Helping Customers Close the Door on Home-Ownership

Whether buying or selling a home or property, it can be a confusing, often frustrating experience for most people.

Century Title of Oklahoma is ready to answer your questions about real estate, and its staff will treat you with courtesy and professionalism throughout the entire process.

“What we do is we carry title insurance for closings to protect people from title issues – that could range from legals being wrong on properties to mortgages being wrong, names being wrong, someone else filing a deed with partial legal on there,” said Sharon Mixon, owner and title insurance agent. “Our job is to look at all the details – big and small -- ensure people are able to close on their property without something in the paperwork preventing them from buying their home.

“Basically, from the time the property-buyer’s contract is signed, we take care of all the fine details, the ‘behind the scenes’ work, which is bringing the abstract up to date, getting it over to the attorney, and getting the attorney to read it and give a title commitment, and correct any issues before closing,” she said.

Mixon first started working in real estate in 1991 as an agent for a company in Claremore. She eventually went to work at her company’s branch in Tulsa, at first filling in for the secretary, but soon “getting into all the other aspects of real estate,” she said, finding she enjoyed the work.

“I really took a liking to the different aspects of real estate – title insurance, closing, lending, etc. – and my career kind of took off from there,” she said.

As the sole owner of Century Title of Oklahoma since August 2010, Mixon knew the job wouldn’t be easy, but with the support of the community, she said she’s become a success and continues to strive towards continued success – hers and that of her customers.

Working alongside Mixon are Sabrina Nelson, closer, and Crystal Long, processor, all of whom bring more than 50 years’ combined experience in real estate to the business.

Mixon’s said her experience helps know how to her guide her customers through the complexities of real estate and closing on property.

Among some of the more commonly asked questions are:

What happens in escrow settlement?

“The settlement process was developed to help facilitate the sale or purchase of a home,” Mixon explains. “The settlement agent accomplishes this by acting as the impartial ‘stake-holder’ or depository of documents and funds, processing and coordinating the flow of documents and funds, keeping all parties informed of progress on the escrow, responding to the lender’s requirements, securing a title insurance policy, obtaining approvals of reports and documents from the parties (as required), prorating and adjusting insurance, taxes, rents, etc., and recording the deed and loan documents.”

Another question Mixon is often asked is about title insurance.

“Without a title insurance policy, a person may not be fully protected against errors in public records, hidden defects not discovered in the public records, or mistakes in examination of the title of a new property,” she said. “As a result, a person may be held fully accountable for any prior liens, judgements or claims brought against the new property.

“Should a problem arise, the title will be defended without cost to the customer (with title insurance), and if the title, or any part of it, other than insured, the customer will be reimbursed, up to the face amount of the policy for any financial loss incurred.”

Complexities such as these are why Mixon and staff take their work so seriously, taking the time and paying attention to the “smallest details” of the work to ensure the customer is covered.

While Claremore resident Mixon is reluctant to compare herself to her competitors, as a smaller real estate business owner, she said she feels she and her staff are “more directly involved” in the business and work of their customers, whereas a larger company could potentially be more impersonal as to how the customers are handled.

“If someone calls or emails us and we’re out, we’ll call them right back, send them an email right back, where some bigger companies might delegate that to an employee not directly involved with the customer,” she said. “I’m not as spread out – I don’t have other offices, I only have this one, and even though I take customers from all over the state, I take care of them all directly out of my central office – this one here in Claremore.”

So, whether you’re buying or selling your first, second, third or more home, Mixon can help you with all the details of your home closing from beginning to end.

Century Title of Oklahoma is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.