Am I Eligible to File?

You must meet the following requirements:

• Legal or beneficial title to the property recorded in the Official Records of the county where the property resides
• Reside on the property
• Be a permanent resident of the State of Florida
• Be a United States citizen or possess a Permanent Residence Card (green card)

How Do I Apply?

You may complete an application form online, by mail or in person by March 1st of the year for which you are applying. Check with your local property appraiser’s office for specific instructions on how to file in your county.
http://floridarevenue.com/property/Pages/LocalOfficials.aspx

What Information Do I Need To Provide?

To apply for homestead exemption by mail or in person, you must submit a copy of the following documents:

1. Florida Driver’s License or Florida Identification Card and at least one of the following:
   • Florida Vehicle Registration
   • Florida Voter Registration Card
   • Recorded Declaration of Domicile (affidavit of residency obtained through the County Compt roller’s Office)
2. Social Security numbers are required for all owners making application and their spouses, even if the spouse does not own and/or reside on the property.
3. If you are not a United States Citizen, your Permanent Residence (green) Card (front and back).

When Do I Apply?

Filing for homestead exemption begins January 1st and ends March 1st. All exemption applications for that year must be filed no later than March 1st. You may also pre-file for the following year from March 2nd through December 31st.

The post What is Homestead Exemption? appeared first on American Dream Title Company.

Owner’s title insurance protects your right to your home.

By searching, clearing and insuring the title to your home before you buy it, your owner’s title policy offers protection for your property rights for as long as you and your heirs own your home.
If ownership of your property ever comes into question, an owner’s title insurance policy protects you from expensive legal problems that could result in the loss of your home.

How Title Insurance Works:

As property changes hands, mistakes and irregularities – often made long before you expressed interest in the property – can place your ownership in dispute. The seller may have…

• Avoided disclosure of using the property as collateral for an unpaid loan
• Fraudulently claimed to be the sole owner
• Failed to pay real estate taxes

Even a simple mistake in the recording of legal documents, improper execution of legal instruments or the reappearance of undisclosed or missing heirs can result in the loss of your home.

Title Insurance: The Ultimate Property Protection

If ownership of your property is ever challenged, title insurance will defend your possession of the property–and assume the legal costs of that defense–for as long as you and your heirs own the property. What’s more, if any challenge to your property’s title proves to be legitimate, title insurance will pay for your losses, just as your title insurance policy provides.

20 Important Reasons Why You Need Owner’s Title Insurance

1. Forgery
2. Fraud in the execution of documents
3. Undue influence on a grantor
4. False impersonation by someone purporting to be the owner of the property
5. Errors in surveys
6. Undisclosed or missing heirs
7. Wills not properly probated
8. Fraud in the execution of documents
9. Mental incompetence of a grantor of a deed
10. Transfer of title by a minor
11. Heirs born after the execution of a will
12. Incorrect legal descriptions
13. Non-delivery of deeds
14. Unsatisfied claims not shown on the record
15. Deeds executed under expired or false
    powers of attorney
16. Confusion due to similar or identical names
17. Dower or courtesy rights of spouses of
    former owners
18. Incorrect indexing of the land records
19. Clerical errors in recording legal documents
20. Delivery of deeds after the death of the
    Grantor

We will dive deeper into each of these reasons in upcoming articles, so be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

The post 20 Important Reasons Why You Need Owner’s Title Insurance appeared first on American Dream Title Company.