THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE EASY PART

In this week’s episode of what can go wrong in real estate...

A deal was practically ready to close.

The seller was a financial institution, the documents appeared to be in order, and the next step was routine: secure a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the title from the Registry of Deeds.

Except there was one problem.

The Registry of Deeds couldn’t find the title.

Yep. The copy that was supposed to be on file was missing.

Suddenly, what looked like a straightforward transaction became a much bigger problem. Before the sale could move forward, the missing title had to go through the proper reconstitution process.

This is also why I never assume that a property is completely “clean” just because the seller is a financial institution.

Until you verify the title yourself, there can still be surprises.

Sometimes the problem isn’t with the buyer.

Sometimes it isn’t with the seller.

Sometimes... the government loses the title. 😅