Prairie Title

We closed in 90 minutes, even with some snags (nobody’s fault, just the way it is). Prairie Title provided a comfortable atmosphere to sign for the largest purchase of your life. Fees are really reasonable, the staff is most excellent, and Prairie Title has the experience and reputation to assure you that you’ll leave with everything you negotiated… including the eys to your new house!

I’m still not 100% on what precisely a title company does. What I do know is that they make sure there are no liens an such on your property. A lot of other states do not have these hoops and it seems a little like paper tiger insurance to me. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
Another thing they do is coordinate the buyer, seller, lawyers, mortgage brokers, and such. Again, in my mind something else that could be done by one of the principals. In fact, this came up when I was there. They mentioned the banks used to do all this. But the way things are now is the way they are now, and there’s not much you can do about it.
What I can say about Prairie Title specifically, is that they are friendly and helpful to a point. I had an odd situation, and it was a pickle, but it was pretty clear that despite my wife and me wiring the money to them, it was pretty clear we were not really their customer. They helped a lot, but they could have stuck with it just a little longer, and made everyone happy. But when it came to brass tacks, they failed me. Again, the blame is only a small part theirs, but they also caused themselves a small part of the resulting trouble. Seems odd.
In any event, it’s not like you have a choice in your title company. But just try to be active beforehand and do your due diligence as best as possible as early as possible. And whatever you do, don’t close on a Friday.