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[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Forum Board ] [ FAQ ] Title Searching 101 Posted by Ward-CA- on April 14, 2003 at 11:36 AM In Reply to: Title Searching for Newbies posted by SeanW on April 14, 2003 at 9:12 AM : >Hey, what about the questions you?re supposed to ask that : >helpful title gal. I?d like to know her answers. : I'm still holding some goodwill in reserve until I have grasped the computer terminals on my own. (Was there again this morning and I'm making headway.) But she and a friend said I could observe their work and I intend to do that. : Actually, most of the abstractors in the recorder's office have been helpful with little questions. Title searching is unglamourous stuff, and I doubt they get asked much about it. : But I think I can answer your third question already: : >#3. ?Compared to a title company?s title information, which : >system is the most thorough and thus more reliable, the title : >company?s or the county recorder?s record?? ?Why?? : Answer: : The recorder's office is more accurate, (paradoxically), because the documents are keyed by humans, and they make MISTAKES! For example, accidently swap the map book number with the plot number, and you'll throw a legal description into la-la land. : I suspect people also do things like record "Deed" under "Dedication"-- or "Converyance" under "Confirmation"-- once in a while. People get tired, and just mis-click things doing data entry. : When these kinds of mistakes make it into database, you have to deal with garbage-in garbage-out problems. You can't be sure a computer will match it all up problerly, because a computer can't second-guess what a human should have done. : That's the difference between a "Preliminary Title Search" and the real thing, right? The preliminary is just the title insurance quickie report that matched up all the *properly* recorded documents. But they'd still send an abstractor to the recorder's office, when actually underwriting a policy... to make extra sure to cover their butt. : Since the recorder's records are crossindexed by grantor and grantee, you also have other ways to slice through the data. If you're looking for "Mike Sherman", your brain should be tipped off at the sight of anything else recorded that date under "Michael Sherman" or "Mickey Sherman" or "Mike V Sherman". These could be the same person. =?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?= Sean, How can you lose goodwill by asking questions you were invited to ask? As far as the 3rd question is concerned, you?ve got the gist of it. We humans make mistakes constantly on the documents being recorded in the county recorder?s office. A mistake made in a legal description is critical to a title company because that?s what they depend upon as their guide as they sort through their proprietary computer databases, looking for recorded documents pertinent to a particular legal description. If the legal description on a recorded document isn?t perfect, even if it?s just one numeral off, the title company will be oblivious to its existence. However, the same mistake won?t faze a title searcher using the county recorder?s record because the index used in the recorder?s office isn?t the legal description?instead it?s an alphabetical cross-index that?s accessed by the names of the grantee (recipient) and/or grantor (giver) on the recorded document. If the spelling of the name of the grantee is garbled you can switch to the name of the grantor to find the same document, or look in the short phonetic spelling range of the name. For example if my name, Hanigan, was misspelled as Hanagan, or Hannigan, it wouldn?t be too hard to find in the recorder?s record just by looking several names ahead of or behind the right spelling. To sum it up, the recorder?s record is more fault tolerant than a title company?s database, but it?s a lot slower in use. And that?s why title companies prefer to use their own database?it?s lightning fast compared to the poky recorder?s record. Hope this helps. Follow Ups: Post a Followup: Name : E-Mail : Subject : Comments: : : >Hey, what about the questions you?re supposed to ask that : : >helpful title gal. I?d like to know her answers. : : I'm still holding some goodwill in reserve until I have grasped the computer terminals on my own. (Was there again this morning and I'm making headway.) But she and a friend said I could observe their work and I intend to do that. : : Actually, most of the abstractors in the recorder's office have been helpful with little questions. Title searching is unglamourous stuff, and I doubt they get asked much about it. : : But I think I can answer your third question already: : : >#3. ?Compared to a title company?s title information, which : : >system is the most thorough and thus more reliable, the title : : >company?s or the county recorder?s record?? ?Why?? : : Answer: : : The recorder's office is more accurate, (paradoxically), because the documents are keyed by humans, and they make MISTAKES! For example, accidently swap the map book number with the plot number, and you'll throw a legal description into la-la land. : : I suspect people also do things like record "Deed" under "Dedication"-- or "Converyance" under "Confirmation"-- once in a while. People get tired, and just mis-click things doing data entry. : : When these kinds of mistakes make it into database, you have to deal with garbage-in garbage-out problems. You can't be sure a computer will match it all up problerly, because a computer can't second-guess what a human should have done. : : That's the difference between a "Preliminary Title Search" and the real thing, right? The preliminary is just the title insurance quickie report that matched up all the *properly* recorded documents. But they'd still send an abstractor to the recorder's office, when actually underwriting a policy... to make extra sure to cover their butt. : : Since the recorder's records are crossindexed by grantor and grantee, you also have other ways to slice through the data. If you're looking for "Mike Sherman", your brain should be tipped off at the sight of anything else recorded that date under "Michael Sherman" or "Mickey Sherman" or "Mike V Sherman". These could be the same person. : =?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?=?= : Sean, : How can you lose goodwill by asking questions you were invited to ask? : As far as the 3rd question is concerned, you?ve got the gist of it. : We humans make mistakes constantly on the documents being recorded in the county recorder?s office. : A mistake made in a legal description is critical to a title company because that?s what they depend upon as their guide as they sort through their proprietary computer databases, looking for recorded documents pertinent to a particular legal description. If the legal description on a recorded document isn?t perfect, even if it?s just one numeral off, the title company will be oblivious to its existence. : However, the same mistake won?t faze a title searcher using the county recorder?s record because the index used in the recorder?s office isn?t the legal description?instead it?s an alphabetical cross-index that?s accessed by the names of the grantee (recipient) and/or grantor (giver) on the recorded document. : If the spelling of the name of the grantee is garbled you can switch to the name of the grantor to find the same document, or look in the short phonetic spelling range of the name. : For example if my name, Hanigan, was misspelled as Hanagan, or Hannigan, it wouldn?t be too hard to find in the recorder?s record just by looking several names ahead of or behind the right spelling. : To sum it up, the recorder?s record is more fault tolerant than a title company?s database, but it?s a lot slower in use. And that?s why title companies prefer to use their own database?it?s lightning fast compared to the poky recorder?s record. : Hope this helps. Optional Link URL: Link Title: Optional Image URL: [ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Forum Board ] [ FAQ ] WWWAdmin 2.0a © 1997 Matt Wright and DBasics Software Company, All Rights Reserved

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