It’s always struck me as funny that in most transactions, the realtor picks the title company. Don’t get me wrong, we love our title reps. But think about who actually needs the most out of that relationship: it’s the buyer and the lender, not the realtor. You wouldn’t let your realtor choose your hazard insurance carrier. Why would you hand off the choice of the company insuring your ownership?

As a lender, I need specific things from title. I need the policy written the way we requested, with the endorsements we require, and those endorsements protect the borrower as well as the lender. When something funky comes up on a prelim, I rely on the title rep to get it cleared from title, or to push an underwriter toward a common-sense solution. The good title reps are worth their weight in gold.

My personal example as a homeowner: The solar lien nobody knew about

I recently sold a property I own in Utah. I bought it almost exactly 10 years ago, and my mother had been living there until we made other arrangements for her. My team had it under contract within two days of listing (yes, rare in this market, and I probably left a little money on the table). We had the perfect buyer: over list price, quick close, well qualified.

Then we got the prelim. My title rep called to tell me there was a UCC lien on the property for the solar system, the same system that was represented as paid off when I bought the house. We pulled the original title policy, and there was no mention of a lien; the seller had represented that there were no unpaid liens. Sure enough, the initial filing was recorded in 2020, four years after my purchase, without my knowledge, and the lienholder renewed it in 2025 as the statute allows.

I was told I should file a title insurance claim. That would have been a lengthy process and would certainly have delayed my closing. Luckily, the title insurer on my purchase was the same one insuring the buyer on the sale. Because of my relationship and the volume I close with them (and my super solid rep), they agreed to insure over the lien instead, and the buyer closed on time.

My borrower: The missing suffix

We have a repeat borrower whose deals we finance locally. His operating agreement lists his name without his suffix. Everything else, including his driver’s license and every loan we’ve ever closed with him, includes it, and no one has ever had a problem.

Then we landed with a title underwriter that refused to sign off on our lender instructions because the borrower’s suffix was missing from the operating agreement. They wanted either the entire operating agreement revised or our loan docs redrawn to remove the suffix from every borrower signature. In this case, my client’s realtor had taken my advice years ago and writes a trusted, phenomenal title rep’s name into every contract. One call, and it was resolved quickly with common sense.

Why this matters to you

Your owner’s title policy protects you for as long as you own the property. Every unexpected lien, filing, or defect that could encumber your title is something your title company may need to resolve. That makes your title rep one of the most valuable people in your transaction, and possibly for years afterward.

A few things worth considering. If you’re buying, ask about writing your preferred title company into the purchase contract. Customs on who chooses and who pays vary by state, but federal law (RESPA Section 9) generally prohibits a seller from requiring a buyer to use a particular title company as a condition of sale when there’s a federally related mortgage. If you’re refinancing, ask your lender whether you can use your preferred title rep. And whichever rep you use, build the relationship before you need it. The rep who knows you and your volume is the one who can get an underwriter to say yes.

I’m curious what others do. Do you write your favorite title rep’s name into your contracts? Do you insist on them for your refinances? Has a title rep ever saved (or sunk) one of your deals?