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Do You Need It?

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 311291

What precautions can I implement to secure my home from title theft?

The question of title theft has come up on my radio show. How to protect my home from title theft? Do you need to get title lock insurance? Can someone steal my home?

And they want my advice.

 

This is a technique to scare people into buying protection with the promise of monitoring their home's title. But most people already have this coverage. Just look at your title policy when you bought the house. Most all buyers take out a title insurance policy that covers fraud, pre, and post-forgery at the time of settlement. It is a one-time fee and  covers the following: 

  • False impersonation of the valid owner of the property.
  • Forged deeds, releases, and wills 
  • Undisclosed or missing heirs
  • Instruments executed under invalid or expired POA
  • Mistakes in recording legal documents
  • Misinterpretation of wills
  • Deeds by minors
  • Deeds by persons supposedly single but are married
  • Liens for unpaid estate inheritance, income, or gift taxes.
  • Fraud

 

Do you need a monitoring service with a monthly fee?

Check out these articles:

BBB Scam Alert: Home title fraud 

The Home Title Theft Baloney (forbes.com)

Home Title Theft: How To Protect Yourself – Forbes Advisor

Home Title Lock review: Is it Worth the Price? (comparitech.com)

Title Lock Insurance is a waste of your money (fox5atlanta.com)

For questions about your home

Call Margaret Rome

Posted by

Margaret Rome
HomeRome Realty
Broker/Owner/Realtor®

Baltimore, Maryland


Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Radio Host ALL ABOUT REAL ESTATE
Sundays 12 noon.

Author: Real Estate The Rome Way

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(410) 530-2400
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Comments (38)

Laura Cerrano
Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY
Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

That’s so funny that that distinction is so devastating. Spam is really a problem these days.

May 20, 2023 10:20 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Always so good to see you, Laura Cerrano. I hope you are doing well.

May 23, 2023 08:59 AM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

When I kept hearing these ads over and over on the radio, I called a title company to ask if they were true. The answer was no. That's just another scam to part people with their money.

It must be working, since they now have TV ads as well.

May 21, 2023 07:48 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Marte Cliff, And unfortunately those ads are very convincing

May 23, 2023 09:01 AM
Kieran Jackson
Keller Williams Hollywood Hills - Los Angeles, CA
Realtor®, SFR, U.S. Army Veteran

Great post, thanks for sharing. I remember hearing about this type of service, and this type of scam, a few years ago.

All the best.

May 21, 2023 08:57 AM
Margaret Goss
@Properties - Winnetka, IL
Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate

Of course, there are people out to take advantage! I actually never thought about this clearly but as Jeff Dowler, CRS said, there is a difference between title insurance and title monitoring. Another thing to discuss with our buyers.

May 21, 2023 10:12 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Margaret Goss, It is up to us to understand, share and explain these things to the public.

May 23, 2023 09:02 AM
Don Baker
Lane Realty - Eatonton, GA
Lake Sinclair Specialist

My wife screams at the television when that ad comes on.  It really ticks her off.

May 21, 2023 10:54 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Don Baker, Curious, does the screaming help? 🙃

May 23, 2023 09:03 AM
Buzz Mackintosh
Mackintosh REALTORS - Frederick, MD
“Experience, reliable, leadership”

Too many scammers profit on FEAR ~ False Evidence Appears Real !!

May 22, 2023 03:24 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Good point,Buzz Mackintosh about scammers profiting on FEAR.

May 23, 2023 09:04 AM
Ginger Harper
Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage~ Ginger Harper Real Estate Team - Southport, NC
Your Southport~Oak Island Agent~Brunswick County!

I do enjoy your post so much. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

 

May 22, 2023 08:06 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Thank you, Ginger Harper, and it is a delight to see you.

May 23, 2023 09:05 AM
Adam Feinberg
Elegran - Manhattan, NY
NYC Condo, Co-op, and Townhouse Advisor

From the comments- it seems this ad is all over the place, though I haven't heard it myself. I haven't listened to an actual radio in a long time- usually when I am in a friends car a few times a year. I sold my car about 17 years ago- and the time I used to spend in the car is when I listened to the radio. Living in the city I either walk everywhere or take the subway...but either way, I am typically listening to a podcast during my travel time. 

Deals here all go through an attorney- so actual disputes or theft aren't as common in the city- but of course there are always those rare instances- more commonly in estate situations. 

May 22, 2023 05:40 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Good to see you, Adam Feinberg, The way I heard about it was from callers on my live radio show. Those ads are pretty convincing.

May 23, 2023 09:08 AM
Carla Freund
Keller Williams Preferred Realty - Raleigh, NC
NC Real Estate Transition & Relocation 919-602-848

Thank you for sharing Margaret. I was just discussing this with someone yesterday.

May 23, 2023 06:09 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Hi Carla Freund, how did that discussion go?

May 23, 2023 09:08 AM
Carla Freund

It went well. It was with a cash buyer. She financed her previous home and didn't remember buying a policy. She's someone who likes to understand things so I explained how title policies work. 

May 24, 2023 07:52 AM
Dr. Paula McDonald
Beam & Branch Realty - Granbury, TX
Granbury, TX 936-203-0279

An excellent and concise explanation of this topic. Thank you.

May 23, 2023 08:26 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Thank you, Dr. Paula McDonald. I hope you are doing well.

May 23, 2023 09:09 AM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Great post!  I've seen this scam and received the letters. I'll add that to my "to do" list every time I sell a house; warn my clients not to pay for that!  

May 23, 2023 06:54 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Great idea to share this with our clients along with other known potential scams. 

Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ 

May 24, 2023 12:00 AM
Kimo Jarrett
Cyber Properties - Huntington Beach, CA
Pro Lifestyle Solutions

Why doesn't our elected representatives fund a PSA to educate our residents about scams and worthless advertisements displayed on all media platforms? There is so much misinformation and false advertisements from radio, TV, telemarketers and the Internet, yet, nobody seems to care about eradicating the challenge. 

May 24, 2023 12:12 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Good to see you, Kimo Jarrett. Real Estate Professionals can better give this information to those in need. And we can get information to our clients even faster. 

May 24, 2023 03:06 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good  morning Margaret,

What a timely post! There are so many companies urging the public to get monitoring on their home's title. Thank you for the link to these articles. We were just talking about this in sales meeting as we are having past clients contact us to see if they need this kind of coverage. We don't if we have a title policy from closing and most all transactions are required in Texas to have one. 

May 24, 2023 04:06 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Dorie Dillard Austin TX  What started this discussion was the callers during and after the radio show. They were all asking for an explanation of this service and were under the impression they needed  "this insurance. It is a monitoring service.

I am still getting these same questions and concerns. Now I can send a link to this post. 🙃

May 24, 2023 03:13 PM
Gwen Fowler SC Lakes & Mountains 864-710-4518
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc - Walhalla, SC
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc.

The public is onto the fraud of car warranties and the scammers are just making a title change.  Another way to get money is based on customer fear.

May 24, 2023 06:08 AM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400

Gwen Fowler SC Lakes & Mountains 864-710-4518 

And I was just getting used to the car warranties and scammers. 🙃

May 24, 2023 03:16 PM
Karen Martin Real estate agent Safe Harbor Realty
Safe Harbor Realty - Westport, MA
Westport, MA Realtor Helping Home Sellers & Buyers

thank you Very informative  I have seen these ads and wondered about them  

May 24, 2023 12:31 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

Karen Martin Real estate agent Safe Harbor Realty

Thanks for stopping by.

Glad you found this post very informative.

May 24, 2023 03:49 PM
Diana Zaccaro Broker Associate
ZOOM Realty Group - Cocoa Beach, FL
"The Accidental Blogger" Cocoa Beach, Florida

Great post on an important topic. I was not aware of this since I haven't seen or heard of the ads in this area so appreciate the heads up. Hope all is well with you.

 

May 25, 2023 07:59 PM
Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400
HomeRome Realty 410-530-2400 - Pikesville, MD
Sell Your Home With Margaret Rome

 Diana Zaccaro Broker Associate , And my radio callers made me aware by asking questions.

May 25, 2023 08:05 PM