Clear title
Title with no liens, disputes, or unresolved issues. What every buyer wants. Getting to clear title is a big part of what happens between contract and closing.
Every term like this one lights up in the step you're on.
Free to set up. No credit card.Part 1 of 4
Why a seller cares
Clear title is what you are contractually promising to deliver at closing. Everything the title search turns up, a lien, a judgment, an old mortgage never released, stands between you and it.
Part 2 of 4
A simple example
The title commitment lists a paid-off mortgage from 2009 that was never released of record, and a $700 water bill. Both have to go before closing.
| What is on the commitment | How it clears |
|---|---|
| An old mortgage never released | The lender issues a release, or the title company obtains one |
| An unpaid utility bill with a lien | Paid from your proceeds at closing |
| Nothing but the standard exceptions | Clear title; the buyer's lender can proceed |
Clear title is not the absence of history. It is every item on the list resolved by closing.
Part 3 of 4
What people get wrong
That title is clear because you have never had a problem. The search reads the county's records, not your memory, and it finds what was recorded.
Part 4 of 4 · where to read next
Where it appears in the sale
What a definition is, and what it isn't
Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.
Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish
One piece of your sale. Here is where all the pieces live.
In your room, this word explains itself where it appears.
Keighbor keeps your whole home sale in one place and defines every term like this one right where you meet it, in the step you're on. Free to set up, with or without an agent.