Resources & insights

If you’re like most people, title insurance is just another thing on the long list of things involved in real estate transactions. You’re not really sure what the thing is, but you know it’s an important thing, although you’re not so sure why the thing is actually important.

We often hear people ask, “Do I need to take my shoes off at an open house?” or “Is it okay to use a bathroom when viewing a home?”

Buyers have a lot to do at a closing, including reviewing all documents provided by the lender, understanding the terms of the settlement statement, ensuring that the property is ready for closing and more.

We loved celebrating with David, Jinna, and their daughters as they closed on a home that means so much to their family.

Manufactured homes must be converted from personal property to real estate and "fixed" to a parcel of land to become a permanent part of the property.

¿Cómo protejo mis derechos en la propiedad que poseo? Ver nuestra Guía para información de esta pregunta y más.

How do I protect my rights in property that I own? See our guide for information related to this question and more.

Building companies by solving problems.

We have an owner’s policy in the lender’s policy. Let’s unpack both of those and just speak to what they actually cover.

Most consumers don't know that real estate wire fraud “is a thing.” 52% of all consumers are “not aware” or only “somewhat aware” of the risks of wire fraud.

At Sun Title, we know that buying a home is one of life’s biggest milestones—but language barriers shouldn’t stand in the way.

Today marks Sun Title's 20th anniversary serving West Michigan

Nothing brings our Sun Title team together quite like our annual Turkey Fry!

At our recent packing party, our team came together to fill 1,500 backpacks with essential meals for local students—supporting Hand2Hand's inspiring mission.

We've partnered with CertifID, a secure platform specifically designed to protect real estate transactions.

We've partnered with CertifID to implement Match, a cutting-edge identity verification system that protects buyers.

Sun Title regularly hosts educational events led by CEO and Co-Founder Tom Cronkright.

Investing in commercial real estate can be a rewarding venture, but it also comes with its share of risks and complexities.

Moving into a new home is an exciting milestone, but it can also be a whirlwind of tasks and emotions.

When investing in commercial real estate, safeguarding your assets and ensuring smooth transactions are paramount.

Maximizing your commercial real estate investments requires smart planning and even smarter financial strategies.

Congrats! You’re considering (or have already taken the plunge into) investing in commercial real estate.

Purchasing a new commercial property is a significant investment that involves careful consideration and due diligence.

Sun Title enters Greenville, Michigan market with tech-enabled location to elevate the closing experience for home buyers and sellers.

We're excited to provide a behind the scenes look at the construction of our new Greenville office!

According to a recent CertifID survey of U.S. consumers who bought and sold property within the past three years, one in ten consumers is a regular target for real estate wire fraud. One in twenty of those surveyed were victimized.

Together, we're doing more than just providing meals; we're nurturing hope and opportunities to thrive.

Buying and selling a home is an exciting and involved process. Here’s a typical roadmap and timeline of events that are common to most transactions.

Sunny is a highly trained real estate AI chatbot designed to improve the real estate transaction experience for all parties.

Real estate transactions have their intricacies and the pathway to successful closings often comes with unexpected hurdles.

Turning around construction draw requests is instrumental in keeping a project moving forward.

From time to time you have real estate transactions that involve trusts. The main concern is determining who has the authority to sign on behalf of the trust when transferring ownership of the property.

The foreclosure process involves a sheriff sale where the property is auctioned off, and after this sale, there is a redemption period during which the property owner can still do what they want with the property.

Powers of Attorney can vary in scope, some may allow only simple actions, while others may grant broad authority over finances and properties.

It’s essential to understand these ownership types to determine your rights to the property and the process involved in selling or transferring ownership.

In this video, the speakers discuss the issue of private access to properties, which often arises in real estate transactions.

In this discussion, the focus is on the process of selling properties owned by entities, such as limited liability companies, corporations, and partnerships.

The legal descriptions, particularly the metes and bounds, can be challenging, requiring accurate matching of old and new deeds, survey, and tax legal descriptions. Surveys can be valuable in identifying small issues that can affect property descriptions.

When transferring a property, it is essential to ensure that the taxes on the property are current, as any outstanding taxes could cause issues with recording the deed.

This video discusses easements and the issues that can arise when dealing with them in real estate transactions. Easements are legal documents that give someone the right to cross a property to access their own property.

Lien on a title is a common occurrence and is typically caused by government or personal judgment liens. The process of obtaining a release can be complicated, and it may take time to get a payoff from the government.

When transferring property in Michigan, it’s important to ensure that taxes are current, as they become a lien on the property when the tax bill is issued. Failure to pay taxes will result in the deed not being recorded.

The video discusses riparian rights for property owners on water bodies such as lakes, streams, and rivers. Title insurance covers the property up to the water’s edge, but it does not cover whether or not the owner can access or use the water.

At closing, we aim for no surprises, just a review and assignment of all documents previously reviewed by the parties. Trust us to handle your closing with care and precision.

Most divorces don't go well. Here are all the things to consider when real estate is involved in this unfortunate life event.

Construction liens are a common issue in the industry, as any party involved in providing goods or services on a job site can file a formal lien on the property if they are not paid.

Whether it’s a simple typo correction or a more complex issue like a split parcel, we’re here to guide you through the process. Don’t let an incorrect tax description hold up your closing.

When dealing with bankruptcy in a property transaction, the bankruptcy trustee appointed by the court determines who has the authority to transfer the property.

If you're under contract to purchase your dream home, there's a lot of work to do on the property side of things. Besides a great lender, you'll need professionals to ensure you own your property, such as title insurance and surveyors who measure property lines and identify any encroachments.

Title insurance protects new property buyers from a range of potential losses or third-party interests that could surface in the future. The insurance not only covers these losses but also the legal fees if someone challenges them.

When pulling the title on a property, it’s important to check for condominium ownership and related documents such as the master deed, bylaws, and rules.

Selling a house involves more than just the purchase agreement. Buyers need to perform due diligence, such as a survey or home inspection, while sellers must give access and respond promptly to requests.

The video discusses the importance of working with a good lender and having clear communication with them to ensure a smooth transaction.

Sellers will need to prepare their house for closing day and bring IDs and any necessary funds. They will sign documents such as deeds and closing statements and receive the proceeds from the sale. Watch this video for more.

The closing process of a property transaction is not just about signing documents and exchanging keys; there are several important post-closing steps.

If you're in the process of buying or selling a home, it's important to understand the different requirements that need to be met by both parties before the closing date.

In the real estate industry, the activities of title companies closely follow the natural timeline of a transaction. Watch this video to learn more about it.

The video discusses who typically schedules the closing for a real estate transaction and what factors impact the timeline. While any party involved in the transaction can suggest a closing date, the buyer's lender often drives the timeline due to federal regulations requiring a minimum review period for documents.

The closing experience should be a celebration, and the focus of all providers in the transaction should be to create a great closing experience by providing great communication, understanding the documents, and ensuring that everyone’s minds are at ease.

Time to pop some champagne and grab a slice of cake, because the team at Sun Title has been deemed among West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work for by the Best and Brightest® Program.

You can’t control the housing market so why bother trying right? Some houses are just not meant to sell. Besides, adjusting your strategy is kind of a hassle - is that sold sign really worth it?

Which would you prefer: looking forward to going to work each day or dreading it? Kind of a no brainer, right? I mean, who wants to be in a working environment that bums you out, causes you stress and makes you have resting angry face?

It was an excruciating closing that sparked the beginnings of Sun Title - a closing that dragged on and on and was so painfully subdued and boring, that Tom and Lawrence were too exhausted to celebrate the finality of the transaction.

One of the biggest pet peeves for people everywhere is getting the runaround when all you want is a quick answer to your question or solution to a problem.

At Sun Title, we’ve always made it a priority to deliver services that make closing on a property as convenient and stress-free as possible for everyone involved.

Plenty if you don’t use Sun Title! There are a million details involved throughout the home buying/selling process so it’s easy for issues to arise, and quite frankly, you can pretty much expect them to, even at the last minute.

A Sun Title closing is basically guaranteed to be fast and painless, but when you use a different title company, well, that practically guarantees you’re going to need some help coping when things take a turn for the worse (notice we said when, not if).

Holy cow, there’s a lot that goes into real estate transactions! Most of the time, though, the only thing anyone truly cares about is the closing.

As a ​REALTOR®​, you’re always on your phone, right? It’s just the nature of your job. You need to check messages, clients call at odd times, and timely responses are essential.​

If it were a perfect world, all of your clients would be happy, cheerful people who don’t have anything against paneling, are totally okay with wall-to-wall pink shag carpeting and detest natural light.

Paperwork. It’s a necessary evil in the life of a ​REALTOR®. WPaperwork. It’s a necessary evil in the life of a ​REALTOR®.

The process of buying and selling real estate can sometimes be pretty darn lengthy, especially if your title company isn’t pro-actively trying to do everything they can to prevent any setbacks.

You’ve got a lot on your plate. The last thing you need is a title company that’s not willing to do what it takes to help you out. Luckily, there’s Sun Title. We’re not like other places.

Finding the perfect house for clients is certainly never easy. Sometimes compromises need to be made and often it comes down to the epic battle of basement vs. bathroom options.

It’s an ancient Realtor® secret: freshly-baked cookies makes a house smell like home, and clients with tummies full of delicious cookies are just plain happier and willing to overlook the fact that the cookies are in a really small kitchen.

There’s nothing worse than opening that front door to show a house and the client shrieks at the site of any other type of countertop besides granite, or (gasp) non-stainless steel appliances.

Quirky homeowner hobbies on display, falling through a front porch step, getting lost in the brambles of a front yard, and being chased by rambunctious dogs – this is the stuff that makes up Realtor® nightmares, but even showing the perfect house can have its problems – like not being able to get in it, for instance.

Cyber fraud is unhinged and has hit an epic level in real estate transactions. Wire fraud activity increased 480% last year in the title industry alone and cyber crime is estimated to reach $2T by the end of 2019.

Cyber fraud is unhinged and has hit an epic level in real estate transactions. We saw a significant change in the level of sophistication and precision last summer and it has only gotten worse.

With home prices rising more than 10% on average last year and inventory levels at historical lows, this is a great year to sell your home and maximize your value.

Traditional wisdom has told us that selling a home in the winter isn’t worth the effort, but that may not necessarily always be the case.

If you are considering selling your home, finding the right real estate agent is critical. You want to find the “Get It Done” agent in your area – the type of agent who lives and breathes real estate and has an intimate knowledge not just of your neighborhood but also with the surrounding community.

Knowing the value of your home is critical before offering for sale. There are several ways to determine the value of your home.

Numerous publications and entities find congruence in the fact there’s a lot to like about West Michigan. From beer to beaches, West Michigan’s many indelible qualities are well on display.

You know that Sun Title is passionate about delivering the best possible closing experience ever, but what if you don’t get to choose?

Congrats! You bought a house, you’re super pumped, can’t wait to close on it, move in and make it your own, but then there’s the issue of (imagine scary music here) the closing documents.

Well, this is exciting – at least it was a couple of hours ago when it began. It’s closing day and all you really want is to be handed the keys to your new front door, but since the title company isn’t Sun Title, instead you’re being handed more paperwork to sign.