known as “Black Monday.” The stock market lost 22% of its value in one day - what investors call a “crash.” History points to times which real estate values have taken 22% hits in certain cities and in pockets within cities. However, no real estate market dropped 22% in one day, one week or even one month. In fact, the real estate “crash” of the late 1980’s took several years to bottom out in most markets.So, Real Estate Growth: How Long Will It Last? The market has limited impact on the seasoned investor. No matter if you are holding properties long term or doing a quick flip, the local market changes will not affect you in a major way if you are careful. For example if you are doing long term hold revenue properties there is little to no chance that the market will not increase over the term of your holding period. If you are on the other hand flipping properties then you will buy at a higher price in a strong market and will move the property quickly, or get a better price which will help you in higher holding costs in a softer market.