(and municipal tax and assessment records if within a municipality) for the period shown below relative to title to the real property described below, and gives the following opinion of status:
1. Interest or claims not disclosed by public records, including but not limited to:
(a) Unrecorded Mechanics’ or Materialsmen’s liens. (Liens may be filed by persons or entities furnishing labor or materials to any improvements of real property within 120 days from the last day of performance and will upon perfection relate in priority to the first day of performance as a valid lien on real property.)
(b) Unrecorded leases. (Under North Carolina law, parties in possession of the premises under a verbal or unrecorded lease of three years or less duration may remain in possession under terms of tenancy.)
(c) Matters that may defeat or impair title which do not appear on the record. (Evidence revealing missing heirs, forgeries, etc. may not be on the public records, but such facts if properly established may impair or defeat what appears to be a good title on the record.)
(d) Taxes, special assessments and other governmental charges that are not shown as existing liens by the public records. (Governmental charges may be made for acreage fees, tap-on fees, cost of weed cutting, demolition of condemned buildings and other matters that are not shown as existing liens on the property by the public records.)
(e) Unlisted personal property taxes. (If discovered, such taxes and any penalties may be assessed as a lien on the subject property.)
2. Matters occurring prior to and subsequent to the inclusive dates of examination.
3. Matters which would be revealed by a review of the public records regarding the proposed purchaser/borrower, who is not a current owner of the property.
4. Any inaccuracies and discrepancies which an accurate survey of the property may disclose. (A survey, if procured from a competent surveyor or civil engineer, will normally determine whether improvements lie within the boundaries of the property, whether existing utility lines, roads or other easements cross the premises, and whether there are any encroachments.)
5. Security interests that may have attached to fixtures on the subject property as provided in Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code of North Carolina.
6. Compliance with any local, county, state or federal government law or regulation relative to environment, zoning, subdivision, occupancy, use, construction or development of the subject property.
7. Federal judgments, liens, and proceedings filed only in the Federal Court. (Upon the filing of a petition in Bankruptcy, title to real property vests in the Trustee in Bankruptcy and notice thereof is not always required to be filed in the County in which the Bankrupt owns property; federal condemnation proceedings may vest property in the federal government and notice thereof is not required to be recorded among the County records.)
8. Civil actions where no notice of lis pendens against subject property appears of record.
Note: The matters included in Standard Exceptions Number One (1) above set forth are items that cannot be checked. Standard Exceptions numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are not included in a normal search of the County records during examination of title. Upon special request, additional investigation may be made, and Standard Exceptions numbered 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 can be eliminated. Any such elimination is evidenced by the initialing of such exception in the left margin by the attorney.