Title Search Guide (2025): Cost, Timeline & How to Do One

A title search is one of the smallest line items in a home purchase - yet it’s the one step that protects you from the biggest, most expensive surprises.

This guide breaks it down in simple, real-world math so you know exactly what a title search does, why you need one, and how to get it done without losing time or money.

A quick snapshot: a title search verifies who legally owns the home, checks for hidden debts, and confirms no one else has a claim on the property - the #1 source of closing delays. And because 2025 markets are more competitive (with a 14% rise in judgment-related title issues nationwide), doing this step fast and correctly can save you weeks of stress and thousands in unexpected fees.

Here’s what you’ll get in this guide:

• How a title search works (DIY vs professional)
• What the 2025 title search timeline really looks like
• Cost ranges by state
• Who pays for the title search (buyer vs seller)
• How to avoid losing money to liens, heirs, or unpaid taxes

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Bundling these steps early is the fastest way to shorten your timeline and eliminate closing bottlenecks.

A title search is a legal review of public records to confirm who owns a property and whether any hidden issues - liens, unpaid taxes, judgments, or ownership disputes - could block your closing. The purpose of a title search is simple: protect you from inheriting someone else’s debt or legal problems.

• Current legal owner
• Chain of title (past transfers)
• Liens, judgments, or unpaid taxes
• Easements & property restrictions
• Open permits or violations

• Buying a home with undisclosed debt
• Ownership challenges from heirs
• Post-closing legal disputes

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• Typical lien discovered during a title search: $2,300–$7,800
• Cost to fix after closing: 3× higher on average
• Loss avoided: $5,000+ in surprise expenses

Think skipping the title search speeds things up? In 2025, 1 in 8 delayed closings come from an unverified title - meaning “saving time” now usually costs days + thousands later.

Paying $75–$200 for a title search protects you from issues that average $6,500 when caught too late.

The answer is blunt - it’s the only step that confirms you’re actually buying what you think you’re buying. A title search uncovers hidden problems buried in public records long before they become your financial headache.

These risks aren’t rare - they’re the top 3 issues found in 2025 closings:

• Liens: contractor bills, HOA dues, or credit judgments still attached to the property
• Heirs: a long-lost family member claiming ownership after you’ve closed
• Unpaid taxes: county tax debt that transfers directly to the new buyer
• Boundary disputes: old easements or right-of-way claims
• Fraud: forged signatures or incorrect filings in the chain of title

Each of these can freeze your closing or force you into four-figure surprise costs.

• Average lien discovered: $4,900
• Unpaid property taxes: $1,500–$6,000
• Legal fees to resolve an heir claim: $7,500+
• Title search cost: $75–$200

Buyers who skip a title search risk $10,000–$20,000 in avoidable issues - a classic “tiny cost protects you from a massive bill” scenario.

Some buyers assume “the seller would have told me.” But 42% of title defects found in 2025 closings were unknown even to the seller. This is why lenders require a title search - it’s the only neutral verification.

Paying $150 for a title search beats paying $9,800 to clear a judgment recorded 12 years ago.

The process is simpler than most buyers expect - but the risk varies depending on whether you DIY it or hire a professional. A title search verifies ownership, uncovers liens, and ensures the property is legally clean before you move forward with closing.

Buyers in states like North Carolina (where county-level systems vary widely) often attempt a DIY search only to discover missing documents, outdated microfilm records, or mismatched owner names that stall the transaction. In 2025, 63% of DIY searches miss at least one critical document - usually a lien or easement buried in decades-old filings. That’s why most buyers use a title company or attorney to ensure nothing slips through.

Here’s the clean, snippet-ready breakdown:

1. Locate property records: Visit your county recorder, register of deeds, or online portal (especially important for NC counties).
2. Review the chain of title: Confirm every ownership transfer matches official documents and has no gaps.
3. Check liens & judgments: Search for unpaid taxes, contractor liens, child support liens, HOA debts, or court judgments.
4. Verify easements & restrictions: Look for shared driveways, utility access, right-of-way issues, or deed limitations.
5. Finalize with a title company or real estate attorney: They issue the official title report and resolve any red flags.

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• Average lien found during professional searches: $3,800
• Average cost of resolving a missed lien after closing: $6,000+
• Loss avoided: $2,200+ simply by not DIY-ing incorrectly.

Some buyers say, “I’ll just Google the property.” But online portals only show partial records - the deeper filings that cause real problems are usually in county archives.

• DIY savings: $100
• Cost of missing a 2014 judgment lien: $5,700
• Clear choice.

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A title search is one of the biggest factors that determines how fast (or painfully slow) your closing moves. In 2025, the average title search takes 3–10 business days, but the timeline shifts based on property type, county record systems, and how many historic documents need to be reviewed.

The answer usually comes down to one of three things:

1. backlog at the county recorder,
2. complex ownership history, or
3. unpaid liens or judgments that require manual research.

Below is the snapshot:

• Each day of closing delay can cost buyers $35–$60 in rate-lock extensions.
• A delayed title search adds $250–$700 in average closing friction.
• Loss avoided by starting early: $300–$1,000+

“My search is slow - something must be wrong.”

Not always. 2025 saw a 19% rise in county backlog times, meaning even clean titles simply take longer to process.

A 4-day search is normal.

A 14-day search signals deeper issues (usually old liens or heir claims that need resolution).

Get your mortgage pre-approval in minutes and bundle real estate + mortgage + title with reAlpha to eliminate duplicate fees and unlock up to 1.5% buyer agent commission rebates.

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Most title searches cost between $75 and $200 nationwide, but state regulations, county systems, and attorney requirements can push that number higher.

The price you pay depends on how complex the property history is, whether the county requires attorney involvement, and how many decades of ownership records must be reviewed. Below is the newest, buyer-ready cost snapshot for the states where most buyers ask this question.

Title search pricing isn’t random - it’s driven by a handful of factors that can push your cost toward the low end ($75) or closer to the high end ($200+). Understanding these drivers helps you predict closing costs and avoid surprise fees.

Homes with multiple past owners, investment transfers, divorces, or estate sales require deeper research. Every extra deed or name mismatch adds manual review time.

Impact: +$25–$60

Some states (like TX and NC) require attorney-led searches, while others charge extra for accessing archived or microfilm records.

Impact: +$15–$75 depending on jurisdiction

Older homes = longer chains of title. A 1950s house may have 15–25 recorded transfers, each needing verification for liens, judgments, and releases.

Impact: +$20–$50

If the search is bundled with lender’s or owner’s title insurance, expect additional review steps - but also a pricing advantage because the records only need to be pulled once.

Impact: +$0–$30 (but reduces total package cost)

When buyers use separate providers, each one charges its own fee. With reAlpha, you can bundle home search, mortgage, and title services to earn a buyer agent commission rebate, helping eliminate duplicate record pulls and repeated attorney review cycles.

Many buyers assume paying all cash means they can skip the title search -but cash deals are actually the riskiest if you don’t verify the property’s legal status.

When you buy with cash, no lender is protecting you. That means you alone are responsible for making sure the property is free of:

• Unpaid taxes the county will demand from you
• Contractor liens still attached to the home
• Heirs or probate claims that challenge your ownership
• Old easements or restrictions that limit how you use the property

Cash buyers inherit every problem instantly - with no lender forcing a safety check.

Escrow isn’t just for financed deals. Cash buyers need escrow to:

• Hold funds safely while the title is verified
• Ensure the seller clears all liens before money is released
• Prevent fraud in high-speed, high-competition cash closings
• Confirm legal transfer of ownership with county recording

Skipping escrow exposes buyers to the #1 cash-deal risk: sending money before defects are resolved.

• Average lien found in cash deals: $3,900
• Probate-related title defects: $4,000–$12,000 in legal cleanup
• Escrow fee: $300–$900
• Loss avoided: $5,000–$10,000+

Even after a title search confirms the property appears clean, there’s still a chance something hidden - an old lien, a forgotten heir, a filing error - could surface later. That’s where title insurance comes in. Think of it as the long-term protection that kicks in after closing, while the title search protects you before closing.

• Title Search: A one-time investigation of public records to find issues before you buy.
• Title Insurance: A one-time premium that protects you from issues that appear after you buy.

Most buyers need both. Lenders require title insurance because it reduces their risk - and it should reduce yours, too.

• If using a mortgage: You must buy lender’s title insurance.
• If paying cash: Owner’s title insurance is optional but strongly recommended.
• If buying an older home or inherited property: Owner’s policy is essential due to higher defect rates.

• Average title defect discovered after closing: $4,000–$10,000
• Owner’s title insurance premium: $500–$1,500 (one-time)
• Loss avoided: up to $10,000+
• Cost per year (averaged over 30 years): $16–$50/yr

Skipping owner’s title insurance saves $1,000 today…

but exposes you to a $7,000–$12,000 risk tomorrow.

Want to see how title insurance affects different loan types? Compare your options instantly using reAlpha’s Mortgage Loan Options.

Every day you delay reviewing your title insurance options increases the risk of unexpected defects adding $4,000–$10,000 to your future costs.

Most homebuyers don’t realize how many delays and duplicate fees happen when title, mortgage, and real estate services are spread across different companies. reAlpha solves this by bundling home search, mortgage, and title into one streamlined experience-removing the bottlenecks that cause slow closings and unlocking buyer agent commission rebates that often add up to thousands in savings.

reAlpha’s system doesn’t just speed up paperwork… it removes entire steps.

• All departments share records instantly - no “please upload again” delays
• Title clearance begins the moment your offer is accepted
• Real estate + mortgage + title teams collaborate inside one workflow
• Buyers can reclaim a portion of their buyer agent commission through reAlpha’s rebate program.

• Typical buyer pays: $6,000–$12,000 in agent commissions + fragmented service fees
• reAlpha buyer pays: 0.5% of typical agent commission + reduced title/mortgage fees
• Savings captured: $5,000–$8,000 (sometimes more in high-price markets)

1. Traditional process = 3 companies, 3 fees, 3 delays.
2. reAlpha = 1 workflow, 1 team, 1 dramatically lower cost.

Get pre-approved in minutes and claim your commission rebate with reAlpha Mortgage to help lower your homebuying costs.

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