Property Title Searches in Houston, TX

With over 2.3 million citizens, Houston is Texas’s most populous city and the fourth largest city in the entire country. Known as the Bayou City, much of the population’s growth can be attributed to the area’s low cost of living, job growth and affordability. Houston offers plenty of amenities for all ages which may be why US News & World Report ranks it one of the best cities to live and to retire.

What Title Services are Included in a Houston, TX Title Search?

A Houston, TX title search will include assessment and tax information. Multiple taxing entities can collect separately, so ProTitleUSA ensures all applicable jurisdictions are searched. In addition, ownership history via title deeds, open deeds of trust, judgments and liens that are filed in the county’s property records are provided.

Houston, TX Title Search Pricing

Multiple Tax Jurisdictions in Houston, TX

To ensure the property tax status is accurate, all applicable jurisdictions need to be searched. In addition to the county tax bill, there may be separate tax bills collected by the city, ISD (Independent School District), and MUD (Municipal Utility District).

Assignments in Houston, TX

Mortgage assignments are another item that require multiple methods of searching. Most county recorders will index an assignment by the borrower’s name, link the assignment to the mortgage, or at least index it by the property’s legal description. Assignments in Houston are generally not found by any of those methods. Typically, the assignment will only be indexed by the names of the lenders. With common bank names like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, it is nearly impossible to sift through thousands of assignments just to see if any apply to the subject mortgage.

HOA Liens in Houston, TX

To further show things aren’t always so black and white, HOA liens are sometimes super liens, meaning they can automatically take priority over a mortgage, even if the mortgage was recorded prior to the HOA lien. Unfortunately, we cannot just assume that all HOA liens in Texas are super liens and can foreclose ahead of the mortgage. The only way to tell is by reading the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CCRs) as well as any amendments that are recorded which affect the property. The CCRs will advise if the HOA lien will supersede the mortgage.

What is a Tax Mortgage in Houston, TX?

Speaking of lien priority, generally, the priority of mortgages and deeds of trust is determined by recording date, oldest to newest. This means that if there are two mortgages, one recorded in 2005 and another recorded in 2010, the 2005 mortgage is known as the first position lien. As with most things, there are exceptions. In Texas, a Tax Deed of Trust a/k/a Tax Mortgage a/k/a Tax Lien Contract will take priority over other mortgages, regardless of recording date.

So what exactly is a Tax Mortgage? It’s essentially an agreement where the homeowner agrees to have a third party pay their property taxes. The tax department transfers the tax lien to the lender and a Tax Lien Deed of Trust document is recorded in county records to secure the repayment of the lien. This lien maintains a first priority lien on the property even if there were liens recorded prior to it. Per the below example, “Lender agreed to pay the delinquent taxes and other amounts owed related to the ad valorem taxes on the property and as such is entitled to receive a transfer of tax lien.” It’s at this time that the taxes to the county are paid (since the lender has paid them), but the homeowner now has to repay the lender.

These are just some of the reasons why it’s extremely important to have an experienced company like ProTitleUSA conduct Texas title searches.

Texas counties served

Anderson, Andrews, Angelina, Aransas, Archer, Armstrong, Atascosa, Austin, Bailey, Bandera, Bastrop Baylor, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Borden, Bosque, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Brewster, Briscoe, Brooks, Brown, Burleson, Burnet, Caldwell, Calhoun, Callahan, Cameron, Camp, Carson, Cass, Castro, Chambers, Cherokee, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Colorado, Comal, Comanche, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Cottle, Crane, Crockett, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, DeWitt, Dickens, Dimmit, Donley, Duval, Eastland, Ector, Edwards, El Paso, Ellis, Erath, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Frio, Gaines, Galveston, Garza, Gillespie, Glasscock, Goliad, Gonzales, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hays, Hemphill, Henderson, Hidalgo, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchinson, Irion, Jack, Jackson, Jasper, Jeff Davis, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Johnson, Jones, Karnes, Kaufman, Kendall, Kenedy, Kent, Kerr, Kimble, King, Kinney, Kleberg, Knox, La Salle, Lamar, Lamb, Lampasas, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Lipscomb, Live Oak, Llano, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Madison, Marion, Martin, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McCulloch, McLennan, Mcminn, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Midland, Milam, Mills, Mitchell, Montague, Montgomery, Moore, Morris, Motley, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nolan, Nueces, Ochiltree, Oldham, Orange, Palo Pinto, Panola, Parker, Parmer, Pecos, Polk, Potter, Presidio, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Real, Red River, Reeves, Refugio, Roberts, Robertson, Rockwall, Runnels, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Shelby, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Starr, Stephens, Sterling, Stonewall, Sutton, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terrell, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Upton, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Ward, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Willacy, Williamson, Wilson, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young, Zapata and Zavala.

Testimonials

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