How Do I Choose a Title Company in Indianapolis?

What does a title company do in an Indiana home sale?

An Indiana title company checks that the seller can legally transfer the house, issues title insurance to the buyer and lender, prepares the settlement statement, holds and disburses the money, and records the deed with the county recorder. In Marion and Johnson County, most residential closings happen at a title company, not a law office.

Here is the work, in the order it usually happens once you accept an offer:

Opens the file. The accepted purchase agreement and earnest money arrive, and the closer orders the title search.
Searches the public record. The search covers deeds, mortgages, judgments, liens, unpaid property taxes and recorded easements in the Marion County or Johnson County records.
Issues a title commitment. This document lists what must be cleared before a policy can be issued, such as paying off your mortgage or releasing an old lien.
Collects payoffs and documents. The title company requests your mortgage payoff statement, any HOA paperwork and the Indiana Sales Disclosure Form (State Form 46021) information.
Prepares the settlement statement. Every credit and charge for both sides shows up here, including the property-tax proration.
Runs the signing. A licensed closer walks buyers and sellers through the documents and notarizes signatures.
Disburses and records. Once the lender funds, the title company pays off liens, pays the seller and records the deed.

Indiana treats this work seriously. The Indiana Department of Insurance said in Bulletin 135 (December 6, 2005) that a person conducting a real estate closing for a title insurance agent or company must hold an insurance producer license under IC 27-1-15.6. That license is the first thing to confirm. If you want the seller-side view of this timeline, our post "What Happens After I Accept an Offer on My House in Indiana?" walks through it week by week.

Sometimes the title search turns up something that has to be fixed before closing. We cover those problems, and how to spot them early, in "Why Do Title Problems Delay Closings in Indiana?"

Who gets to pick the title company in an Indiana sale?

In Indiana, the purchase agreement says which title company will handle the closing, and either side can propose one. It is a negotiable term, like the closing date. One federal limit applies: RESPA Section 9 bars a seller from requiring a buyer with a federally related mortgage to buy title insurance from a specific company.

The federal rule is 12 U.S.C. 2608. It says no seller of a property bought with a federally related mortgage loan may require, as a condition of the sale, that the buyer purchase title insurance from any particular title company. A seller who violates it can owe the buyer three times the title insurance charges. In practice, that means a seller can suggest a company and a buyer can agree, but a seller should not make it a condition of accepting the offer.

In our experience on the Southside and in Greenwood, the choice often follows who pays for the owner's title policy, which is also negotiated. We break down that question, and how it shows up in the purchase agreement, in "Who Pays for Owner's Title Insurance in Indiana?"

A few practical points about who chooses:

Your listing agent may suggest two or three companies they have closed with. Ask why they suggest each one.
Buyers using a lender can usually still shop for title services. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says you can usually shop for title insurance separately from your mortgage.
If the buyer and seller each want a different company, the agents negotiate it like any other term before the contract is signed.

What should I compare when choosing a title company?

Compare Indianapolis title companies on six things: licensing, wire-fraud controls, how fast they communicate, closing locations and hours, how they handle problems the search finds, and a written, itemized quote. Reviews help, but the answers a closer gives you on the phone tell you more about how your file will be handled.

When you call or email two or three companies, compare:

Licensing: Ask whether the closers are licensed with the Indiana Department of Insurance. Indiana requires a producer license to conduct closings where a policy is issued under Bulletin 135. A strong answer includes names you can look up.
Wire-fraud controls: Ask how wiring instructions are sent and verified. Strong procedures include secure delivery and phone confirmation using a number you already have.
Communication: Ask who your main contact will be and how quickly they respond. A named closer, processor and same-day response standard are good signs.
Locations and hours: Ask where you can sign and whether early, mail-away or other signing options are available. This matters for Southside, Greenwood and out-of-state sellers.
Problem solving: Ask what happens if the search finds a lien, judgment or estate issue. Look for a specific process and a realistic timeline.
Written quote: Ask for an itemized estimate for your specific sale. Each line should make clear whether it is paid by the seller, buyer or split.

We do not rank title companies, and we do not think anyone should choose one from a list. Most established Indianapolis title companies can close a clean sale. The differences show up when something is not clean, or when a wire is on the line.

What questions should I ask a title company before I choose?

Ask an Indianapolis title company eight questions: who will close my file, how you verify wiring instructions, when the title commitment will be ready, where and when I can sign, how you handle a lien or estate issue, what goes on my side of the settlement statement, when I get paid, and how you protect my personal information.

Print this checklist or keep it on your phone.

Who is my closer, and who is my backup if they are out?
Will you send wiring instructions only through a secure portal, and will you confirm them by phone?
When will the title commitment be ready, and will you send it to me as well as my agent?
Which offices can I sign at, and do you offer early signing, mail-away signing or remote notarization?
If the search finds an old lien, a judgment or an estate issue, what is your process to clear it?
Can you send an itemized estimate showing which lines are mine?
How do you pay sellers at closing, and how long after funding does the money arrive?
How do you store and send my Social Security number and bank details?

The last two questions matter more than most sellers expect. Under Indiana's good funds law (IC 27-7-3.7), money of $10,000 or more from any one party in a real estate transaction must arrive as wired funds, according to the Indiana Department of Insurance's Bulletin 171 (August 24, 2009). That rule protects you, because the title company is not disbursing on a check that could bounce. It also means wires are part of almost every closing.

How do title companies protect my money from wire fraud?

Good Indianapolis title companies protect your money by never changing wiring instructions by email, delivering instructions through a secure portal, confirming account details by phone at a known number, and verifying your payout account before closing day. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center counted 12,368 real estate fraud complaints and $275 million in losses in 2025.

Those 2025 figures were reported by the National Association of REALTORS® on April 13, 2026, from the FBI IC3 annual report. That is up from 9,359 complaints and more than $173 million in losses in 2024. The usual pattern is a fake email that looks like it came from the title company, your agent or your lender, with "updated" wiring instructions.

What to expect from a careful title company, and what to do yourself:

The company tells you at the start that it will never change wiring instructions by email.
You confirm any wiring instruction by calling a phone number you found on your own, such as the number on the company's website or your contract, not the number in the email.
For your sale proceeds, the company verifies your bank account details in writing and by phone before closing day.
If anything feels off, you stop and call your agent and the closer before sending or approving anything.

In our experience, the title companies that close the most smoothly are the ones that bring this up first, before you ask.

What does this look like in Central Indiana?

Here is a hypothetical example. A seller lists a three-bedroom ranch in Greenwood (46143) for $285,000 and accepts an offer from a buyer using a conventional loan. The purchase agreement names a title company with an office on the Southside, and the closing is set about five weeks out.

This is how the title company's work lines up with what the seller does. The timing is an example only; every file is different.

Day 1–2

The title company opens the file.
The purchase agreement and earnest money are received.
The title search is ordered.
The seller sends the closer the mortgage lender name and loan number for the payoff.

Week 1–2

The title company reviews the search.
The title commitment is issued to the agents and buyer's lender.
The seller reviews the commitment with the listing agent.
The seller flags anything unfamiliar, such as an old lien.

Week 2–4

The title company orders the mortgage payoff statement.
HOA documents are collected if applicable.
The title company works on any items listed in the commitment.
The seller answers questions quickly and signs any affidavits the closer needs.

Week 4–5

The title company prepares the settlement statement.
The seller's payout instructions are confirmed by phone.
The seller reviews the settlement statement line by line.
The seller compares it with the written net sheet.

Closing day

The title company runs the signing.
The lender's wire is received.
The mortgage and other liens are paid off.
The deed is recorded.
The seller signs, hands over keys according to the contract and receives the proceeds.

On the money side, this seller would compare the title company's settlement statement with the written seller net sheet they received before listing. That sheet lists the mortgage payoff, the owner's title policy if the seller is paying it, the property-tax proration, title and closing charges from the written quote, and your negotiated agent compensation. Our post "What Is a Seller Net Sheet in Indiana and What Goes Into It?" explains each line.

Rates matter to the buyer's side of this example too. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% on October 1, 2026, so buyers are watching rate-lock dates closely. A title company that keeps the file moving helps the buyer close inside that lock.

When this doesn't apply

This guide fits a typical Central Indiana sale with a buyer's lender and a title company closing. A few situations work differently:

Estate or probate sales: If the house is in an estate, the personal representative's authority and court paperwork come first.
Short sales or owing more than the house is worth: The lender's approval drives the timeline more than the title company does.
Contract sales and family transfers: Land contracts, quitclaim deeds between relatives and transfers with no money changing hands may call for an Indiana real estate attorney instead of, or alongside, a title company.
Legal disputes: If there is a boundary dispute, a contested will or a divorce decree that is not final, talk to an attorney first. A title company insures title; it does not give legal advice.

What to do next

If you are getting ready to sell, ask your listing agent which title companies they suggest and why, then call two of them with the checklist above. Ask each for an itemized estimate. If you want help reading a title commitment or comparing estimates, we are glad to walk through it with you, whether or not you list with us.

Call Mark Dietel Realty at (317) 426-9911 or start at markdietelrealty.com. We have offices on the Southside of Indianapolis, in Greenwood and in Bloomington.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a lawyer to close on a house in Indiana?

Indiana does not require an attorney at a residential closing, and most Central Indiana sales close at a title company. An attorney makes sense when there is a legal question the title company cannot answer, such as an estate dispute, a land contract, a divorce that is not final or a boundary disagreement between neighbors.

Can I use the title company my agent recommends?

Yes, as long as it is your choice and the purchase agreement reflects it. Ask your agent why they suggest that company and whether they have any business relationship with it. Federal rules require disclosure of certain affiliated business arrangements, so a clear answer is a reasonable thing to expect from any agent.

Is a title company the same as an escrow company?

In Indiana, the title company usually does both jobs. It researches and insures the title, and it also acts as the closing or escrow agent that holds the earnest money and loan funds, then pays everyone at closing. Some other states split those roles between separate companies, which is why the terms get mixed up.

Do title companies in Indianapolis all charge the same?

No. Title insurance premiums and closing charges vary by company and underwriter, and some lines are negotiable between buyer and seller. The way to compare is an itemized written estimate from each company for your specific sale price and loan type, with every line marked as a seller charge, buyer charge or split.

Can I sign closing papers early or from out of state?

Many Central Indiana title companies offer early signing appointments or mail-away packages for sellers who have moved, and some offer remote online notarization where Indiana law and the buyer's lender allow it. Ask about this when you choose the company, not the week of closing, because mail-away documents need time to travel.

What is a closing protection letter?

A closing protection letter is a document from the title insurance underwriter that covers certain losses caused by the closing agent's mistakes or dishonesty, such as mishandled funds. Lenders commonly request one. Buyers and sellers can ask whether one is available to them too, since it adds a layer of protection around the money.

What happens if the title search finds a problem?

The title commitment lists the issue as something to clear before closing, and the title company works with the seller, lender or lienholder to resolve it. Simple items clear in days. Estate, lien and boundary issues can take longer, which is why reviewing the commitment when it arrives helps protect your closing date.

How Do I Choose a Title Company in Indianapolis?