HOCUS BOGUS!
If someone challenges your real estate ownership, what happens if you don’t answer? Poof! You could lose your legitimate ownership rights to your property to a totally bogus claim.
Harry Potter was practicing his magic spells when he was served a very bogus claim. The neighbors in back said that his potting shed was actually on their land. Nonsense. They just didn’t like the smell of the cauldron he kept brewing in there—maybe too much eye-of-newt? You didn’t have to be a wizard to see that it was a bogus claim. So Harry decided not to respond. He didn’t know how easily he could lose his case, and his potting shed.
Harry Potter threw his invisibility cloak over the complaint and stirred toe-of-frog into his cauldron. Next he added the wool-of-bat. These were just basic ingredients, of course, but maybe he could invite the neighbors over for a cup of soup, maybe that would calm them down? They could bring the cornbread and it would almost be like a Brunswick stew party, almost.
While Harry was perusing the spice rack for tongue-of-dog, the Judge ruled in favor of the neighbors. Since Harry hadn’t offered his side of the case, there was no one else for the Judge to side with. The neighbors took over Harry’s property faster than he could cry, “Dark magic!” and converted his outdoor kitchen into a she-shed. A she-shed! Poor Harry, he didn’t even have a place to park his broomstick, the broomstick had to bunk in with the mop.
The thing is, if you don’t respond to a legal complaint, then basically you’ve admitted to those claims stated in the complaint. It doesn’t matter how bogus the complaint is, if you don’t answer, you could lose. Furthermore, if you get served, you’re going to want an attorney. An attorney knows how to make the right arguments, present the evidence correctly, and follow proper court procedure.
Attorneys ain’t cheap.
But Owners Title Insurance is.
Owners Title Insurance with proper endorsements is a one-time low cost premium at closing that covers your property for the rest of your life (yes, even if you sell the property, the policy will cover your link in the chain of title). Magic spells don’t hold up well in court, but an Owners Title Insurance policy comes with a legal team to defend your title. An Owners Title Insurance policy is a contractual obligation for legal representation, and if that legal representation fails, then you will receive the amount of the policy.
You can’t just throw an invisibility cloak over a bogus title claim to your property—you have to answer it, and the best answer is an Owners Title Insurance policy with proper title endorsements.
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