AFX TitleSearch.com has overseen over one million title searches. These are the top five errors they've seen when inexperienced abstractors run title search.

Top Five Errors found in Title Search

1. Using online records vs. official paper documents in the courthouse. Online records may be more convenient, maybe a little cheaper but you are going to miss things that will result in an error-ridden title search.

2. Not running all the judgment records. Liens and mortgages can be found in the land records but judgments against the person which may attach to the property will not be found unless you physically visit the civil court records office in that county. Getting these records is critical to your search.

3. Failure to search and examine probate records results in multiple errors when property ownership may have transferred through wills and probate. Probate records can only be found in the official public records located at the courthouse.

4. Failure to search divorce records. These records are seldom if ever found online and may not be recorded in the land records. They can only be seen at the courthouse in the civil records office.

5. Failure to search all names found on documents as well as name variations may result in numerous errors. This requires familiarity with the local courthouse indexing system which often varies widely between land records, tax office, probate and civil courts.

About David Pelligrinelli

Mr. Pelligrinelli is a leading property title search and abstracting instructor, real estate title expert witness and expert in title forensics. In addition to serving as President & Lead Investigator at AFX Search LLC Investigations he is also President of the Title Training Institute, President of AFX TitleSearch.com since 1999 and has served on the board of National Association of Land Title Examiners and Abstractors (NALTEA) since February 2009. To learn more about Dave visit his LinkedIn Page

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