Does it matter which title company you use?
Yes, in three ways. Fees differ: the settlement fee, the search and the add-on charges vary from office to office, and only the insurance premium is fixed. Care differs: a thorough search finds the old lien or the boundary problem before you own it. And representation differs: a title company works for the transaction, while Vanderpool Law works for you. The policy itself is the same product either way.
So before you compare one title company with another, widen the view. A title company may not be what you actually need. For the same money, Vanderpool Law represents you, and that is the safest bet there is. Vanderpool Law has closed more than 15,000 transactions in Middle Tennessee since 2002.
"You only need an attorney for a complicated closing." You'll hear that. In our years of doing this, there is no such thing as an uncomplicated closing. There is always something: something to figure out, something to negotiate, something the parties didn't see coming. The question is only whether the person handling it is allowed to be on your side. Vanderpool Law is, for the same fee: send us the contract, before you sign or after.
RESPA § 8(c)(4) and 12 C.F.R. § 1024.15 (brokerage-owned title companies, disclosed on a form in the stack you signed); Tennessee REALTORS® form RF 304 (Disclaimer Notice); Tenn. Code Ann. § 23-3-103 (a title company may not practice law); Tenn. Sup. Ct. R. 8, RPC 1.13.Two things to know before you pick
First: in today's market, many brokerages have a financial interest in the title company they recommend. That may be great for the brokerage. Is it great for you? The name your agent hands you comes with a form (Tennessee REALTORS® RF 304) that says it is furnished only as a convenience and a courtesy, not as a judgment of who will do the best job for you. Second: a title company can't give you legal advice. It is barred by law from advising you, so when the question is yours, the answer is "ask Vanderpool Law."
Yes, it matters. For the same fee, Vanderpool Law is on your side. Period. (If it strikes you as odd that the state gives you the choice and then lets you choose an office that can't advise you, you've noticed the Tennessee Paradox. We wrote it up.)
Same fee. Vanderpool Law reads your contract before you sign and sits on your side of the table. Send us the contract and see for yourself.