I remember the days when you could rely on your Title Company to make sure every document was precisely what it needed to be and every figure was exact. Like so many other aspects of daily life, the work of Title Companies of late has become unreliable.

In just the last 3 closings I have had 2 where the title company didn't even get around to closing them on the scheduled day (they were mail-aways). They didn't even attempt to tell anyone that they didn't get it closed on the specific day - they just pretended that any day for closing would be just fine and shouldn't affect anyone. They used the excuse that they were very busy.

On the paperwork of one closing, the seller's name and address were misspelled and the address of the property was incorrect on the Deed! In a third closing, the pro-ration for homeowner's fees was incorrect and the Title Company forgot to charge the buyer any fee for closing at all (for which I promptly thanked them).

So make sure you go over the HUD statement with your Buyer's Agent (or your Listing Agent for that matter) BEFORE you get to the closing table. You need someone looking out for you and a Buyer's Agent will do just that.  When purchasing a home, the seller typically chooses the Title Company (and pays for the Title Insurance) so the buyer is stuck with their choice.  With all the foreclosures, you can end up with a Title Company that is not even in the same county as your property.

Buying and selling real estate can be tricky. It is not something that just anyone can do for themselves. An experienced Buyer's Agent can be worth their weight in gold.