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Once you're under contract on a piece of land, one of the more important documents you'll receive is the title commitment. It can look dense and technical, but understanding its basic structure helps you know what to look for and what questions to ask before closing.
What a Title Commitment Is
A title commitment is issued by a title company and outlines the conditions under which they're willing to issue title insurance for the property. It reflects the results of a title search and identifies the current state of ownership, along with any issues that need to be addressed before closing.
Schedule A: The Basics
This section typically identifies the property, the proposed insured (you, the buyer), the type of policy being offered, and the current record owner (the seller). It's worth confirming that the legal description and ownership information here matches what you expect from the contract.
Schedule B, Section 1: Requirements
This section lists what needs to happen before the title company will issue the policy — things like paying off existing liens, obtaining specific releases, or recording certain documents. These are essentially the "to-do list" items that need to be resolved before closing.
Schedule B, Section 2: Exceptions
This is often the most important section for land buyers to review carefully. It lists specific items the title policy won't cover — commonly including existing easements, mineral rights reservations, restrictive covenants, and other recorded matters affecting the property. As covered elsewhere, mineral rights status and easement details are often found here, making this section essential reading rather than something to skim past.
Reviewing Easements Listed in the Commitment
Any recorded easements — access, utility, pipeline, or otherwise — should be listed in the exceptions section. Reviewing these against your understanding of the property (and ideally against a current survey) helps confirm there aren't surprises about how the property can legally be accessed or used.
Reviewing Mineral Rights Reservations
If mineral rights have been previously reserved or conveyed separately from the surface, this should appear in the title commitment. As covered in more detail elsewhere, this is worth reviewing carefully and discussing with your title company or an attorney if mineral rights are a significant consideration for your purchase.
Reviewing Restrictive Covenants
Any recorded deed restrictions affecting the property should also appear in the exceptions section, giving you the opportunity to review them before closing rather than discovering them afterward.
What to Do If You Find Something Concerning
If the title commitment reveals an issue that concerns you — an unclear lien, an easement you weren't aware of, or mineral rights status that affects your plans — raise it directly with your title company or an attorney rather than assuming it will resolve itself. Many issues can be addressed before closing, but this requires proactive attention rather than simply proceeding without fully understanding what you've found.
Title Insurance and What It Actually Covers
Once issued, a title insurance policy generally protects against certain title defects that existed before the policy date but weren't identified during the title search — but it typically doesn't cover matters listed in the exceptions section, which is exactly why reviewing those exceptions carefully matters so much before closing.
Working With Your Title Company
A good title company will walk you through the commitment and answer questions about anything unclear, but it's worth being an active participant in this review rather than simply signing off without understanding what's being disclosed. Land transactions in particular tend to have more exceptions and easement-related details than a typical home purchase, given the nature of rural property history.
Getting Comfortable With This Document
The title commitment is one of the most information-dense documents in a land transaction, but taking the time to review it carefully — or having someone experienced help you interpret it — is one of the most valuable due diligence steps available before closing. If you're working through a title commitment for a property near Floresville and want help understanding what it means, I'm glad to help you think through it.
James Peterson, ALC Broker/Owner — United Country Real Estate | Texas Ranch and Home Floresville, TX 78114
📞 James: 210-740-1295 🌐 www.txranchandhome.com 📅 Schedule a Free Land Consultation with James