Prices
How much does a title report or title search cost?
By the U.S. Title Research team. Updated 2026-11-10. General information, not legal advice.
At U.S. Title Research a title report costs one flat price set by your situation: $395 for one auction property, $449 for a home buyer or home seller, $595 per estate for probate, $695 per property for real estate law firms, and $995 for the first parcel of a development site. There is no hourly billing.
Title search and title report prices by situation
The price of a title search and the price of the title report it produces are the same thing here: you pay once, for the search, the verification and the written report together.
- Probate law firm (estate and probate attorneys): $595 per estate. First property included. $395 for each additional property. Order this report.
- Real estate law firm (transaction and litigation attorneys): $695 per property. One complete report for one property. Order this report.
- Builders and developers (builders, developers and land acquisition teams): $995 first parcel. $495 for each additional parcel. Custom quote over 5 parcels. Order this report.
- Auction buyer (foreclosure, sheriff and tax deed bidders): $395 for 1 property. 3 properties for $1,175. 5 properties for $1,950. Order this report.
- Home buyer (cash, FSBO, land contract and private-sale buyers): $449 per property. One complete report for one property. Order this report.
- Home seller (owners about to list or sell): $449 per property. One complete report for one property. Order this report.
The price is shown again in the order summary before you pay, and payment is by card through Stripe Checkout.
What does the price include?
Every package starts from the same in-depth standard, so the price always covers:
- Chain of title as far back as the county's records go
- Document images for every key instrument, retrieved even when the recording office has not digitized them
- Findings verified directly with the assessor, tax office, recorder and courts
- Recorded easements, building permits and a state-specific analysis
- A plain-language summary page: what we found, what it means, what to do next
- Questions answered free after delivery, plus one complimentary update within 12 months on request
Nothing on that list is an add-on. Each package then adds the research its situation needs, which is why a report for a probate estate and a report for an auction bid are priced differently.
What changes the cost of a title search?
Within this price list, only the number of properties changes what you pay.
- Probate law firm: $595 per estate. First property included. $395 for each additional property.
- Builders and developers: $995 first parcel. $495 for each additional parcel. Custom quote over 5 parcels.
- Auction buyer: $395 for 1 property. 3 properties for $1,175. 5 properties for $1,950.
- Real estate law firm, home buyer and home seller: priced per property.
The county does not change the price, and neither does the age of the records. A parcel whose older deeds exist only on microfilm costs the same as one whose records are all online. What a difficult county can change is the time, which is why turnaround is stated as 1 to 3+ days.
Why do title search prices differ so much between providers?
Mostly because the word covers very different amounts of work. When you compare quotes, ask what is being searched and what you receive.
- How far back the search goes. A search limited to the current owner is less work than a full chain of title.
- Whether anything is verified. A report read from a database is less work than one confirmed with the assessor, the tax office, the recorder and the courts.
- Whether the documents are included. A list of recording references is less work than the document images themselves.
- Whether anyone explains it. A printout is less work than a written summary of what the findings mean.
Title charges at a closing are a separate matter. They usually include a title insurance premium and settlement services as well as the search, and they are set by the title insurer and the closing agent, not by a research company.
Who pays for a title search?
For a research report, the person who orders it pays, at the time of ordering. That is usually the person who has to make the decision: the bidder before an auction, the buyer before a private purchase, the seller before listing, or the attorney for a client's matter.
At a closing, who pays the title charges is set by the purchase contract and local practice, and it differs from place to place. That question belongs to the contract and the closing agent.
Questions about title search cost
How much does a title search cost?
Flat prices by situation: $395 for 1 property for an auction buyer, $449 per property for a home buyer or home seller, $595 per estate for probate, $695 per property for real estate law firms and $995 first parcel for builders and developers.
Is there a faster option for a higher price?
No. There is no faster paid option. You enter your deadline when you order, and if it cannot be met we tell you in writing before work begins.
Can I get a title search for free?
You can search many county indexes yourself at no charge, because land records are public. What a paid search adds is completeness across every index and office, the document images, verification with the offices that hold the records, and a written explanation.
Are there extra fees for documents or copies?
No. Document images for every key instrument are included in the price.
What if I need more than one property searched?
First property included. $395 for each additional property. $495 for each additional parcel. Custom quote over 5 parcels. 3 properties for $1,175. 5 properties for $1,950. Other packages are priced per property.
What is your refund policy?
Refund requests are handled in writing by email, referencing the order number. The grounds are set out in the refund policy linked in the footer of every page.