“Think about it: How often do people buy or sell property?” says Nejaime. “It’s only a handful of times, at most, in somebody’s life, so a lot of people haven’t done that level of research, or they don’t fully understand the role of a title company.”, to explain. Essentially, title and settlement companies fulfill two roles, he says: “One is making sure that the buyer gets a clear title from the seller and that it doesn’t have any lien or claims on it. The other role is service.
While agent suggestions can be a great starting point, they’re not the be-all and end-all, says Rob Rothstein, the president of: “Consumers should feel good about trusting their agents, but they should do their own research, too. We are in the era of the informed and empowered consumer, and that’s a great thing. At the end of the day, it’s the buyer who bears the responsibility or takes the consequences, good or bad.
Plus, Rothstein says, having a lawyer present can help people better understand what they’re signing: “Much of what makes a title company special pertains to how the legal work is explained to the consumer. [It] should be done in a transparent way that makes the home-purchase process approachable and exciting.