At Clear Title, we help people make one of the biggest financial decisions in their life: purchasing a home. The closing process can be complex and challenging, so we are starting a Homebuying Horror Story Series to bring to light some of the situations that can arise during this process. We are starting the series with the forgotten owner.

Fictional Situation: Joe

• 42-year-old male
• Married
• 3 children
• Purchasing second home

Joe had researched online ways to buy a home without hiring a title company. He felt confident that he could handle the process himself and save a little money for his family. After touring about 30 different homes, Joe and his family found the perfect house. The plan was to DIY the closing process and use the savings to make some home improvements, creating the perfect dream home for his family.

Everything went smoothly – or so it seemed – until a woman named Ariana contacted Joe one year after he purchased the home, informing him that she owned half of his dream home and she wanted it back. After investigating her claim, it was found to be true. How could this happen?

Joe failed to perform a title search on the property. A title search helps ensure that the seller actually has the right to sell the property – they actually have a clear title to the property. In this fictional case, the seller had only inherited half of the home after his parents had passed away: his sister still legally owned the other half. Because the seller and his sister were not in constant contact, Ariana was unaware of the home sale until it was too late. 

As the forgotten owner, Ariana can sue Joe for ownership rights. The cost of lawyer fees and excessive time spent trying to remedy this situation would be far greater than if Joe had simply taken the proper homebuying steps or hired a respected title company.

What seems like a money-saving shortcut can actually cost you big in the long run.

Clear Title is a title company in Pensacola, Florida, led by Board Certified Real Estate Attorney Stephen R. Moorhead. For over 30 years he has honed his skills in real estate closing and built a team of experienced, trustworthy experts to keep the horror out of homebuying. When you trust Clear Title, you’re getting 100s of years of combined experience in your homebuying court.

To schedule a meeting with our experts and explore our Pensacola title services, contact us today at (850) 202-8518 or visit ClearTitlenwfl.com.