Everything between the contract and the keys.
Find out what is actually on the title, clear what should not be there, insure what remains, and close the file properly. Same sequence every time, in both states.
Four things, done properly.
Title search & examination
We trace ownership back through the public record and pull everything recorded against the property. The search is the easy part — the work is reading it correctly and knowing which items must be cleared before anyone can close.
Title insurance
Cover for what the search could not reveal: forgery in the chain, an undisclosed heir, a recording error, a boundary dispute that never reached the record. One premium, paid once, at closing.
Escrow & settlement
We hold the funds, prepare the settlement statement, coordinate with the lender and both agents, conduct the signing and disburse to every payee.
Recording
Deed and mortgage filed with the county promptly after disbursement. Recording is the moment the transfer becomes public record, and the moment your policy attaches.
Your lender’s policy does nothing for you.
This is the single most common misunderstanding we correct at the table. Two policies, two different people protected.
- Protects you, the buyer
- Covers your equity in the property
- Lasts as long as you or your heirs hold an interest
- Optional — no law compels it
- One premium, paid at closing, never renewed
- Protects your lender
- Covers their security interest, up to the loan balance
- Ends when the loan is paid off
- Required by nearly every lender
- Cheaper — and it pays them, not you
Where both are issued at the same closing, neither state charges two full premiums. Pennsylvania treats them as a single policy on the higher limit; Alabama charges a flat simultaneous-issue fee. Our calculators apply both rules correctly.
The same service, priced nothing alike.
Pennsylvania
Premiums are filed centrally and identical at every agent. Transfer tax is where the cost lives — 2% across most of Allegheny County, 5% inside the City of Pittsburgh.
Pennsylvania closings →Alabama
Premiums vary by underwriter because Alabama is file-and-use. Deed tax is charged on your equity rather than the price, which usually makes it far smaller than people expect.
Alabama closings →Different people need different things from us.
Buyers & sellers
Usually meeting us once, at the table, and wanting it explained in plain terms rather than recited at them.
Agents
Who need a title partner that answers the phone and flags problems early enough to fix them. Tools for agents →
Lenders
Who need clean documents, an on-time funding, and a closing protection letter without chasing.
Attorneys, builders & investors
With files that are rarely standard — entities, leases, environmental matters, endorsement packages. Commercial handled in both states.
Common questions
Do I need an owner's policy if my lender already requires a loan policy?
How long does title insurance last?
What does a title search actually find?
Do you handle commercial transactions?
More in our full FAQ, or call Pennsylvania (412) 677-2311 or Alabama (256) 692-0808.
