So you’re buying a piece of property, maybe a house, maybe a vacant lot, and someone mentioned you should “run a title search” before you close. Your first thought is probably: do I really need to pay a title company hundreds of dollars for that, or can I just do it myself?

Good news: for a lot of situations, you actually can do a basic title search on your own. It won’t replace title insurance (more on that later), but it’s a great way to understand what you’re getting into, catch obvious red flags early, and feel like less of a stranger to your own purchase. Let’s walk through it together.

What Is a Title Search, Anyway?

A title search is basically digging through public records to answer one simple question: does the seller actually have the legal right to sell this property, and is it free of anything that could cause you problems later?

That “anything” includes things like:

• Outstanding mortgages or liens
• Unpaid property taxes
• Judgments against the owner
• Easements (someone else’s legal right to use part of the land)
• Boundary disputes
• Errors in the ownership history (called the “chain of title”)

If any of these show up and go unnoticed, they can become your problem the moment you sign the deed. That’s why this step matters so much, even on a home that looks totally normal.

Step 1: Find the Property’s Legal Description and Parcel Number

Before you can search anything, you need to know exactly which property you’re dealing with, and “123 Main Street” isn’t specific enough for legal records. You’ll want:

• The legal description (found on the current deed or the property listing)
• The parcel number or APN (Assessor’s Parcel Number)

You can usually find both on the county assessor’s website by searching the address, or by asking the current owner or listing agent for a copy of the deed.

Step 2: Visit the County Recorder’s Office (or Their Website)

This is where the real digging happens. Every county keeps a record of every deed, mortgage, lien, and legal document ever filed against a property. This office goes by different names depending on where you live (Recorder of Deeds, County Clerk, Register of Deeds), but the job is the same.

Many counties now have these records searchable online for free (or for a small fee). If yours doesn’t, you can go in person and ask a clerk to point you toward the public terminals. They’re used to helping first-timers.

Step 3: Trace the Chain of Title

Here’s the core of the process. You’re going to trace ownership backward, deed by deed, ideally for at least the last 30-60 years (some people go back further for extra peace of mind). For each owner, look for:

• The deed that transferred the property to them
• Any mortgages or liens filed while they owned it
• Whether those liens were properly released or satisfied when paid off

You’re looking for a clean, unbroken line of ownership with no mysterious gaps, missing signatures, or names that don’t match up.

Step 4: Check for Liens and Judgments

Next, search the current owner’s name (and any past owners still relevant to open liens) for:

• Mortgage liens: is the current loan still showing as active?
• Tax liens: unpaid property taxes attach to the property itself
• Mechanic’s liens: filed by contractors who weren’t paid for work done on the property
• Judgment liens: from lawsuits against the owner

You can usually search these by owner name through the county recorder or clerk’s index.

Step 5: Look Up Easements and Restrictions

Even if nobody owes any money, the property could still come with strings attached. Look for:

• Utility easements (the power or water company’s right to access part of the land)
• Shared driveway or access easements
• HOA covenants and restrictions
• Right-of-way agreements

These won’t necessarily stop your purchase, but you’ll want to know about them going in.

Step 6: Check for Unpaid Property Taxes

Head to the county tax assessor or treasurer’s website and search the parcel number to confirm taxes are current. Unpaid taxes can turn into a lien that follows the property, not the person, which means it could become your bill if it’s missed.

Step 7: Pull It All Together

Once you’ve gathered everything, you’ll have a rough picture of the property’s history and whether anything looks off. If it all checks out, great. If you spot something confusing, like a lien that doesn’t seem to be released, a name mismatch, or a gap in the chain of title, that’s your cue to bring in a real estate attorney or title professional before moving forward.

Should You Still Get Title Insurance?

Honestly, yes, and here’s why. Doing your own search is fantastic for education and for catching obvious issues early, but public records can have errors, missing filings, or fraud that’s genuinely hard to catch without professional tools and experience. Title insurance protects you financially if something slips through, even something that wasn’t discoverable at the time of purchase. Think of your own search as the first layer of protection, not the only one.

Quick Recap

1. Get the legal description and parcel number
2. Search the county recorder’s records
3. Trace the chain of title back several decades
4. Check for liens and judgments
5. Look for easements and restrictions
6. Confirm property taxes are paid
7. Bring in a professional if anything looks off

Doing a title search yourself takes some patience, but it’s genuinely doable, and it’s a great way to walk into your closing feeling informed instead of just hoping for the best.

Tags: title search, real estate tips, home buying, chain of title, property liens, title insurance, first time home buyer, due diligence, county recorder, buying land