I have my title guy open escrow as soon as I secure a listing and have him send me the prelim to put in the MLS so that there is proof that escrow has in fact been opened.  So many agents here state it as a way to lead buyer agents to their title person but they don't truly have escrow open.

yes we do a property profile title report on every property in the listing process. It helps clear up some issues before we have an offer

We are a bit like the wild west up here and its better to be proactive for a successful closing 

No.  We have easy access in our MLS software to the details about the property, including who is on title.  If the names match, that's good for me.  If I know going in that it'll be something more complicated (like a probate or a lot of inter-family transfers) then I'll get title involved straight away (once I have a signed listing agreement, of course.  No sense doing someone else's job 😉).

I've only seen one or two instances in the last 6 years or so where title needed to help clear things up.  One was a lot line issue in a residential tract (from the 70s, I think) where the builder screwed up and was a foot or two off from where the lot lines should have been.

Sometimes... it really depends on the situation, Fred... but a title search up front can help eliminate many a subsequent issue.

It is surprising how often the surviving spouse was unaware of HELOC or other loan, on property.
It is essential for the seller to know factually what their net will be so they can plan on where they are going.
I find this to be a better approach than to sort it out before all the docs are inked.
Unfortuneately, the shame experienced, prevents the intended seller from using the bearer of bad news when the time becomes right.

Sometimes, if we have questions about any easements, right of ways or encumbrances.

Not generally. If I suspect something might be a problem, then yes!

No, not under normal circumstances

Always trot into the registry of deeds for a legal description, plat maps, to search for sometimes unrecorded old surveys that show right of ways or retained well easements, etc Fred Griffin Tallahassee Real Estate . Lucky to live in the county seat where the registry of deeds is less than a half mile away. Know going in what you are going to wrestle with if you ever hope to get to a successful real estate closing. The title companies relying only with what's digitized and online or recorded in recent years miss out on a ton of local data and history that only those in the market glean. Use local attorneys, lawyers, law firms works best from my experience. Do you promote that? Good for the local economy too.

Yes....

Since we are an attorney state & the sellers attorney does title, all I do is check the records in a few areas to see what shakes out. Tax, county, etc.

Everything is subject to easements.

No but I do look at the deed and postings for the property at the Registry of Deeds

100% of the time ... yes. 

I would not consider not pulling a preliminary title report. Sometimes that report requires the title company to do a deeper dive if it appears there are issues that need to be addressed and resolved.  We want to resolve all issues upfront ... no one likes surprised at the 11th hour that causes delays in closing. 

The preliminary title report is included in the seller disclosures and buyers are required to "read and acknowledge". 

The current custom in our market is to open escrow on a pre-sale basis and obtain a preliminary report (title search) to determine the correct vesting of the ownership and whether there are any unexpected or unknown liens. This information is made part of the disclosure package available to potential buyers.

Yes of course, ownership is know whether it's a city property or rural property.

Fred,

We always pulled a pre-lim for any listing.  There was a case where someone claimed to own a building, and they did not...A

I probably won’t unless I knew Sellers were in Economic Distress

Fred I ask my Title Rep to do a Preliminary Title Report on all my  about to list properties, with land you be surprised what you might find a bit scary...Endre

Not usually although I had one instance where it would have been of benefit. The property turned out not to have "legal access" i.e. documented access because the road leading to it (and other properties) used to be owned by one state agency, then turned over to another, access/easement letters from "way back then" had not been recorded with properties as they were subdivided and changed hands... It turned into a quagmire for the seller but we did eventually solve the issue and it sold. 

If there is any reason to suspect there could be issues, absolutely. Some properties, it's not necessary, but if there be dragons = see what you're getting into. A deal that fell out this Summer the agents needed to have done that, the property was landlocked, one of the neighbors was BLM (State Land) and would not get to us for a year minimum to grant legal access, and the 'seller' did not have legal authority to convey and the 'mama' who was the legal owner did not have capacity. Wasted months of our time!

Absolutely, I want to know if there is anything on title that needs attention before marketing.

Yes, absolutely!

another reason I'm happy to only work with buyers.

Sometimes. It just depends on the property.

no I do not, but I do always look up the deed.

Only if I think something is amiss, suspicious or need to know something that I need to know to stay out of trouble.