Title search
A review of the public records for the property, going back years. The point is to find liens, unpaid taxes, missing signatures, or anything else that could challenge ownership.
Your Room opens on this part of the sale, with the offer and everything before it already ticked.
Organize my saleFree to set up. Pay once when you list: $89 or $189. 7-day refund.
See how it worksWhere this comes up in a sale, and what follows
- Review offers and negotiate (comes before)
Part 1 of 4
Why a seller cares
The search is where the surprises come from: a lien you forgot, a mortgage never released, a name that matches somebody else's judgment. It happens in the first weeks under contract, and what it finds is usually yours to fix.
Part 2 of 4
A simple example
The search on your home goes back forty years. It finds two clean deeds, your current mortgage, and a $450 sewer lien from 2016 you thought was paid.
| What it finds | What follows |
|---|---|
| Your current mortgage | Paid off from your proceeds at closing |
| A $450 sewer lien | Paid at closing, or before, with a release recorded |
| Nothing else | A clean commitment and a closing on schedule |
The search reads the county's file on your home. Whatever is in it comes out now rather than later.
Part 3 of 4
What people get wrong
That a search is only for the buyer's benefit. It finds what the seller has to clear, so it is the seller's early warning too.
Part 4 of 4 · where to read next
Where it appears in the sale
What a definition is, and what it isn't
Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.
Written and researched by Keighbor Research · drawn from the reference glossary · how we research and check what we publish
In your Room, this word explains itself where it appears.
Your Room defines title search in the step you meet it in, beside the document or the date it belongs to. Free to set up, with an agent or on your own.
Organize my saleFree to set up. Pay once when you list: $89 or $189. 7-day refund.