Marketable Titles was founded to solve a problem its founders kept running into: real, valuable property interests that no one was willing to list because title insurance couldn't be issued at the moment of sale.
The American real estate transaction was redesigned in the mid-20th century around the title insurance policy. Modern lenders won't lend, modern buyers won't buy, and modern brokers won't list any parcel where a title insurer won't write coverage. That's a sensible default for the bulk of the housing market — and a structural blind spot for everything else.
"Everything else" is not a small category. It includes tax deeds in all 50 states, hundreds of thousands of heir interests in undivided estates, parcels with broken chains going back generations, defective deeds executed by people who didn't know they were defective, lien positions stranded by foreclosure or settlement, and properties tied up in pending or unfinished probate. Some estimates put the aggregate value of uninsurable property interests in the United States in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
None of those interests are nothing. They are real economic interests in real property. Many of them are easily curable. Almost all of them are mispriced because the work to identify, diligence, and transact in them is hard, and the listings are nowhere.
Marketable Titles exists to be somewhere. We list these interests, we structure their disclosure, and we connect them to the buyers who can do the curative work. We earn only when the deal closes.
Marketable Titles is operated by Marketable Titles LLC, a Georgia limited liability company. The founding members built their playbook on tax-delinquent and title-defective parcels in coastal Georgia — buying interests at county tax sale, perfecting title through quiet-title actions, and reselling clean-titled parcels to conventional buyers. The marketplace is the natural next step: opening that channel up, so other holders can list and other investors can buy.
We're not a brokerage. We're not a law firm. We're an honest, structured market for a category that has never had one.
If any of these terms are unfamiliar, you're in the right place to learn. Every successful buyer on Marketable Titles started with a glossary like this one.
An ownership or contractual interest in real property that title insurance underwriters will not, at present, issue a policy on. This is usually because the chain of title contains an unresolved defect, the redemption period from a tax sale has not yet run, or the interest is fractional, contingent, or otherwise outside underwriting guidelines.
A deed issued by a county or municipality to the high bidder at a public tax sale, conveying the delinquent taxpayer's interest in the property. Tax deeds typically come with a statutory redemption period during which the prior owner (or certain interested parties) can pay the back taxes plus interest and recover the property. After redemption expires, the tax deed holder can quiet title to perfect ownership.
A certificate evidencing the holder's right to receive payment of delinquent taxes plus statutory interest from the property owner. In some states the certificate ripens, after a waiting period and proper notice, into a deed. In others it remains a lien but accrues interest at attractive statutory rates.
A fractional ownership interest in real property inherited from a decedent, usually under intestate succession. When a property owner dies without a will, ownership passes to a defined set of heirs as tenants-in-common — each holding an undivided fractional interest. These interests are individually saleable but rarely move through conventional channels because the property as a whole cannot be sold without all heirs (or a partition action).
A lawsuit filed in equity to "quiet" any competing claims to title to real property, resulting in a judicial decree establishing the plaintiff's clear ownership. Used to perfect a tax deed, cure chain-of-title defects, eliminate stale liens, or resolve ambiguities in old deeds.
A recorded deed that contains errors (defective) or that purports to convey property but is outside the recorded chain of title because the grantor's own ownership cannot be traced (wild). These deeds may still represent legitimate ownership claims that can be perfected through additional proof or quiet-title action.
Real property owned by a decedent that is being administered through probate court. Personal representatives, executors, or administrators often have authority to sell estate property (sometimes subject to court approval) before formal distribution to heirs.
A claim of ownership based on a written instrument (deed, will, or court order) that appears to convey title but is in fact defective for some reason. Color of title is significant because it can shorten the statutory period for adverse possession and is often the foundation for a quiet-title action.
A lien on real property that ranks below a senior lien (typically a first mortgage) in priority of payment. Subordinate liens are often discounted because they are wiped out in foreclosure of the senior position — but in non-foreclosure scenarios, they retain real economic value.
The legal process required to convert an uninsurable interest into an insurable one. Common paths include quiet-title action, partition, formal probate, lien clearance, and statutory ripening (e.g., letting a tax deed redemption period expire and then publishing notice).
It's entirely legal. Tax deeds, heir interests, quiet-title opportunities, and the other categories we list are recognized property interests in every state in the United States. They've existed for as long as American real estate law has existed. What's new is consolidating them into a structured marketplace. The reason the category feels obscure is that conventional brokers and platforms simply refuse to handle it — not because it's improper, but because it doesn't fit their workflow.
Title insurance underwriters require a "marketable" record — a chain of title with no significant gaps, defects, or open liens. The interests we list, by definition, have one or more of those issues. Title insurance becomes available after the curative path is completed (quiet title, partition, probate closure, etc.). Once cured, these properties are fully insurable just like any other.
You make money by buying the uninsurable interest at a discount, completing the curative process, and either holding or reselling at the post-cure (insurable) value. The discount-to-cured-value spread, less your cure costs, is your gross return. Sophisticated investors have run this playbook for decades; what's been missing is a transparent venue for the buy side. That's what we built.
Yes. Every transaction on Marketable Titles contemplates the buyer engaging counsel — both for the acquisition itself and for the subsequent curative action. We provide curative cost estimates and roadmap recommendations, but we are not your lawyer and are not licensed to practice law. We strongly encourage buyers and sellers to engage qualified counsel licensed in the jurisdiction of the property.
We list interests in all 50 states. Curative law varies meaningfully by state — Georgia's tax deed regime is different from Florida's, which is different from Texas's. Disclosure packages call out the relevant state-specific procedures. Our buyer network is concentrated in the Southeast and Sunbelt, but we welcome buyers and sellers from any U.S. jurisdiction.
Every listing requires the seller to provide recorded documentation of their interest — the recorded tax deed, the probate filings, the recorded estate documents, etc. We pull and verify the recorded instruments before publishing the listing. We do not — and cannot — guarantee marketability or that the cure will succeed. We do guarantee that what's listed is what the recorded documents show.
Yes — Marketable Titles LLC is itself an active buyer of certain interest types in the Southeast. We disclose this on every listing where we are the seller, and we never bid on listings where we represent the seller without explicit consent. The marketplace is built on trust; we take that obligation seriously.
Not legal advice. Nothing on this website is legal, tax, or investment advice. Marketable Titles and Marketable Titles LLC are not law firms and do not provide legal services. The descriptions of interest types, curative procedures, and statutory references on this site are general informational summaries that vary by jurisdiction. Always engage qualified counsel licensed in the relevant jurisdiction before acquiring or disposing of any property interest.
Not a brokerage. Marketable Titles operates as a marketplace and listing platform. We are not a licensed real estate brokerage and do not represent buyers or sellers as a broker, agent, or fiduciary. Transactions on the platform are direct between the listed seller and the offering buyer.
Investment risk. Acquisition of uninsurable property interests involves substantial legal and financial risk. The curative path may take longer, cost more, or fail entirely. Past performance of similar interests does not predict outcomes for any specific listing. You may lose part or all of the capital you invest.
Securities laws. Listings on Marketable Titles are offers to sell or assign direct interests in real property, not securities. Listings are not registered as securities offerings and are not made in reliance on any securities exemption. Buyers acquire title to real property or assignable contractual interests in real property, not investment contracts.