For homeowners
After you close, your mailbox fills up with offers. Companies pull your name, purchase price, loan amount and lender from public records. Most of it is legal, but much of it is overpriced or misleading. Here's what to ignore, and what's worth doing.
Offer #1
One of the most common mailings comes from official-sounding companies, often made to look like a government office or law firm, offering to send you a copy of your deed. They'll send it, but they charge far more than it's worth.
You don't need it. Your closing attorney mails you the original deed for free once it's recorded at the courthouse, usually 30 to 60 days after closing. The Clerk of Superior Court can also print a copy for about fifty cents a page.
Georgia Move clients can request a copy of their deed from us anytime. Just tell us the property address.
Offer #2
You'll likely get letters offering mortgage insurance, sometimes called mortgage protection or mortgage life insurance. It pays off your mortgage if you pass away. (Don't confuse it with title insurance, which you already have if you bought it at closing, or the PMI your lender may require.)
These mailers often print your lender's name and loan amount so they look like they came from your lender. Most come from independent third parties, and many of the companies behind them have weak financial-strength ratings.
Worth doing
Georgia's Filing Activity Notification System (FANS), run by the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority, is a free early warning system for your property records. If anyone tries to fraudulently transfer your deed, or a contractor files an unexpected lien in your name, you get an alert so you can act right away.
Not sure about a letter?
Always be skeptical of unsolicited mail. If you're ever wondering whether an offer is real, a rip-off or a scam, text or email a photo of it to your Georgia Move agent. We're happy to help long after closing.