Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

What Does a Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Do?

Search real estate records, examine titles, or summarize pertinent legal or insurance documents or details for a variety of purposes. May compile lists of mortgages, contracts, and other instruments pertaining to titles by searching public and private records for law firms, real estate agencies, or title insurance companies.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• 1Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
• 2Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
• 3Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
• 4Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
• 5Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
• 6Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
• 7Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.
• 8Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices.

Required Skills

• Reading Comprehension
• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Adobe Acrobat
• Contact management software
• Data Trace Title IQ
• File management software
• First American Data Tree Parcel IQ
• GATORS ANYWHERE
• Geographic information system GIS databases
• Google Workspace software
• Landtitle USA
• Microsoft Access

Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers Salary