What is a title search and what are they searching for?
• A title search is a search of the records of a county / regional clerk’s or recorder’s office regarding all activity / transactions pertaining to a specific piece of property. The title searcher or abstractor will review all transactions (sales, mortgages, liens) on a parcel of property from a specific point of time in the past to current date. They will compile the data found into an abstract of title, from which a report of title will be made for title insurance purposes. Typically, the title search will encompass all transactions recorded from the current date back in time, covering a period of 40-120 years, pending the requirements of the state /region you reside in. The title search is conducted to determine that there is clear title to the land. Specifically, that the current owner has 100% title to the property subject to any easements and can convey or mortgage the property without complication. They will search the deed, mortgage, judgment and lien indexes for problems regar
