Title Transfer Document Checklist
A title-transfer document checklist — deed (warranty / quitclaim / special-warranty), title search + insurance, payoff letters, transfer-tax form, closing disclosure, ID, and a who-brings-what list.
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TITLE TRANSFER DOCUMENT CHECKLIST 218 Linden Ave, Springfield Parcel: IL-Sangamon · 16-22-204-018 Seller: James A. Henderson and Priya R. Henderson, husband and wife Buyer: Morgan Lee, a single person Closing: June 28, 2026 Closing agent: Sangamon Title — Sam Patel, escrow officer Buyer lender: Heartland Federal Credit Union DEED [ ] Executed general warranty deed — seller signs before notary [ ] Legal description matches current deed of record [ ] Grantee vesting (sole / joint / TBE / community) confirmed with buyer [ ] Original delivered to title company / closing agent for recording TITLE [ ] Title commitment / preliminary report — issued before closing [ ] Owner's title insurance policy (buyer) — premium on closing disclosure [ ] Lender's title insurance policy (if loan) [ ] All Schedule B exceptions cleared or accepted in writing PAYOFFS [ ] Seller existing-mortgage payoff letter (good through closing date + 5 days) [ ] HELOC release letter (if any) [ ] HOA estoppel letter — dues current; transfer fees stated [ ] Tax certificate — property taxes current; prorations to closing FINANCIAL [ ] Closing disclosure (CD) — buyer + seller — at least 3 days pre-close [ ] Earnest money receipt + disposition [ ] Cashier's check / wire instructions verified by phone (avoid wire fraud) GOVERNMENT [ ] State / county / city real-estate transfer-tax declaration [ ] State / county transfer-tax stamps purchased pre-recording [ ] FIRPTA affidavit (if seller is non-US person) [ ] 1099-S — title company files for seller DISCLOSURES (buyer-acknowledged) [ ] Seller property disclosure (state form) [ ] Lead-paint disclosure (pre-1978 property — federal law) [ ] Radon disclosure (where state requires — e.g. Illinois) [ ] Flood / mineral / oil-and-gas (where applicable) IDENTIFICATION [ ] Government-issued photo ID — every signer [ ] Notary acknowledgment on every deed + recordable instrument [ ] Marital-status affidavit (some states for vesting) JURISDICTION EXTRAS [ ] Illinois PTAX-203 transfer declaration [ ] Local city real-estate transfer-tax stamp [ ] Multi-family ROI affidavit (if applicable) [ ] Lead-paint disclosure (pre-1978 property) [ ] Radon disclosure (Illinois) POST-CLOSING [ ] Recorded deed returned by recorder (4–8 weeks) [ ] Title insurance policy issued (4–8 weeks) [ ] Buyer updates homeowner insurance + utility accounts [ ] Lender + tax authority address-of-record updated
About this template
A **real-property title transfer** is the most paperwork-heavy moment in most adults' financial lives, and the documents fall into seven buckets. The **deed** is the conveyance itself — a **general warranty deed** is the strongest (seller guarantees title back to its origin), a **special warranty deed** guarantees only the seller's own period of ownership, a **quitclaim** transfers whatever interest the seller has with no warranty. The deed is signed by the **seller** before a **notary**, **delivered** to the buyer, and **recorded** in the county recorder's office. **Title insurance** comes in two policies — **owner's** (the buyer's, optional in some states but bought by nearly all buyers) and **lender's** (required by the lender). Both rest on a **title commitment** that lists exceptions; clearing or accepting the Schedule B exceptions is the title-clearance work. **Payoffs** — seller's mortgage, HELOC, HOA estoppel, tax certificate — must be ordered with enough room that good-through-date covers closing. **Financial documents** — the closing disclosure (required 3 days before closing on a federally regulated mortgage), earnest money receipt, wire instructions (verified by phone, never email, because of wire-fraud schemes). **Government documents** — real-estate transfer-tax declaration (state and often county / city), transfer-tax stamps purchased before recording, FIRPTA affidavit if the seller is a non-US person, 1099-S filed by the title company. **Disclosures** — the seller property disclosure on the state form, federal lead-paint disclosure for pre-1978 properties, state-specific (Illinois radon, California Natural Hazard, Texas mineral) disclosures. **Identification** — government-issued photo ID for every signer, notary acknowledgments on every recordable instrument, marital-status affidavits in some states. After closing, the **recorded deed** comes back from the recorder in four to eight weeks, and the **title-insurance policy** issues separately. **Wire fraud is the single biggest financial risk** in this transaction; verify wire instructions by phone with the title company using a number you looked up — never one in an email.
When to use it
- Residential real-property closing — buyer + seller.
- For-sale-by-owner closing where neither party has done one before.
- Closing attorney / title company file checklist.
- Quitclaim / family transfer where the parties self-prepare.
What to include
- Deed of the correct type, signed + notarized.
- Title commitment + owner's and lender's insurance policies.
- Payoff letters and HOA / tax / lien clearances.
- Closing disclosure and verified wire instructions.
- Transfer-tax form + stamps + FIRPTA / 1099-S.
- Required disclosures (state, federal lead, state-specific).
- Notary, photo ID, recording.