Identifying and purchasing the right parcel of land for a project can be the difference between a successful project or a drawn-out headache. When looking for and identifying a parcel of land to develop, there are several questions clients should ask themselves. For example: Who owns the land? Are there any additional burdens and/or encumbrances that will negatively affect the project, and can they be resolved? As a project developer, you may have an answer for the first question, but what about the second? Having the right Title Research, Land, and Right of Way team on the project is crucial for thoroughly reviewing the title and minimizing risks, while still being able to offer cost-effective solutions.
It’s critical for project success that thorough land title research is completed to provide holistic awareness and complete project risk understanding. Once thoroughly completed, it is imperative that this is effectively communicated to all parties involved. Here are three considerations when looking for your next title work partner:
1. Will the title work be completed by the contracted land team or with a third-party land service company?
There are numerous benefits to partnering with a company offering full title research solutions from the project initiation. These benefits include lower project costs, shorter timelines for stages of completion, and earlier initiation of work. Whether it’s a surface title or mineral title, our team of experts at Atwell hits the ground running so you get results that are faster and more effective.
2. How many parties will be involved in communication?
Effective and thorough communication drives schedules and efficiencies of a project. When working with a company that provides full field services for a project—such as title services and land survey—there is true value in the reduced need for additional communication. When there are fewer voices involved in decision-making and movement, the project will simply move faster.
When title work is completed by the Atwell Land Solutions team, the client receives consistency and efficiency across departments as a byproduct of effective and timely communication. Any issues that may arise are identified and resolved immediately amongst team members, as opposed to traditional scenarios where questions or issues are addressed through lengthy email chains between third party land service company and the project team.
A critical component of a project is landowner engagement. Understanding and communicating landowner concerns or restrictions is a must for all field activities. The key goal with effective communication is to minimize progress delays and eliminate any landowner issues.
3. Who is identifying critical issues and solving them?
As a development project starts in the entitlement process, often times the client is not aware of any potential land encumbrances that may affect the project. Identifying these critical issues early in the project is imperative. Issues such as understanding the chain of title history, potential land restrictions, identifying underground encumbrances, and other interests that are tied to the piece of land in development are essential to understand early in the entitlement process. Atwell’s Title team has the knowledge and experience to identify these potential issues and communicate effectively to the client, the landowner, and the project team during the entitlement process.
Certain mortgages may also have language that prevents work from happening to the surface. Many components of that mortgage may need to be picked apart for language that could prevent the development. This is a task for someone experienced in the matter. Atwell has deep experience doing this exact type of work to ensure we catch this language early in the process and assist in accomplishing client goals.
Our Land and Title teams kick off the work for the rest of our services. When Land gets involved, the lifeline of the process is initiated, and the concerns of the owner are at the forefront. The team can identify what areas to avoid and why, while helping clients understand and determine what areas of the property to pay special attention to.
At Atwell, we build strong relationships with owners, so they know who to call with questions and who to expect during those early mornings on their property. We respect our clients and the owners, and foster environments of mutual respect for all employees on the job. This is key for all our projects and is not an initiative we take lightly. Success is built on relationship longevity, and that relationship begins at the title work.
Utilizing Atwell’s subject matter experts in title work has several benefits: We have closed circuit communication, expert knowledge and experience, a passion for developing relationships, and cost-effective strategies that benefit our clients’ goals. Be it surface title or mineral title; we have the capabilities to jump start your project and get the ball rolling so you know things are already in motion before the survey team even arrives on site.
