The Closing Itself
Questions to Ask a Florida Title Company Before You Open a File
Direct answer
Before you open a Florida title file, ask who will hold the earnest money, who the contract says will pay for title insurance, which county the land is in, and how you will confirm a wire. Time to Close Title opens the file from the fully executed contract. A text that you are under contract does not start the search. The office is at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609. Call (352) 792-1214 to confirm wiring instructions. We close purchases, refinances, and cash sales for land in Hernando, Pasco, and Citrus. On a sale we close, we record the deed after funding, in the county where the land sits. A quitclaim we only prepare is recorded by the client. We do not set the title premium, and the contract decides who pays it.
Key takeaways
- The file opens from the fully executed contract, not from a text or a draft.
- Who pays for title insurance is in the contract. Florida law does not assign it.
- Confirm every wire by calling (352) 792-1214. An email is not confirmation.
- Ask which county the land is in. Recording is with that county's clerk, not at the Spring Hill office.
- On a sale we close, we record the deed after funding. A prepare-only quitclaim is recorded by the client.
Which questions belong in the contract before the file opens?
The useful questions are the ones the contract can answer. Who holds the earnest money. Who pays for the owner's title policy. Which county the land is in. Who has to sign. How a wire will be confirmed. Time to Close Title can tell you how we work. We cannot fill in a contract that is already silent on those points.
Send the fully executed contract the day it is signed, with a contact sheet. That packet is described in what realtors send on day one. A draft, a missing addendum, or a text that the parties are under contract does not open the search. If you are buying your first Florida house, the weeks after that email are in first-time buyer steps.
| Question | The answer that belongs in the file | What does not answer it |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the earnest money? | The contract names the holder and the amount | An agent's text after the contract is signed |
| Who pays for title insurance? | The contract names who pays the owner's policy and the lender's policy | A statement that Florida law assigns it |
| Which county is the land in? | The county of the legal description | The mailing city on the listing |
| Who has to sign? | Every owner, plus a homestead spouse when one must join | Whoever is easiest to reach on signing day |
| How is a wire confirmed? | A call to (352) 792-1214 before the money moves | An account number that arrived only by email |
What should you ask about the calendar and the search?
A financed purchase usually takes 30 to 45 days from the executed contract. Cash can take 7 to 21 days when title is clear. A refinance usually takes 21 to 30 days. Those ranges are in how long a Florida closing takes. The date in the contract is a target until the search, the loan, and municipal items are clear. A refinance has no seller and usually no new deed. Read refinance title work versus a purchase.
On a loan, the lender issues a Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you sign. We do not issue that form. Read what a Closing Disclosure is. A cash file uses a settlement statement. Read cash versus a financed closing. The title search lists what is already of record. An open mortgage, a judgment, and unpaid property taxes each have their own payoff. Read clearing a judgment, tax lien, or old mortgage. An association has 10 business days after it receives the estoppel request. Read HOA and condo estoppels. Florida title premiums follow Rule 69O-186.003. We quote the premium on the file. This article does not publish a rate card. Read what title insurance costs.
30 to 45 days
A typical financed purchase from the executed contract to signing.
7 to 21 days
Cash, when title is clear and both sides are ready.
3 business days
How early the lender's Closing Disclosure must be in hand on a loan.
What do you send once those answers are in the contract?
Who pays is the contract. Read who pays for title insurance. Wiring instructions are confirmed by calling (352) 792-1214 or toll-free 888-228-0555. Do not use a number or an account that arrived only by email. Read wire fraud at a Florida closing. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Email info@TimetoCloseTitle.com or contact the office.
Recording is with the clerk of the county where the land sits. Hernando Official Records are in Brooksville. Pasco records are in Dade City and New Port Richey. Citrus records are in Inverness. The Spring Hill office prepares the file. It is not the clerk's recording counter. Read Spring Hill title and recording. On a sale we close, we submit the deed for recording after good funds. A quitclaim we only prepare is recorded by the client, who also pays the documentary stamp tax and the clerk's recording fee. Read Florida quitclaim deeds. If someone will sign by power of attorney, send that document with the contract. It has to specifically grant the deed or the mortgage. We do not write it. Read power of attorney at a Florida closing.
Put the five answers in the contract
Name who holds the earnest money, who pays for title insurance, the county, every signer, and that wires are confirmed by phone.
Send the executed contract the same day
Include every addendum and a contact sheet. A draft or a text does not open the search.
Name anything that changes who signs
A spouse, a trust, an estate, a power of attorney, a judgment, or a second loan belongs in the first email.
Call before you wire
Confirm the instructions at (352) 792-1214. Do not use an account number that arrived only by email.
We record after funding on a sale we close
The deed goes to the clerk of the county where the land sits. A quitclaim we only prepare is recorded by the client.
Frequently asked questions
Can you open the file from a draft contract?
No. The search starts from the fully executed contract and every addendum. We can answer these questions before it is signed. A draft, or a text that you are under contract, does not open the file.
Do you decide who pays for title insurance?
No. The purchase contract does. Florida law does not assign the owner's policy to the seller or the lender's policy to the buyer. A common custom is that split. Put the split in the contract. Read who pays for title insurance.
Is the Spring Hill office where the deed is recorded?
No. We prepare the file at 3087 Anderson Snow Road, Spring Hill, FL 34609. Recording is with the clerk of the county where the land sits: Hernando in Brooksville, Pasco in Dade City and New Port Richey, and Citrus in Inverness. On a sale we close, we submit the deed after funding.
How do I know a wire instruction is real?
Call (352) 792-1214 or 888-228-0555 and read the instructions back. Use a number from this site, your realtor, or a prior closing packet. Do not use a number or an account that appeared only in the email you are checking. Read wire fraud at a Florida closing.
What if a signer cannot come to the office?
Someone can sign from another state, and a power of attorney can sign when it specifically grants the deed or the mortgage. Send that document with the contract so it can be reviewed. We do not write the power of attorney. Read using a power of attorney and who attends a Florida closing.
What if I already know about a judgment or an old mortgage?
Say so in the first email, with the lender name, the loan number, or the case name. We order the creditor's figure. A coupon or last year's statement is not that figure. Read clearing a judgment, tax lien, or old mortgage.
Does a refinance use the same questions?
Ask who the new lender is, whether anyone must sign who is not on the note, and how the payoff will be ordered. There is usually no earnest money and no new deed. The new lender still needs a new title policy. A loan on a principal dwelling can also have a right to cancel after signing. Read refinance versus a purchase closing.