Title & Lien Search

[Priscilla Z.]

My partner and I are currently making offers on vacant lots and are going to be purchasing them at a GREAT discount. There are recorded lien searches on my county's official records page where it shows a title search. I then look up the owner's name (on the county's website) and see the liens on the vacant property, which are the same liens that come up on the title search.

My question: Can I do my own title & lien search through the county's website, or do I NEED to hire a title company to do this for me?

(Jon & Joshua, if my question is in the wrong forum please let me know where to post it!)

[Steve Babiak]

Every month that I go to the sheriff sale, I do my own title work on prospective properties - in bulk. It's unaffordable to pay for each one when the defaulted borrower can get a last-minute reprieve from the foreclosure. I'll bet if you asked most buyers at the foreclosure auctions, they will tell you they do their own title research (or have an employee do it), and not use a title company.

So, you can definitely do these for your self, if you are certain that nothing is being missed in the process; IRS liens come to mind - where I'm at, they don't attach a parcel ID to the IRS lien, so they don't just "show up" by default.

As far as unrecorded items, your local laws will determine whether they have any standing; usually unless there is a public record, there is no standing.

And be sure you have an up-to-date search. I see so many municipal liens pop up just before the sheriff sale; those municipalities do want to get paid :wink:

Be sure you can identify ALL possible liens too; some of the sites in my county only show a part of the picture - I have to use a number of sites to research all of the ones I know of. And, you should be able to identify and distinguish all sorts of instruments that are used - mortgages, assignment of mortgage, subordination agreement, mortage modification, lien release, etc.