Thanks for sharing. It's all very interesting.

I have visited the County Records department (technically I think it was the
tax department, but they're on the same floor where I am) once already, to
get the latest tax valuations of the three homes at which I'm looking. (The
differences are helpful to know, IMO.) Like your experience with this
department, mine was good, too.

Am I reading you correctly when I conclude you paid the Title Company
esssentially only for a Title search?

Thanks also to others who have replied since my last post. All are noted and
helpful.

"Hell Toupee" wrote
Caliban wrote:
snip but noted
What are some steps to take to prevent a title company from ripping a
buyer
off with extraneous, inappropriate fees? (I already plan to ask for a
complete breakdown of the title fees.) For what extraneous,
inappropriate
fees should I keep my eyes peeled?

Everyone should call the County Records department for the county the
property is located in, and ask the clerks there for a listing of all
the paperwork to legally record the transaction. All the clerks I've
dealt with have been very knowledgeable and helpful. A lot of the
documents can be prepared by yourself with the (free) assistance of the
county clerks, then reviewed by your attorney. Or your attorney can
prepare the paperwork for you, but it'll cost more.

Once you know what is required for the transaction to take place, you
can compare that to the title company's list of fees and have them
explain anything that the county didn't tell you was required. You can
decide what documents, if any, you feel capable of preparing yourself,
and tell the title company you'll prepare those yourself. You can also
compare their overall fee to what your attorney would charge for doing
it for you.

I had the title company p.o.'d at me when I bought the house since I
only allowed them to process certain documents on behalf of the seller
(my mom) and insisted on handling the rest myself. They tried
retaliating by claiming I'd improperly prepared the paperwork. A quick
conference call between myself, the title company, the county clerk, and
my lawyer stopped that nonsense in its tracks and we closed with no
problems. Though they did then try telling me I'd have to pay the filing
fee, to which I replied that I was heading down to the County office
immediately after closing and handling the filing myself. I ended up
allowing them to do it after they waived the filing fee. They didn't
make a lot of money from our family sale.

I have been studying these subjects on the internet and have begun to
query
a buyer's agent about them. But I find others' personal experiences are
always helpful.

I got a free initial consult with a real estate attorney before I even
initiated the home purchase. He gave me advice on how to handle it
myself and also advised me of his fees for handling the transaction on
my behalf. I ended up having him check over all the paperwork prior to
closing for $75.00. So I would encourage you to discuss your options not
only with a buyer's agent but with an experienced lawyer as well.