tx-title-analysis

Files (25)

• README.md
• SKILL.md
• sample-analysis-record.json · data/
• title-analysis-schema.json · data/
• sample-exception-analysis.md · references/sample-outputs/
• sample-requirements-checklist.md · references/sample-outputs/
• sample-title-opinion.md · references/sample-outputs/
• tx-commercial.md · references/
• tx-condemnation.md · references/
• tx-data-schema.md · references/
• tx-entities.md · references/
• tx-exam-standards.md · references/
• tx-exceptions.md · references/
• tx-foreclosure.md · references/
• tx-forms.md · references/
• tx-liens.md · references/
• tx-manufactured-housing.md · references/
• tx-minerals.md · references/
• tx-opinion-template.md · references/
• tx-probate.md · references/
• tx-quality-checklist.md · references/
• tx-requirements.md · references/
• tx-survey.md · references/
• tx-water-rights.md · references/
• skill.yml

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Texas Title Analysis Skill

> ⚠️ **IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**
>
> **THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE.** All outputs are provided for informational purposes only and are intended as **FIRST DRAFTS** requiring review, verification, and approval by a licensed Texas attorney before use or reliance.
>
> - All outputs are preliminary drafts, not final work product
> - This tool is a drafting assistant, not a substitute for legal counsel
> - A licensed attorney must review all outputs before any reliance
> - No attorney-client relationship is created by use of this tool
> - Laws and regulations change; verify all citations and requirements

Analyze title documents to generate DRAFT outputs that assist attorneys in their title examination work. All analysis should be thorough and well-documented to facilitate attorney review.

**Primary Authority**: This skill follows the **Texas Title Examination Standards** (Vernon's Texas Statutes and Codes Annotated, Title 2—Appendix) as the authoritative reference for Texas title examination. See `references/tx-exam-standards.md` for the complete standards reference.

---

## How to Think About Title Analysis

Title examination is detective work — you're reconstructing a property's ownership history and identifying anything that could prevent a clean transfer. Every document tells part of the story, and your job is to find where the story doesn't add up.

When you find an issue, always think about it from three angles:
1. **What is it?** — Classify the issue precisely (lien, exception, chain gap, etc.)
2. **How bad is it?** — Use the Severity Framework below to prioritize
3. **What fixes it?** — Identify specific cure steps, responsible parties, and timeline

The goal is a work product that saves the reviewing attorney time — not by being perfect, but by being organized, thorough, and honest about what you're uncertain about.

---

## Severity Framework

Classify every finding using this framework. This is critical for residential transactions where not everything is equally urgent.

### 🔴 CRITICAL — Must resolve before closing
- Unreleased deeds of trust / mortgages (active liens on property)
- Breaks in the chain of title (missing links in ownership)
- Homestead violations (missing spousal joinder on conveyance)
- Active judgment liens or federal tax liens against current owner
- Failed legal description (doesn't describe the property)
- Title vested in deceased person without probate

### 🟡 IMPORTANT — Should resolve, may delay closing
- Name discrepancies without supporting affidavits
- Expired but unreleased liens (need release or affidavit)
- Missing HOA resale certificate or estoppel
- Survey exceptions that could be deleted with T-19
- Community property questions without marital status affidavit
- Mechanic's lien exposure (recent improvements without waivers)

### 🟢 INFORMATIONAL — Note for attorney, unlikely to block closing
- Standard printed exceptions (taxes not yet due, etc.)
- Utility easements along property boundaries (typical)
- Deed restrictions/CCRs (standard subdivision restrictions)
- Mineral reservations (common in Texas, usually don't affect residential closing)
- Access easements benefiting the property

Always lead with Critical findings. An attorney scanning your output should see the dealbreakers first.

---

## Handling Scanned / Image-Only Documents

Title packages are frequently scanned PDFs with no extractable text. When you encounter image-only pages:

1. **Examine each page visually** — read the document as you would a photograph
2. **Identify the document type first** — look for headers, formatting, and form numbers (e.g., "Commitment for Title Insurance," "General Warranty Deed," "Deed of Trust")
3. **Extract key data points** — recording info, names, dates, legal descriptions, amounts
4. **Note legibility issues** — if a page is blurry, cropped, or partially illegible, say so explicitly rather than guessing
5. **Flag missing pages** — scanned packages often have missing or out-of-order pages

If you cannot read critical information from a scanned page, flag it as: "⚠️ Unable to read [specific information] on page [X] — manual review required."

---

## Title Analysis Workflow

1. **Identify Documents** → Catalog all uploaded documents by type
2. **Parse Commitment** → Extract Schedule A (coverage) and Schedule B (exceptions/requirements)
3. **Analyze Chain of Title** → Review vesting, conveyances, and gaps
4. **Examine Exceptions** → Classify and assess each Schedule B exception
5. **Transaction Type & Texas-Specific Review**:
   - **5A**: Commercial RE → Entity authority, ALTA survey, environmental, UCC, leases, endorsements
   - **5B**: Manufactured Housing → SOL, TDHCA, personal-to-real conversion
   - **5C**: All transactions → Homestead, community property, minerals, water rights
6. **Cross-Reference Check** → Loop back through steps looking for contradictions
7. **Generate Outputs** → Title opinion, requirements checklist, cure recommendations

---

## Step 1: Document Identification

Catalog uploaded documents into these categories:

| Category | Documents |
|----------|-----------|
| **Commitment** | Commitment for Title Insurance, Preliminary Title Report |
| **Recorded Instruments** | Deeds, deeds of trust, liens, releases, easements, plats, restrictions |
| **Survey** | Survey, plat, metes and bounds description |
| **Tax/Assessment** | Tax certificate, tax statement, special assessment info |
| **HOA/Restrictions** | HOA docs, CCRs, bylaws, resale certificate |
| **Searches** | Judgment search, bankruptcy search, UCC search, federal tax lien search |
| **Other** | Affidavits, death certificates, divorce decrees, probate documents |

If key documents are missing, note them in the Requirements Checklist.

---

## Step 2: Parse the Commitment

Extract and organize:

### Schedule A (Coverage)
- Effective date
- Proposed insured (owner and/or lender)
- Policy amounts
- Legal description
- Current vesting (who owns the property now)

From bstevescherer/heycounsel-community, MIT.

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