Wholesale a property with unproven ownership?

[Jeremy Ocasio]

Hi All,

I am talking to a motivated seller that desperately wants to sell her house. She says that she has had difficulty in the past proving ownership. Her grandmother purchased the property back in the 20s but there seems to be no record of it.

The address is on her birth certificate and shes been paying the tax bill there since 2001. A deed search through the county clerk turned up empty because 1960 and later is available online. No earlier. Went to the clerks office and they can search further back but they tell me they cant find a deed in her grand parents name dating back ever.

I called a title company and they turned up with nothing through a preliminary search. They want $400 for a more extensive search but I dont want to pump money into something I may not close on.

I called another title company and they told me that even if I brought them a sale contract and started the whole process of clearing the title, if it turns up they cant find the house in a will or something like that their hands are tied and I would need another lawyer to do some investigating. All of this sounds very expensive for the possibility of not closing. What to do? Thanks in advance.