Spears Title Company

06/23/2026

Carlinville CommUnity Chamber of Commerce - Thank you for making today HOMETOWN HEROS DAY! There are so many unsung heroes right here in Carlinville!

Some heroes do not wear capes. They wear work boots.
Spears Title Company would like to nominate the Carlinville Public Works Department as our Hometown Heroes.
From the freshly repainted crosswalks on the Square to the countless jobs most people never see, the men and women of this department help make Carlinville safer, cleaner, and better every single day.
A lot of their work happens early, late, behind the scenes, and without applause. But the impact is everywhere. It is in the streets we drive, the spaces we enjoy, and the pride we feel when we look around our community.
The crosswalks on the Square are just one visible reminder of something bigger. Carlinville is a better place because people in Public Works keep showing up and doing the work that matters.
They are truly unsung heroes, and we are grateful for all they do.
Our nomination: the entire Carlinville Public Works Department.
Thank you for serving this community so well.
Spears Title Company

06/20/2026

Three Certified Closing Locations Across South Central Illinois

When you choose Spears Title Company, you are choosing an independent, non-affiliated title team dedicated to making your real estate transaction seamless, secure, and accurate.

To provide the ultimate convenience for our buyers, sellers, lenders, and real estate agents, we proudly operate three physical office locations. Each of our offices is independently registered and fully verified in the national ALTA Registry to guarantee maximum security for your transaction files:

Hillsboro Main Office East
ALTA ID: #1061311
218 S. Main Street, Hillsboro, IL 62049
Phone: 217-532-3113
(Fully staffed Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm)

Carlinville Main Office West
ALTA ID: #1241474
5 Wall Street, Carlinville, IL 62626
Phone: 217-854-3278
(Fully staffed Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm)

Litchfield Closing Center
ALTA ID: #1215479
120 W Ryder Street, Litchfield, IL 62056
Phone: 217-250-9709
(Staffed Wednesdays or by appointment; available for closings Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm)

Whether you are closing a residential home, a commercial property, a 1031 exchange, or an agricultural land deal, you can select the closing table closest and most convenient to you.

Remember, you always have the legal right to choose your title insurance provider. Protect your property rights and tell your realtor or lender: "I want to close with Spears Title Company!"

06/20/2026

🎉 Welcome Wednesday! 🎉

Join us in welcoming our newest BBB Accredited Businesses! These businesses have demonstrated a commitment to ethical practices, trust, and integrity in the marketplace. We’re excited to have them as part of our BBB community and look forward to supporting their continued success.

Help us give them a warm welcome in the comments! 👏

06/18/2026

Title Tidbit: Why does a title search matter before closing?

A title search helps confirm that the seller has the legal right to sell the property and identifies issues that may need to be resolved before closing.

Common title issues can include unpaid mortgages, liens, judgments, estate problems, missing releases, easements, legal description errors, or prior recording mistakes.

At Spears Title Company, we perform title searches and real estate closings across Montgomery County, Macoupin County, and surrounding South Central Illinois communities. With offices in Hillsboro, Litchfield, and Carlinville, our local team understands the county records, local practices, and closing details that help protect buyers, sellers, lenders, Realtors, and attorneys.

Buying, selling, refinancing, or transferring real estate? A good title search is one of the most important steps before closing.

Spears Title Company
Local title insurance, title search, escrow, and real estate closing experts in South Central Illinois.

06/11/2026

Title Tidbit: What Is a Title Commitment?

A title commitment is the title company’s roadmap before closing.

It shows:

✅ Who currently owns the property
✅ What liens, mortgages, taxes, or judgments may affect the property
✅ What requirements must be completed before closing
✅ What exceptions may remain after closing
✅ What title insurance coverage will be issued once everything is cleared

Think of it this way: the commitment does not mean the title is already fully clear. It means the title company has searched the records, identified what needs fixed, and laid out the steps needed to get the transaction to the closing table.

That is why choosing a local title company matters. Local land records, old easements, estate issues, unpaid taxes, releases, surveys, and legal descriptions can all make a difference.

At Spears Title Company, we help buyers, sellers, realtors, lenders, and attorneys work through the details so closing day goes as smoothly as possible.

Spears Title Company
Local Experts in South Central Illinois Real Estate & Land Records
Serving Montgomery, Macoupin, and surrounding counties from our offices in Hillsboro, Litchfield, and Carlinville.

06/10/2026

It's that time of year again! Montgomery County Taxpayers, your Property Tax Bills have been mailed by the County Treasurer's office and will be arriving in your mailbox soon! We hope you find this information helpful as you review your bill- our County offices are here to help!

05/29/2026

Farmland transactions require deep roots and specialized historical knowledge. At Spears Title Company, we've been protecting agricultural land investments since 1978.
With fully staffed offices in Hillsboro, Carlinville, and our closing center in Litchfield, we are the region's trusted choice for agricultural title insurance and escrow services.
We proudly serve the heart of South Central Illinois, including our core markets of Montgomery and Macoupin County, as well as our neighboring border counties:
🚜 Bond & Fayette Counties
* 🌽 Christian & Sangamon Counties
* 🏡 Madison County
Whether you’re a multigenerational family farmer or an ag lender, our team understands the unique land histories of these specific communities. Protect your equity before the next planting or harvest season.

spearstitle.com

05/28/2026

Macoupin County Residents: Property tax bills were recently mailed.

If you received your real estate tax bill, take a few minutes to review it before the first installment is due.

A few things worth double-checking:

✅ Due dates and installment amounts
Make sure you know when each payment is due and how much is owed.

✅ Exemptions
This is a big one. Check to make sure any exemptions you qualify for were actually applied, such as owner occupied, senior, senior freeze, disabled veteran, or other applicable exemptions.

✅ Taxing bodies
Your bill shows where your tax dollars are going, including schools, city, county, township, fire, library, extension, and other districts.

✅ Assessment and taxable value
Look at the assessed value, equalized value, exemptions, tax rate, and total tax amount.

✅ Payment stubs
If mailing payment, make sure you use the correct stub for the correct installment.

Property tax bills can be confusing, so I put together this simple visual guide to help Macoupin County residents understand what they are looking at and what areas they should review.

Pro Tip: Always check to make sure all of your property tax exemptions were applied correctly.

And when it comes time to buy, sell, refinance, or close on real estate in Macoupin County, Spears Title Company is here to help. Our Carlinville office works with Macoupin County real estate every day, and our team understands the local records, tax bills, legal descriptions, title issues, and closing details that matter.

Spears Title Company
Your local Macoupin County real estate closing experts.

05/26/2026

Title Tidbit: The Montgomery County Coal Rights Case That Shows Why Old Records Matter

Real estate title work is not always about the house.

Sometimes, the most important part of a property is buried deep beneath it.

One Illinois Supreme Court case out of Montgomery County, Brown v. Lober, is a perfect example.

In that case, buyers purchased 80 acres of Montgomery County real estate by warranty deed. Years later, when they attempted to sell coal rights, they discovered something important:

A prior owner had reserved two-thirds of the subsurface coal rights decades earlier.

In plain English?

They owned the land, but they did not own all of what was underneath it.

That distinction matters.

The case became a dispute over deed warranties, mineral rights, quiet enjoyment, and whether discovering a prior mineral reservation years later created a legal claim. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that the mere existence of a superior mineral interest did not automatically breach the covenant of quiet enjoyment unless there was actual interference with possession or use.

That may sound technical, but the lesson is simple:

A deed does not always tell the full story.

In South Central Illinois, especially in Montgomery and Macoupin Counties, mineral rights, coal reservations, old deeds, estates, leases, easements, and prior conveyances can all affect title.

That is why local title knowledge matters.

At Spears Title Company, we have been examining local land records since 1978. We understand that real estate in our area often carries decades, and sometimes generations, of history.

Before you buy, sell, refinance, or transfer property, make sure the title history has been reviewed by people who know what to look for.

Spears Title Company
Trusted Local Title & Closing Experts Since 1978
Serving Montgomery County, Macoupin County, and South Central Illinois