A title company near Uptown, Highland Park and University Park: commercial deals and home closings

Aurum Title closes Uptown commercial deals and Park Cities home sales

If you are buying, selling or financing property in Uptown Dallas, Highland Park or University Park, Aurum Title is a Texas title agent at 8150 N Central Expy, Suite 1100, Dallas, TX 75206. We provide title insurance and escrow for commercial and residential real estate, and our policies are underwritten by Chicago Title, Fidelity National Title and Westcor, with appointments on the TDI record for Dallas County. You can reach the office at (214) 306-8606.

The three areas sit next to each other on the map but are not the same for a closing. Uptown is a neighborhood inside the City of Dallas, with office towers, retail, apartments and condominium buildings. Highland Park and University Park, often called the Park Cities, are separate municipalities surrounded by Dallas. What they share is the county: every deed, deed of trust and release in all three is recorded in Dallas County, so the title search, the recording and the underwriter appointments are the same.

This guide explains what changes from one area to the other, what to send the title company when your contract is signed, and how to check any title company you are considering, including us.

Separate towns, one county: what that means for title

Highland Park is the Town of Highland Park and University Park is the City of University Park. Each has its own city government, its own ordinances and its own building and permit records. Both are served by Highland Park ISD. For the title work, though, the county is what matters.

• Recording. Deeds, deeds of trust, releases, plats and liens for property in Uptown, Highland Park and University Park are all recorded in the Dallas County real property records. The title search runs there, and the closing documents are recorded there.
• Appraisal. The Dallas Central Appraisal District appraises property in all three, and its records list the taxing units for each account: the county, the city or town, the school district and any special district.
• Taxes. The title company orders a tax certificate for the property; under Texas Tax Code §31.08 a collector must issue one on request. Current-year taxes are prorated between buyer and seller on the settlement statement.
• Underwriter appointments. A title agent issues policies only where its underwriters have appointed it. Aurum's appointments on the TDI record are for Dallas County, which covers all three areas.

What does differ is the city layer. Permits, certificates of occupancy and code matters are handled by Dallas for Uptown and by each town for the Park Cities. A title policy does not insure that a building meets code, so questions about permits belong in your due diligence, not in the commitment.

Home closings in Highland Park and University Park, step by step

A Park Cities home sale follows the same Texas process as any Dallas home closing. The TREC resale contract names the title company and says who pays for the owner's policy. From there:

1. Contract and earnest money. The signed contract and the earnest money reach the title company, and the file opens.
2. Search and commitment. The Dallas County records are searched and a commitment is issued listing the exceptions (Schedule B) and the requirements to close (Schedule C).
3. Survey. The seller may provide an existing survey with a T-47 affidavit if the contract allows it, or a new survey is ordered. The survey is checked against the commitment's legal description and recorded easements.
4. Payoffs and taxes. The seller's mortgage payoff, any home equity loan and the tax certificate are ordered. If the home was recently built or remodeled, the title company asks for evidence that contractors and suppliers were paid.
5. Closing figures. The settlement statement and, for a financed buyer, the lender's Closing Disclosure are prepared.
6. Signing, funding and recording. The parties sign, good funds arrive, the deed is recorded in Dallas County and the owner's policy issues.

Each step is explained in more detail in how a Dallas home closing works. If you are paying cash, read buying a Dallas home with cash before you decide whether to buy an owner's policy. You can estimate the premium for your price with the Texas title premium calculator; it is the same at every Texas title company.

Uptown commercial deals: office, retail, mixed-use and multifamily

Uptown commercial transactions are usually between entities, often financed, and sometimes part of a 1031 exchange. The title questions that come up most are the ones every Dallas commercial deal faces, with a few that are more common in dense, mixed-use areas.

• Entity authority. The title company must confirm that the seller and buyer entities exist, are in good standing and that the signers have authority.
• Recorded agreements. Mixed-use and multi-building sites often carry reciprocal easement agreements, shared parking or access agreements and declarations. Each one appears as a Schedule B exception and should be read against the survey.
• Tenants. On income property, the policy will usually except the rights of tenants under their leases. Ask whether any lease has a purchase option or right of first refusal.
• Lender requirements. The loan policy and its endorsements are set by the lender's requirements, which should reach the title company with the order.

Our commercial title and escrow page lists the deal types we handle. For apartment buildings, see multifamily title and escrow, and for exchanges, 1031 exchange closings in Texas.

Uptown condominiums: the resale certificate

Many Uptown homes are condominium units. When a unit owner other than the developer sells a unit governed by the Texas Uniform Condominium Act, Property Code §82.157 requires the seller to give the buyer a copy of the declaration, bylaws, association rules and a resale certificate from the association. The certificate must have been prepared no more than three months before it is delivered.

The certificate lists, among other things, the regular assessment and any unpaid assessments owed by the seller, other amounts owed to the association, approved capital expenditures, reserves, unsatisfied judgments and pending suits against the association, insurance, and every fee the association charges in connection with the transfer. For the title company it matters for three reasons:

• unpaid assessments owed by the seller are collected at closing and paid to the association;
• transfer fees listed in the certificate appear on the settlement statement;
• a right of first refusal or other transfer restraint in the declaration must be dealt with before the unit can be conveyed.

The association must furnish the certificate within 10 days after a written request from the unit owner. Asking for it the day the contract is signed keeps it off the critical path.

Uptown, Highland Park and University Park side by side

What changes for a closing in each area

How to read this table: the recording column is the same in every row, so the title search and the closing documents work the same way in all three areas. The last column is where the areas differ, and it is the list to send the title company or ask your agent about on the day the contract is signed.

Where to sign and how money moves

Closings can be signed at our office at 8150 N Central Expy, Suite 1100. If a buyer or seller is out of town, signing can often be arranged by mail with a notary where they are; see closing on Dallas property from out of state.

Money moves by wire for most purchases. Wire fraud targets real estate closings everywhere, including high-value neighborhoods. We never send wiring instructions by email alone: before you wire, call (214) 306-8606 and confirm the instructions by voice. Our wire fraud warning explains what the scams look like.

When you open an order, tell us who will sign, whether anyone signs under a power of attorney or for a trust, and whether a spouse must join. Those details decide how the documents are drafted, and learning them late can push back a signing.

How to check a title company for a Park Cities or Uptown closing

Because the premium is the same everywhere, the useful checks are about the company and the people who will handle your file.

1. License. Look the company up on TDI's license search. Aurum Title Inc. is license 2752531.
2. Underwriters and county. Check that its underwriter appointments cover Dallas County. Ours are with Chicago Title, Fidelity National Title and Westcor; see underwriters and license.
3. The escrow officer. Ask who will handle your file and whether that person holds a TDI escrow officer license. Our escrow officers are Austin Pennington, Kay Alton Farr and Monday Locklear.
4. Who solves problems. Ask who looks at a lien, an heirship gap or an entity question. Aurum is owned by attorneys and a commercial finance executive, and our executive escrow officer is an attorney.
5. Fees in writing. Ask for an itemized estimate of the escrow fee and other charges, which each company sets.
6. Reviews. Read recent reviews for specifics. Aurum Title has 4.7 stars from 9 Google reviews.

Our full guide to choosing a title company in Dallas covers each check in detail. If your contract is signed, you can open a title order and an escrow officer will confirm the next steps, or see residential title and escrow for how we handle home closings.

Frequently asked questions