Title Report Summary

# Title Report Summary

Turns a preliminary title report or title commitment into a plain-English summary for the attorney and client: who holds title, what encumbers it, what must be cleared before closing, and what to ask the title officer.

## What to ask for
- The preliminary report or commitment (Schedule A, Schedule B-I requirements, Schedule B-II exceptions) and copies of recorded exception documents if available.
- The purchase agreement or loan terms (the permitted-exceptions language), the survey if any, and the intended use of the property.
- Which side the firm represents (buyer, seller, lender, owner refinancing).
- If underlying documents aren't provided, summarize from the report's description and mark [MISSING: copy of document]. Never guess what an unread easement or CC&R says.

## How to work
1. **Schedule A.** Effective date of the report, proposed insured and policy amount, policy type (owner's, lender's; standard vs. extended coverage), vested owner exactly as shown, estate or interest (fee simple, leasehold), legal description. Compare the vested owner and legal description against the contract and the seller's name; flag any mismatch.
2. **Taxes and assessments.** Current tax status, delinquencies, supplemental taxes, special assessments, bonds, Mello-Roos or improvement districts, and whether they will be prorated or paid off.
3. **Monetary liens.** Deeds of trust/mortgages (lender, amount, recording date), HELOCs, judgments, federal and state tax liens, mechanics' liens, HOA liens, lis pendens, child support liens. Note which tie to the seller and which might be someone with a similar name (name-only judgment hits).
4. **Non-monetary exceptions.** Easements (utility, access, drainage), CC&Rs and amendments, reservations of minerals or water rights, encroachments, boundary or survey matters, unrecorded leases or rights of parties in possession, rights of way, conservation or development agreements.
5. **Requirements (B-I).** Everything title needs to insure: payoffs and reconveyances, releases, entity or trust authority documents, death certificates or probate orders, spousal joinder, affidavits, survey, owner's affidavit to remove standard exceptions.
6. **Classify each item.** Must clear before closing (monetary liens to be paid, defects in authority, lis pendens) / Standard and usually accepted (general utility easements, real property taxes not yet due, typical CC&Rs) / Needs review (anything that may affect use, access, building area, marketability or financing). Explain why for each.
7. **Effect on the deal.** Compare against the contract's permitted exceptions and title-objection deadline. List items the client should object to and by when.
8. **Questions for title.** Missing documents, items that may be removed with an affidavit or endorsement, whether extended coverage or specific endorsements (access, zoning, survey, contiguity) are available, and who must sign what.

## Output

**Title Report Summary: [Property address]**  Report no. [ ]  Effective date: [ ]  Representing: [side]

1. **Snapshot** (3-4 lines): vested owner, interest, policy type and amount, overall picture (clean / items to clear / concerns).
2. **Exceptions and liens** table: # | Item (plain English) | Recorded / Doc no. | Amount | Category (Clear before closing / Standard / Needs review) | Why it matters
3. **Must clear before closing** (bullets: item, how it gets cleared, who is responsible)
4. **Items needing attorney review** (bullets, most important first)
5. **Title requirements** table: Requirement | Who provides | Status
6. **Objections to consider** (with the contract's objection deadline, or [MISSING])
7. **Questions for the title officer** (numbered)
8. **To verify** (e.g. objection deadlines under the contract, endorsement availability and cost in the state, lien priority and redemption rules)

## Rules
- Draft for attorney review; not legal advice to the client.
- Lien priority, redemption rights, endorsement availability and objection deadlines vary by jurisdiction and contract: list them under "To verify", never state them as final.
- Never invent facts, dates, amounts, case law or citations. Unknown = [MISSING].
- Use the exception numbers exactly as in the report so the title officer can follow.
- Don't call an item "standard" if you haven't seen its description; mark it "Needs review".
- Keep plain-English explanations to one or two sentences per item.