How to Research a Chain of Title

A chain of title is simply the historical sequence of the transfer of ownership of a piece of property over the years.  Researching this chain can be helpful in making sure the title is clear, and that the property can be sold without fear of any objections later on.  Fortunately, the process for researching the history of ownership for a property is very simple to manage.

1. Begin at the local courthouse or city hall.  One or more municipal departments can provide the information needed to reconstruct the ownership history of a piece of real estate.  While the name of the departments may vary based on how the municipality is organized, there is a good chance that there is a department of records and deeds included in the mix. 


2. Ask for information on the property by referring to the current address and the name of the current owner.  This will provide a starting place for the research.  Typically, this will make it easy to find out when the current owner purchased the property, provide a description of the property at that time and also identify the name of the previous owner.  From there, the search can continue back, noting any changes of address, size of the lot, and even the name of each prior owner. 


3. Look closely for information on liens and financing on the property.  The goal is to not only identify if the property was used for collateral for mortgages or other financing over the years, but also to make sure there is proof in public records that those debts were settled and that the title to the property is currently clear.  


4. Dig into the archives.  If the property has been extant for a number of decades or even centuries, chances are that older records have been archived at some sort of central repository.  This may involve working with state level archives departments for data going back further than the information maintained at the local courthouse.  It is not unusual for this type of research to be conducted online, using the data already collected in regard to addresses, lot numbers and the names of previous owners.