Buying a land is a large investment so it is important to verify the land before proceeding to the payment of the land to ensure that that land you are buying is legal most specially if you are buying a single property from individual.
Here are some tips before buying a land:
- Ensure that the land you are planning to buy have title.
- Verify if the Transfer Certificate of Title is authenticated by getting Certified True Copy of the title from the Register of Deeds. You can ask the seller for a photocopy of the title because you will need the title number and the name of owner to get a certified true copy of the title from the Register of Deeds.
- Make sure that the title is clean. The title should not be mortgaged (no liens and encumbrances on the property). Just look at the back of the title with the heading “Encumbrances”. It should be empty if you are told that the title is clean.
- Check carefully if the land described on the title is really the land that you are buying. You can validate this at the Register of Deeds or by hiring a private land surveyor or a geodetic engineer to confirm that the actual property matches the technical description on the Transfer Certificate of Title.
- Ensure that the yearly real estate taxes are paid. Request for a copy of the Tax Declaration and Tax Receipts to confirm that real estate tax payments are up to date.
- Verify that the seller are the real owners of the land you are buying. You can request for identification cards such as passport, driver’s license or talk to their neighbors to confirm the identity of the seller as well as some history of the property.