Services · Title
Title Services & Relationships
A clean title is the difference between closing and collapsing. Most deals that fall apart late fall apart here.
Because we work with a group of trusted title companies rather than handing title off and hoping, we open title early, shop for better service and pricing, and surface problems while there is still time to fix them quietly.
What’s included
- Full title search and examination opened early in the transaction
- Liens, judgments and mortgage payoff issues resolved before closing
- Clouded titles and chain-of-title defects addressed and cured
- Open permits researched and expedited with the municipality
- Violations cured and Certificate of Occupancy issues corrected
- Estate, probate and trust title matters coordinated with our attorney
- Owner’s and lender’s title insurance placed and coordinated at closing
For Sellers
Problems that would scare off a buyer are found and cured quietly, keeping your closing on schedule.
For Buyers
Thorough title work and strong owner’s coverage, so the property you buy is legally clean and insurable.
Title, permits and legal work are coordinated by one team, which is why our closings stay on calendar.
Background
Why this matters
More deals collapse at title than almost anywhere else, and they collapse late — usually after the seller has already packed, given notice or committed to a purchase of their own. The problems are rarely exotic: an old mortgage never formally satisfied, a judgment against a prior owner, a deck or finished basement built without permits, a Certificate of Occupancy that does not match the house as it stands today, or an estate where the chain of title was never properly cleared after a death in the family.
Real Estate Plan works with a group of trusted title companies rather than handing title off to a single provider and hoping. That lets us open title early, shop for better service and pricing, and surface defects while there is still time to cure them quietly and without leverage shifting to the buyer. We research and expedite open permits with the municipality, cure violations, correct Certificate of Occupancy issues, resolve liens and judgments, and coordinate estate and trust title matters directly with our affiliated attorney. Sellers get a closing that stays on calendar; buyers get thorough title work and strong owner’s coverage on a property that is legally clean and insurable.
How It Works
Our process, step by step
- Open title earlyTitle is ordered at the start of the listing rather than after contract, so problems surface while there is time.
- Search permits and violationsWe check the municipal file for open permits, violations and Certificate of Occupancy mismatches.
- Cure quietlyLiens, judgments, chain-of-title defects and permit issues are resolved before a buyer can use them as leverage.
- Coordinate the closingTitle, survey, municipal searches, lender requirements and attorney review are tracked to the closing date.
- InsureOwner’s and lender’s policies placed and coordinated at the table.
Every Long Island municipality runs its building department differently, with its own timelines, forms and inspectors. Knowing how a particular town handles a legalization or an open permit is often the difference between a two-week fix and a two-month delay.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a clouded title?
It is any defect in the ownership record — an unsatisfied mortgage, an old judgment, a missing heir’s signature, an incorrectly recorded deed — that casts doubt on the seller’s ability to convey clean ownership.
Why do open permits matter?
An open permit means the municipality has a record of work that was never signed off. It can block a Certificate of Occupancy, alarm a lender and delay or kill a closing.
Do you work with one title company?
No. We work with a group of trusted title companies, which lets us shop service and pricing and escalate when a file needs attention.
Every Community We Serve
From Montauk to Manhattan — all of Long Island & New York City
We list and sell homes across every city, town, village and neighborhood in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Kings, New York and Bronx counties.
Suffolk County
Amagansett, Amityville, Babylon, Bay Shore, Bayport, Bellport, Blue Point, Bohemia, Brentwood, Bridgehampton, Brightwaters, Center Moriches, Centereach, Centerport, Central Islip, Cold Spring Harbor, Commack, Copiague, Coram, Cutchogue, Deer Park, Dix Hills, East Hampton, East Islip, East Northport, East Patchogue, East Setauket, Eastport, Elwood, Farmingville, Fort Salonga, Great River, Greenlawn, Greenport, Hampton Bays, Hauppauge, Head of the Harbor, Holbrook, Holtsville, Huntington, Huntington Station, Islandia, Islip, Kings Park, Lake Grove, Lake Ronkonkoma, Lindenhurst, Lloyd Harbor, Manorville, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Mattituck, Medford, Melville, Middle Island, Miller Place, Montauk, Mount Sinai, Nesconset, Nissequogue, North Babylon, Northport, Oakdale, Ocean Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Quogue, Ridge, Riverhead, Rocky Point, Ronkonkoma, Sag Harbor, Sagaponack, Sayville, Selden, Shelter Island, Shirley, Shoreham, Smithtown, Sound Beach, Southampton, Southold, St. James, Stony Brook, Wading River, Water Mill, West Babylon, West Islip, Westhampton, Westhampton Beach, Wyandanch, Yaphank
Nassau County
Albertson, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Bayville, Bellmore, Bethpage, Brookville, Carle Place, Cedarhurst, East Meadow, East Norwich, East Rockaway, Elmont, Farmingdale, Floral Park, Franklin Square, Freeport, Garden City, Glen Cove, Glen Head, Great Neck, Hempstead, Hewlett, Hicksville, Island Park, Jericho, Kings Point, Lawrence, Levittown, Lido Beach, Locust Valley, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Malverne, Manhasset, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Merrick, Mineola, Muttontown, New Hyde Park, Oceanside, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Oyster Bay, Plainview, Point Lookout, Port Washington, Rockville Centre, Roslyn, Sands Point, Sea Cliff, Seaford, Syosset, Uniondale, Valley Stream, Wantagh, West Hempstead, Westbury, Williston Park, Woodbury, Woodmere
Queens County
Astoria, Bayside, Bellerose, Briarwood, College Point, Corona, Douglaston, East Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Far Rockaway, Flushing, Forest Hills, Fresh Meadows, Glendale, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Howard Beach, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Little Neck, Long Island City, Maspeth, Middle Village, Oakland Gardens, Ozone Park, Queens Village, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, Rockaway Beach, Rosedale, St. Albans, Springfield Gardens, Sunnyside, Whitestone, Woodhaven, Woodside
Kings County — Brooklyn
Bay Ridge, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Bensonhurst, Boerum Hill, Borough Park, Brighton Beach, Brooklyn Heights, Bushwick, Canarsie, Carroll Gardens, Clinton Hill, Cobble Hill, Coney Island, Crown Heights, DUMBO, Dyker Heights, East New York, Flatbush, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Gravesend, Greenpoint, Kensington, Marine Park, Midwood, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Red Hook, Sheepshead Bay, Sunset Park, Williamsburg, Windsor Terrace
New York County — Manhattan
Battery Park City, Chelsea, Chinatown, East Harlem, East Village, Financial District, Flatiron, Gramercy, Greenwich Village, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, Hudson Yards, Inwood, Kips Bay, Lenox Hill, Lincoln Square, Little Italy, Lower East Side, Midtown, Morningside Heights, Murray Hill, NoHo, NoLita, SoHo, Tribeca, Turtle Bay, Upper East Side, Upper West Side, Washington Heights, West Village, Yorkville
Bronx County
Baychester, Bedford Park, Belmont, Castle Hill, City Island, Concourse, Co-op City, Country Club, Eastchester, Fordham, Highbridge, Hunts Point, Kingsbridge, Melrose, Morris Park, Morrisania, Mott Haven, Norwood, Parkchester, Pelham Bay, Pelham Gardens, Riverdale, Soundview, Spuyten Duyvil, Throggs Neck, Tremont, University Heights, Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Woodlawn
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