How to choose a title company

For most people, buying or selling a home will be the biggest and most complex transaction of their lives.
Real estate sales can be complicated and filled with pressure to get the deal done, and even the smallest mistake can cause major headaches. Last-minute issues can add unwanted drama in the best cases and completely scuttle the deal, perhaps leading to legal issues, in the worst cases.
That's why it's important to find a qualified and experienced title company to help ensure your transaction goes through as expected.

REPUTATION
Quality title companies will develop a good reputation with real estate agents and attorneys in your area. One of the best ways to pick a title company is simply to ask around.
Get several recommendations from Realtors or other real estate experts in your community. See which title companies they prefer and why.
Because title companies play such a key role behind the scenes in real estate sales — everything from researching the title's history to setting up escrow accounts and verifying what taxes are owed — you don't want to trust such a big job to companies without a long track record and plenty of happy clients.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
Real estate laws vary dramatically from state to state, and even each local area will have its own common practices and policies that real estate agents go through.
You want to find a title company that knows your local market very well.
The best title companies will do an excellent job in three areas: quality, speed and service. Having a company that knows your local area, including all the players involved from the Realtors to the courthouse employees, will go a long way toward helping things run smoothly at the closing table.
If a problem or question arises, the employees at your title company should already have good, long-established relationships with the people who can get an issue resolved. 
They should be able to work quickly, of course, but it's even more important to get all the details correct.

LOCATION
Depending on your state or local practices, the title company will likely be the place where your real estate deal gets closed. You'll have to physically go to the closing table to sign all the documents, so the office location and hours are important to think about.
Even if you close at a site other than the title company — at an attorney's office, for example — having an easy-to-access title company at hand can be an asset. 
All things equal, you'll want to pick a company with a convenient office location that will make you feel comfortable.

FEES
Finally, you should have a clear understanding of all the applicable costs and fees up front.
Some of these charges may be negotiable, while others may be set in stone. Your Realtor can help you navigate through all the title-related costs to make sure you're being charged reasonable rates for the services provided.
Choosing a title company based only on their fees, though, isn't a good idea. It's much more important that they do the job right than to do it cheaply, so don't try to pinch pennies too much. You may find it wasn't worth it if problems arise or if the cheaper title company doesn't offer fast, friendly and competent service.
In the end, it's important to trust the judgement of professionals. Talk to the real estate experts in your area to pick the best title company you can, because they're the ones who deal with title companies every day.