Warning: my cash out refi almost got denied over a $35 tax lien I forgot about

I was wrapping up my cash out refi with Rocket Mortgage last week and the underwriter found a tiny $35 tax lien from 2019 on my property in Chandler. The previous title company never cleared it and I had to scramble to get a payoff letter from the county treasurer. Has anyone else had a small forgotten lien mess up their refi timing?

2 comments

2 Comments

harper_wright3d ago

Ask the title company why they didn't catch that lien before you even started the refi. That's literally their job, and a $35 lien from 2019 should have shown up on a basic title search right away. Were you using their recommended title company or did you shop around? I've had way too many friends get burned by title companies missing small stuff like this, then scrambling last minute. Did Rocket Mortgage at least help you track down the payoff letter, or were you on your own with the county?

vera_lewis3d ago

Had a buddy go through basically the same mess. The title company missed a $50 HOA lien from three years back and it held up his closing for two weeks. Rocket Mortgage actually did help him track down the payoff info eventually, but only after he spent three days calling the county himself first. He used their recommended title company too, which is probably why nobody bothered to double check anything. Never did get a straight answer about why it was missed, but the whole thing got sorted right before the rate lock expired.