What Is a Title Commitment and Why It Matters
Before you close on a home, the title company hands you a document called a title commitment. Here's what it means and what to look for.
A couple I worked with last spring — relocating from Fort Huachuca to buy their first civilian home in Sierra Vista — called me the week before closing. They'd just received a thick packet from the title company and had no idea what to do with it. "Frank, what's a title commitment and do we actually need to read this thing?"
Yes. You need to read it. Let me explain why.
The Simple Version
A title commitment is basically a promise from the title company. They're saying: We've researched the history of this property, and here's what we found. If everything checks out the way we expect, we'll issue you a title insurance policy at closing.
Think of it like a pre-approval letter — but for the property's legal history instead of your finances. The title company is committing to insure you, contingent on certain conditions being met.
What's Actually Inside It
Title commitments are usually split into a few schedules — that's just a fancy word for sections.
- Schedule A covers the basics: the property address, the purchase price, who the current owner is, and what type of policy will be issued.
- Schedule B-I lists the requirements — things that must happen before the title company will issue the policy. This might include paying off an existing mortgage, clearing up an old lien, or getting a release from a previous owner's estate.
- Schedule B-II lists the exceptions — things the title insurance policy will NOT cover. This is the section most buyers skip, and that's a mistake.
A Real Example From Southern Arizona
I had a transaction last year on a rural property outside Benson. The title commitment came back with an exception for an agricultural easement running along the back of the lot. The sellers had known about it for years and never thought to mention it. My buyers almost missed it entirely.
That easement meant a neighboring rancher had the legal right to move cattle across part of the property twice a year. Not a dealbreaker for my clients — but it would've been a nasty surprise if they'd built a fence without knowing.
Another common one around here: water rights. In Cochise County, water is serious business. I've seen title commitments with exceptions tied to shared well agreements or irrigation district claims. You want to know about those before you sign at the closing table, not after.
Common Mistakes I See
Ignoring the exceptions. Most buyers skim right past Schedule B-II. Don't. Those exceptions are the limits of your coverage. If something's listed there, title insurance won't protect you from it.
Confusing the commitment with the policy. The commitment is the promise to insure. The actual title insurance policy doesn't exist until closing. They're related but not the same thing.
Assuming it means the title is clean. A title commitment isn't a green light. It's a report on what the title company found and a list of what still needs to be resolved. Those Schedule B-I requirements need to be satisfied before closing can happen.
Why This Matters Especially for Military Buyers
If you're PCS-ing to Fort Huachuca and buying quickly — which I completely understand, because orders don't wait — you might be tempted to let the paperwork blur together. I get it. But the title commitment is worth 20 minutes of your time. Have your agent walk you through it line by line. That's part of my job, and I take it seriously.
Your Practical Next Step
When your title commitment arrives — usually within a few days of going under contract — don't set it aside. Send it to your agent and ask these three questions:
- Are there any requirements in Schedule B-I that could delay closing?
- What are the exceptions in Schedule B-II, and do any of them affect how I plan to use the property?
- Is there anything here I should ask the seller to resolve before we close?
A good agent will have answers. If they don't, that's a problem worth knowing about before you hand over your down payment.
Title commitments aren't exciting reading — I'll be the first to admit that. But they're one of the few documents in a real estate transaction that actually protect you. Give it the attention it deserves.