How to Look Up Property Deeds

A property deed search always starts with determining where they are stored. The names and locations of county clerks, recorders, and auditors vary by state.

What you will discover:

What Is the Purpose of the Property Deed?
Where Do I Begin?
Recognize What to Look For
Find the Deed
Consider Other Approaches

Are you thinking about purchasing a home? A thorough investigation of the property’s past may safeguard you from liabilities and unanticipated events. A property deed is one of the finest sources of information. Finding the appropriate one, however, might be difficult because to the large amount of actions. However, if you organize ahead of time and concentrate on the task, it is quite possible.

What Is the Purpose of the Property Deed?

A property deed is a goldmine of information that may help you precisely recreate the history of the property you are interested in. Property history in the United States may occasionally be traced back to the time of the American Revolution, or even earlier. For the most part, focusing on the property’s 20th and 21st century history is sufficient.

Where Do I Begin?

A property deed search always starts with determining where the deeds are maintained. The names and locations vary by state, but whether it is a county clerk, recorder, auditor, or a state registrar of deeds, it is likely a useful first step in discovering a deed. Some jurisdictions make property deed records accessible online for free or for a fee. If you want to browse the deeds often, paying the charge and obtaining a membership may be more beneficial. Otherwise, hunting for a tangible copy of the deed may be the less expensive choice.

Recognize What to Look For

of general, search for anything that might create issues later on, such as liens that were not removed, ambiguous transfers of ownership, incomplete paperwork, taxes, easements, and so on. Examine the real definition of the attribute that determines how massive it is. A property may be larger than it seems, yet owing to the passage of time, surrounding properties may have encroached on it. Alternatively, your property may be intruding on the rights of others. These truths may be revealed through the action.

Find the Deed

The most difficult aspect of locating the correct deed is that they are seldom grouped by address. The common way for locating the deed is to utilize the name of the current property owner. It should be noted that the acts are produced by people, and humans make mistakes. If you can not discover the deed using the current owner’s name, try alternate spellings or check for other family members. In general, if you run into issues at this step, there may be something wrong with the property. On the other hand, if you own a property with an improper deed, you should remedy any faults that might pose complications if you ever wish to sell the property.

Consider Other Approaches

The goal of the search is to locate the recorded deed’s book and page number. If you are unable to locate the deed, visiting the county Geographic Information System (usually accessible online) and searching for the property itself should bring you directly to the deed. This is particularly beneficial if the owner is genuine but changed his name or the deed was registered incorrectly.