-Jerry Seinfeld
It might be because it’s a private road! Read on for the differences between a public and private road and why that might matter for a buyer.
From a title insurance perspective, a public roadway is an indication that the road is being maintained by a governing authority like a city, county, state, etc. A private roadway means that the roadway has not been dedicated or accepted as something to be maintained by the public authority.
There is a lot of gray area in this definition. For example, a roadway where the government shoulders part of the cost of maintenance and the property owner’s HOA pays a portion. Another example that isn’t as clear is a gated community where the roads are not open for the use of the public.
And caveat emptor, developers sometimes build subdivisions (that can be PUDs – remember those?) with private roads to save money and avoid local/state construction guidelines. It’s important to check with the local authorities to understand what the responsibility of the buyer is. The developers may use cheaper materials to build, which as upfront costs pass savings on. However, roads must be maintained, and that cost can be passed onto the homebuyer in the long term.
Now if your buyer asks: “what’s the deal with this private road?!”, you’ll be well-equipped to answer.
Title Term of the Week: Administrator
| A person given authority by a proper court to manage and distribute the estate of a deceased person when there is no will. |
Faster Closings with Faster Turntimes
At Advocus Title, we know that you want to provide your borrower with the fastest closing experience in the market. That’s why we are committed to continuously reducing our turntimes to provide you with lightning fast speed to close. To provide transparency and allow you to best manage your closing process, we publish our state-by-state turntimes to an initial title commitment on the GR intranet. Check out the latest to see how Advocus Title can help improve your speed to close.
