Most sellers assume their title is clean. Some are wrong — and they find out at the worst possible moment. A preliminary title search tells you exactly what you are working with before a buyer ever makes an offer.
Title problems do not go away on their own. The question is whether you find them on your timeline or the buyer's.
Catch Title Defects Before They Kill Your Deal
Liens, judgments, unpaid taxes, and ownership disputes do not disappear at closing — they surface during the buyer's title search and stop the transaction cold. Finding them first gives you time to resolve them on your schedule, not under contract pressure.
Eliminate Last-Minute Delays
Title issues discovered after a contract is signed are one of the leading causes of delayed or failed closings. A preliminary search removes that risk entirely by surfacing problems weeks before any buyer is involved.
Protect Your Net Proceeds
Unresolved liens must be paid at closing — often from your proceeds. Knowing about them in advance lets you negotiate payoffs, dispute errors, or factor them into your pricing strategy rather than absorbing a surprise at the settlement table.
Signal Clean Ownership to Buyers
Sellers who can demonstrate a clear title history before listing project confidence. It reduces buyer hesitation, shortens due diligence timelines, and supports a smoother path to closing.
Resolve Legal Complications Early
Estate sales, divorces, and properties with multiple owners often carry title complications that require court orders or legal filings to clear. These take time. Starting early means you are not scrambling to meet a closing deadline.
Confirm All Owners Are on the Same Page
If the property has multiple owners — inherited, jointly held, or otherwise — a title search confirms who must sign at closing. Discovering a missing signature the week of settlement is avoidable.
These are the findings that regularly surface in preliminary searches — and that regularly derail closings when discovered too late.
Order the Search Before You List
A preliminary title search is ordered through a licensed Maryland title company or real estate attorney. We can connect you with settlement professionals we trust. Plan for 3–7 business days to receive results.
Title Examiner Reviews Public Records
The examiner searches county land records, court judgments, tax records, and lien filings going back as far as necessary to establish a clean chain of ownership.
Review the Title Report With Us
We go through the findings with you. Most searches come back clean. When issues appear, we help you understand what they mean, how serious they are, and what it takes to resolve them.
Clear Any Issues Found
Depending on the finding, resolution may involve paying off a lien, filing a corrective deed, obtaining a release from a creditor, or working with an attorney on a more complex matter.
List With a Clean Title
Once issues are resolved — or confirmed not to exist — you go to market with the confidence that title will not derail your closing. Buyers and their agents notice.
Maryland Requires Title Insurance at Closing
Maryland lenders require lender's title insurance on every financed transaction. Buyers often purchase owner's title insurance as well. A preliminary search done in advance aligns with what the settlement attorney will need anyway — you are simply getting ahead of it.
Prince George's County Has Complex Lien Records
Properties in PG County — including Bowie, Laurel, and surrounding areas — can carry municipal liens, WSSC charges, and county-specific assessments that are easy to miss without a thorough search. Local title professionals know where to look.
A preliminary title search in Maryland typically runs $150–$350 depending on the county and the complexity of the property's history. That is a fraction of what a single unresolved lien can cost you at the settlement table — or what a failed closing costs in carrying costs, relisting fees, and lost time.
We work with trusted settlement attorneys and title companies in the Laurel, Bowie, and Prince George's County area. Reach out and we will make the introduction.
We will help you determine whether a preliminary title search makes sense for your situation and connect you with the right professionals to get it done.