Every detail of a Florida closing, handled.
From the first contract review to the final disbursement, Balanced Title delivers full-service residential title and settlement work across Southwest Florida — start to finish, by one calm team.
Owner's & Lender's Policies
Protection that lasts as long as you own the home.
Florida is a "promulgated" state — title insurance premiums are set by statute, not by the title agent. So no matter which agent you choose, the rate is the same. What differs is the work behind the policy.
Our underwriting examination starts with a 30-year chain-of-title and works forward through every recorded instrument. We surface defects before they become surprises: misindexed deeds, open mortgages, unreleased liens, judgments, and break-in-chain issues that quietly survive a casual search.
What's covered
- Forgery, fraud, and undisclosed heirs
- Unreleased mortgages and liens of record
- Encroachments and survey-related defects
- Defective recordings and chain breaks
- Access rights and easement issues
How premiums work
Florida's promulgated rate is $5.75 per $1,000 for the first $100,000 of coverage and $5.00 per $1,000 on amounts between $100,000 and $1,000,000, with reduced rates above. A simultaneous-issue lender's policy is just $25 when issued alongside an owner's policy. Run the numbers on our net sheet calculator.
Residential Closings
The closing table, choreographed.
A Florida residential closing pulls in a long list of moving parts — buyer, seller, two agents, lender, inspector, surveyor, HOA, payoff department, hazard insurer, and the courthouse. Our job is to keep all of them aligned to a single calendar and a single, accurate closing statement.
Inside the file
- Contract review and key-date calendar (inspection, financing, closing)
- Earnest-money intake into FDIC-insured escrow
- Lender package coordination and CD reconciliation
- HOA / condo estoppel orders & payoff requests
- Final walkthrough confirmation and table scheduling
- Wire-fraud-protected disbursements with same-day confirmations
Where we close
In-office in SW Florida, mobile at your kitchen table, or fully online via Remote Online Notarization (RON) — whichever fits your week.
Escrow & Trust Funds
Your funds, kept exactly where they should be.
Earnest money and closing proceeds sit in a Florida-licensed, segregated escrow trust account — never commingled, fully reconciled, and available for an immediate audit at any point in the file.
- FDIC-insured deposit accounts with daily reconciliation
- Wire-fraud verification protocol on every outbound disbursement
- Documented escrow ledger delivered with every closing package
- Multiple-deposit handling for new construction and 1031 exchanges
Title Examination
Clean closings start with thorough searches.
Every file at Balanced Title runs both a chain-of-title search at the county Clerk of Court and a full municipal lien search through the city or county's code-enforcement, utility, and special-assessment records. Two passes, two sources, one clear picture.
What we examine
- 30-year chain of title and instrument indexing
- Open mortgages, judgments, and federal/state tax liens
- HOA and condo association liens & assessments
- Code-enforcement violations and unpaid utility balances
- Open and expired permits, special-district assessments
- Easements, restrictions, and recorded encroachments
Coverage spans all 67 Florida counties — with hands-on familiarity in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, and Sarasota.
Refinance Closings
Refinancing? Save on title with our reissue rate.
If you've owned your home for less than three years, Florida's reissue rate can cut your lender's title premium by up to 40%. We apply it automatically — no need to ask.
- Lender-direct intake from over 40 SW Florida banks & credit unions
- 14-day average from order to funding for most refis
- HELOC, cash-out, and first-mortgage refinances
- Mobile and remote signings standard
Mobile Notary & RON
Sign where you are. Close on schedule.
Schedules don't always cooperate with the closing table. Our licensed Florida notaries travel across Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Sarasota counties — and our RON platform lets you sign from anywhere in the U.S., with state-approved identity verification and tamper-evident e-signatures.
- Mobile signings at home, office, hospital or hotel
- Florida-approved Remote Online Notarization (RON)
- KBA & credential analysis identity verification
- Tamper-evident audit trail on every signed document
For-Sale-By-Owner Closings
FSBO closings, fully supported.
Selling to a friend, a family member, or a private buyer? We can prepare the FAR/BAR contract, addenda, deed, and closing statement, and walk both parties through the entire process — calmly and at the promulgated title rate.
- FAR/BAR contract preparation and review
- Deed drafting (warranty, special warranty, quit-claim, lady-bird)
- Side-by-side guidance for first-time private sellers
- Recording and post-closing follow-through
Commercial & Multi-Family
From SFRs to small commercial.
Beyond single-family residences, we handle small-cap commercial, multi-family, vacant land, and 1031 exchange closings across SW Florida — with proportionate care for entity formation, operating agreements, and assignment of contract.
- Multi-family (2–8 unit) and small commercial closings
- Vacant land and new-construction lot purchases
- 1031 like-kind exchange coordination
- LLC formation & entity-buyer documentation