"Caliban" wrote...
Let me add that I am looking at three houses. The oldest is 15 years old.
The youngest is 7 years old, and the original owner is selling it. (I have
paperwork from the county tax office confirming this.) All are in a large
neighborhood development less than 20 years old. I see on the Internet that
title companies advertise examining the title for the last, say, 40 or 60
years. I am not convinced (yet) that whoever does the title search has much
to do at all for either of these three homes, especially for the 7-year-old,
original owner house.

What was the disposition of the land prior to the time it was subdivided and
developed?

Yes, title searches and insurance are, in part, a "scam" to perpetuate a
business. What business does not have an analogous "scam"?

You can either go with the program or accept the risks of bucking it.