where to find your deed if it hasn't came in the mail

Question

I purchased a property from a land bank in Tennessee. I started the purchasing process April 3rd then it closed on June 22nd. They said I would get the deed in the mail within 6 to 8 weeks. It's week 9! I know it's not that late but I suddenly want to go to ministry school and need tuition in a few weeks. it's worth 8 thousand I'm going to try and sell it quickly at about 6 thousand. But I'm afraid to do that until I have the deed in hand. I keep checking the register of deeds website but It's so outdated. I know I've asked  a similar question about this before but I'm running out of time if I'm gonna sell it quick.

I've called a title company they said they wouldn't pull title until I had an offer on the property.

Also does anyone know. The county said I would have clear title but I hear they don't always know what that means. Just in case it doesn't someone said you don't have to do a quite title if you let it sit for 4 years. It looks like the tax sale was over 4 years ago and it been with the county that long. I'm just curious if that would clear  it or is that 4 year after I purchase it from the county.

Rick H. · Answer

Find a friend with nationwide access that includes your property county in TN.

Your original document should have been recorded on the designated closing date, even if you have not received original in mail.

The real question: was the deed in fact recorded?

You might need to find a local researcher or title abstracter who physically goes to court and pulls either a conformed, or better yet, a certified copy of your document while the original is in transit. Even if lost in mail, your certied copy of recorded doc will suffice to resell.

In His time, not yours.

Ned Carey · Answer

@Kimi McCarty you said

By "closed" do you mean a title company handled the transaction? Go back to that title company and ask them about the recording.

Wayne Brooks · Answer

@Kimi McCarty It sounds like you don't know exactly What you've bought.  Spend a couple of hundred dollars for a title search/commitment, now!  Note, the title co. wouldn't do a "free" title search before you had it under contract to sell.  Better to get a nasty surprise now, rather than later.  You ever wonder why this "opportunity" was still available after being offered to the world?  Many of these guys reselling tax deed/liens are simply selling worthless junk.

Steve Chaisson · Answer

Shelby County has all deed records available to the public online.

http://register.shelby.tn.us/index.php

Gerald R. · Answer

Congratz.  I'm currently waiting for deeds to be recorded and was also told 30days, hope it doesn't end up being 4 months.

Kimi McCarty · Answer

Finally Got It! I called back today because the website still wasn't showing it in my name but the manager at he land bank helped me look it up a different way and download it PDF. Was officially recorded on October 1rst.....

Thank you all for the help and advise

Kimi McCarty · Answer

Just an update! After several phone messages and emails I finally got through by contacting the manager of the land bank. I found that my property never got recorded. I just thought maybe their online resource was not updated.  Nope I just don't have a deed they found 120 properties that didn't get recorded. They are working on that now. I was sure it would be recorded by the end of this week. It wasn't LOL!

Also I advertised it on Facebook and through that I discovered something I would not have known. Someone sent me a letter they had from a title company stating that you can't get title insurance on these properties because they are redeemable for 7 years.... that sounds scary but my property taken in 2006 so I'm hopeful that it's insurable.

Ned Carey · Answer

Yes remind them that "THEY" handled the original transaction and it appears they have not recorded it. Don't mention any future sale just the transaction they previously handled. Otherwise it will just confuse them.

PS sometimes transactions are indexed in different ways in the land records. If that is true in your area try searching in a different manor, like the tax ID# or plot # instead of your name.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

@Wayne Brooks  you may have hit the nail on the head on this one... clearly there is some confusion.. luckily its not large dollars.. I hope it works out...

@Kimi McCarty  you should be able to pop on Shelby county website put in the address and it should show you as the owner... or whatever name you told them to put the property into.. If the address comes up under a different or unknown name .. then you probably need to do some digging and see if in fact your deed got recorded.. but as I say its should take you all of 5 minutes on line to figure this out.. you either own it or you don't

Kimi McCarty · Answer

the land bank did say that they use fidelity title. that it would be a good to get title insurance before I sell it or just don't sell it cash without without going through that process. I asked them a lot of questions but weather I got the right answers, only time will tell.

I've probably made a lot of mistakes in this process that I can avoid in the future. However I'm learning a lot so that was worth it.

Thank you all for such helpful suggestions and ideas

where to find your deed if it hasn't came in the mail

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