What Is a Title Report and What Does It Show?
Published by Cash Flow Deals · Last updated 2026-08-04 · Published and reviewed for compliance by Camilo Palacio, a Florida Licensed Realtor
A title report is a document that lays out who legally owns a property and lists everything attached to that ownership: liens, easements, unpaid taxes, and any claim that could get in the way of a clean sale. Every closing runs through one before money changes hands, whether the seller is listing traditionally or working with a company like Cash Flow Deals for a locked net-price sale.
| Factor | Reading the Report Yourself | Asking a Title Company or Attorney |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding legal language | Liens, easements, and encumbrances are written in title-industry shorthand that takes real study to parse correctly | A title officer or real estate attorney can translate every line and flag what actually matters for your sale |
| Catching deal-breaking issues | Easy to miss a lien or boundary dispute buried in county records | Title companies run the chain-of-title search professionally and catch what a quick self-check often won't |
| Cost | Free if you pull county records yourself, but takes hours | Typically a few hundred dollars, usually bundled into standard closing costs |
What a Title Report Actually Contains
A standard title report includes the property's legal description, the current owner's name, the tax parcel number, and a plat map showing the property's boundaries and dimensions. It also lists every recorded lien, mortgage, easement, and restriction attached to the property, along with whether current property taxes are paid or outstanding. Anything the title company finds that it won't cover under a future title insurance policy gets listed separately as an exception.
Title Report vs Title Insurance: Not the Same Thing
A title report is the research. Title insurance is the protection. The report is what a title company produces after searching public records for anything attached to the property, and it sets the terms for what a title insurance policy will and won't cover. Buyers and lenders read the report to understand the risk, then buy title insurance to protect against anything that search missed or that shows up later.
When a Title Report Gets Pulled During a Sale
The title company typically starts its search once a property goes under contract, running the report well before closing so any problems have time to get resolved. This step happens in essentially every home sale, whether the buyer is financing through a traditional mortgage or the seller is working through a locked net-price sale, since a lender or a title company needs a clean report before anyone signs at the closing table.
What Happens If the Report Finds a Problem
Most issues a title report turns up are routine and fixable: an old mortgage that was paid off but never formally released, a small unpaid tax bill, or a lien from a contractor that gets settled out of sale proceeds at closing. More serious issues, like an unresolved boundary dispute or a break in the chain of ownership going back generations, can take longer and sometimes need a real estate attorney to clear before the sale can close.
Common questions
Is a title report the same as title insurance?
No. The title report is the search results, a snapshot of who owns the property and what's attached to it. Title insurance is a policy you buy afterward that protects the buyer and lender if something the search missed turns up later. The report sets the terms for what that insurance will and won't cover.
Who pays for the title report?
It varies by local custom and by contract. In some markets the seller traditionally covers title costs, in others it falls to the buyer, and in many deals it's simply negotiated as part of the purchase agreement. There's no single national rule.
How long does it take to get a title report back?
Usually a few days to two weeks. A clean property with straightforward county records moves fast. A property with an old lien, a probate issue, or a break in the recorded chain of ownership can take the title company longer to research and resolve.
Can I sell my house if the title report finds a lien?
In most cases, yes. Liens typically get paid off directly out of sale proceeds at closing once the payoff amount is confirmed. It just needs to be identified early and calculated into the numbers before anyone signs, rather than discovered at the closing table.
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What this means for your options
Every path to selling a house has real tradeoffs. Cash Flow Deals is built for the middle: faster than a traditional listing, more money than a cash investor.
Wait and see
Keep the property as-is and hope conditions improve. The mortgage, insurance, and upkeep keep costing money while you wait, with no set date for things to turn around.
List with a traditional agent
Standard MLS listing, typically 5-6% in commission, and a financed buyer whose deal depends on appraisal, inspection, and lender approval — any of which can fall through after weeks on market.
Sell to Cash Flow Deals
No repairs, no showings, no financing contingency on your side — our novation structure connects you with a bank-financed buyer at a price locked at signing. Usually within one business day.
See your selling options before you decide anything.