May 29, 2026
Federal Drug Forfeiture Interests That Cloud Arizona Titles Without a Court Judgment
In Arizona, the DEA can file a lis pendens on property tied to drug activity before any judgment—and it survives foreclosure sales.
Read more →TitlePin Blog
Title research guides for
real estate investors
Jurisdiction-specific guides on foreclosure title risks, lien priority, and what survives the auction sale — written for investors who bid at courthouse steps, trustee sales, and online auctions.
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May 28, 2026
When the County Health Department Files a Meth Lab Remediation Lien: Missouri's Hidden Foreclosure Risk
Missouri counties can file remediation liens that survive sheriff's sales. A $47,000 cleanup bill became one investor's nightmare.
Read more →May 27, 2026
The Missing Certificate of Occupancy That Kills Your Funding at Closing
A missing CO means your lender's collateral is legally uninhabitable. Here's why this kills deals at the wire and how to catch it earlier.
Read more →May 26, 2026
The Unpermitted Addition That Triggers Mandatory Demolition by Code
Unpermitted structures can trigger demolition orders that survive foreclosure — and the cost falls on whoever holds title when enforcement begins.
Read more →May 25, 2026
The Historic Preservation Covenant That Survives Foreclosure and Kills Your Renovation Budget
A deed covenant from 1987 can block your gut rehab in 2024 — and the foreclosure sale didn't extinguish it.
Read more →May 24, 2026
The Conservation Easement That Kills Your Development Plans Permanently
Agricultural conservation easements run with the land forever, blocking subdivision and development regardless of zoning changes or new ownership.
Read more →May 23, 2026
The Oil and Gas Lease That Binds Your Foreclosure Purchase for 20 More Years
Mineral leases run with the land and survive foreclosure. That foreclosure flip in shale country may come with a decades-long production agreement you can't terminate.
Read more →May 22, 2026
The Severed Mineral Rights That Let Someone Drill Through Your Foundation
Mineral estates severed in the 1950s can still grant drilling access today. Your foreclosure deed won't mention them.
Read more →May 21, 2026
The Solar Lease Fixture Filing That Survives Your Foreclosure Purchase
UCC fixture filings on solar equipment create security interests that survive foreclosure—and the panels stay bolted to your roof.
Read more →May 20, 2026
The Prescriptive Easement That Survived Your Foreclosure Purchase
A neighbor's decades-old path across the property became a legal easement before the mortgage existed — and your foreclosure deed can't extinguish it.
Read more →May 19, 2026
The Unrecorded Easement That Lets Your Neighbor Block Your Development
Prescriptive and implied easements don't appear in title searches but survive foreclosure and can halt your project cold.
Read more →May 18, 2026
The Life Estate Deed That Survives Your Foreclosure Purchase
A remainderman's interest in a life estate isn't extinguished by foreclosure of the life tenant's debt. Here's what actually transfers at auction.
Read more →May 17, 2026
The Revoked Power of Attorney That Voids Your Deed
A POA revoked days before signing can render your foreclosure deed void — and standard searches won't catch the revocation document.
Read more →May 16, 2026
The Minor Grantor Problem That Can Unwind Your Entire Chain of Title
A deed signed by someone under 18 is voidable, not void — meaning the now-adult grantor can disaffirm years later and reclaim the property.
Read more →May 15, 2026
The Zombie HELOC That Survives Your Foreclosure Purchase
A HELOC with an open draw period can survive first mortgage foreclosure and leave you holding a valid second lien you thought was wiped out.
Read more →May 14, 2026
The Forged Satisfaction That Resurrects a 'Paid Off' Mortgage
A recorded satisfaction of mortgage means nothing if the signature was forged. The original lien survives, and you just bought the problem.
Read more →May 13, 2026
The Reverse Mortgage Death That Derails Your Foreclosure Purchase
When a reverse mortgage borrower dies during foreclosure, the loan becomes immediately due and a new lien priority battle begins.
Read more →May 10, 2026
The Open Building Permit That Makes Your Acquisition Uninsurable
An unclosed permit from 2019 can block your title policy and force you to inherit code violations you never caused.
Read more →May 7, 2026
The PACE Lien That Survives Your First Mortgage Foreclosure
PACE assessments maintain super-priority over first mortgages in foreclosure. Here's how investors get blindsided by five-figure energy liens.
Read more →May 4, 2026
The Federal Estate Tax Lien That Attaches Without Anyone Filing Anything
IRC §6324 creates an automatic lien on inherited property the moment of death — no recording required. Here's why your title search won't find it.
Read more →May 1, 2026
The Easement That Means Someone Else Has Rights to Your Property
Utility easements, drainage rights-of-way, and access easements are permanent encumbrances on title. They survive every sale and foreclosure, and they can eliminate the improvements you planned.
Read more →April 29, 2026
Child Support Arrears Can Become a Lien on Real Property
Unpaid child support is not just a personal obligation — in most states it automatically becomes a judgment lien on any real property the obligor owns, and it may survive a foreclosure.
Read more →April 27, 2026
The Medicaid Estate Recovery Lien That Appears After the Owner Dies
When a Medicaid recipient dies, the state can file a claim against their estate — including any real property — to recover the cost of long-term care. That claim can survive a probate transfer and attach to the foreclosure sale.
Read more →April 25, 2026
The Deed Restriction That Voids Your Renovation Plans
Deed restrictions and restrictive covenants recorded decades ago can still prohibit uses, limit density, or bar certain improvements — and a foreclosure sale does not remove them.
Read more →April 23, 2026
The Special Assessment District Charge You'll Pay for the Next 20 Years
Special improvement and utility districts can levy annual assessments that run with the land — and most foreclosure investors never see them until the first tax bill arrives.
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