BiggerPockets

1. If you are going to want title insurance then see what it costs to get a preliminary binder so if you do buy they will issue a policy. That is likely the most expensive way to check the title. If it is the fee that you noted above, then that is the worst case.

2. You can go to the county records. You need to figure out what that means in your county. It can vary as to the exact location. Pick a property you know well and then look it up.

3. Ask a senior title agent or a RE attorney what issues can come up. In one state I know an old person can defer the property taxes by signing up with a specific program. The state pays the county so the taxes appear to be paid. When a transfer happens the state steps in with a lien. The lien does not appear prior. Hence a simple check of the county records will not show if there are back property taxes for an older person on the program. One guy found out after the auction and the bill was just over $90K.

4. See if there are any possible water liens, weed abatement charges and other such things. Another area where local knowledge of what is possible matters.

Obviously a title insurance company can figure out what is there and if they should offer insurance (with exceptions). Hence you can do the same but access to certain info might be time consuming. Many aspects are entirely manageable. Take people who work for a title company to lunch if you really want to know what they would do.

If you do enough business with the title company they may very well do the some of the work for no fee. Just make sure you bring them the business later.

John Corey