Real Estate Services Title Agent Senior

Senior Title Agent

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world? Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better.

HDR Engineering, Inc. has an opportunity for a highly experienced and detail-oriented Senior Title Agent to join our team and to support Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and surrounding areas. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting complex research on properties primarily throughout the Northeast region, evaluating documents and providing recommendations for properties researched. This role requires a deep understanding of real estate laws and the ability to evaluate complex title issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive and complex title searches and examinations of public records to determine the legal condition of property titles.
• Analyze and interpret a wide range of real estate documents, including deeds, mortgages, easements, liens, and surveys, to identify any encumbrances or defects.
• Proactively identify and resolve complex title issues, such as breaks in the chain of title, boundary disputes, heirship issues, and unreleased liens, to facilitate a clear title.
• Navigate and retrieve records from various municipality offices, including county and town clerks, through both online databases and in-person visits.
• Conduct on-site research at local courthouses as needed to gather necessary legal documents and information for complex title examinations.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, providing expert guidance and recommendations to clients, and junior staff on complex title matters.
• Collaborate effectively with clients, project managers, surveyors, and to promote smooth and timely closings.
• Train, mentor, and provide guidance to junior title agents and support staff.
• Manage a portfolio of complex title files, prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines and client expectations.
• Preparing and executing closing documents.
• Coordinating with title companies, attorneys, and surveyors.
• Process expenses incidental to the transfer of title.
• Coordinate with client to process payments and conveyances.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree or certification pertaining to right of way, title, paralegal, real property law or mortgage lending, or equivalent experience
• Ability to manage large projects
• Attention to detail
• Experience reading and interpreting complex metes and bounds description
• Experience completing adjoiners' reports
• Experience completing legal documents, such as deeds, easements, and lien releases
• Ability to work independently
• Ability to work and collaborate with peers/team
• Understanding of the Uniform Relocation Act, Eminent Domain Process, and applicable county, state and/or federal requirements statutes and ordinance
• Registrations, licensing, and prequalification required by Ohio state or ODOT
• Pass a drug test if requested by client

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 5 years experience with right of way, title, paralegal, real property law or mortgage lending
• Must exhibit knowledge of real estate title practices and principles including underwriting, title insurance and public records research
• Have the knowledge and ability to review real estate documents such as design plans, construction plans, appraisals, environmental documents, surveys, deeds, easements, deeds of trust, mechanics liens, tax liens, judgments, assessments, probates and other matters of record
• Strong interpersonal skills, the ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with others and excellent oral and written communication skills
• Understanding of the Uniform Relocation Act, Eminent Domain Process, and applicable county, state and/or federal requirements statutes and ordinances
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction and a focus on meeting deadlines on multiple assignments
• Highly motivated with the ability to prioritize and to direct others
• Where required hold a Certification license in the States where work is performed
• Solid organizational and planning skills
• Database, ProjectWise and GIS familiarity a plus
• Proficient with MS Office Suite, Webex and Teams