Is It Possible To Get A Free Title Search?

Yes. There are a variety of ways to get a title search report for free or cheap. Which method you choose depends on why you need the search.

If you are just trying to find out who currently owns a property, or get a rough idea of its value, there are a number of websites that will provide you with an electronic report for free or relatively cheap (under $50). These reports are as accurate, complete, and up to date as the database they are pulled from... meaning instant reports often contain outdated and inaccurate information. Any report provided instantly is an electronically generated report that has not gone through the abstraction process performed by a certified title researcher.

If you need more extensive information such as a chain of title history, or if it's critically important your report not miss any items such as liens and judgments, you will need to directly view the public records like a professional abstractor would.

The good news is that, in most cities and counties, real estate records are readily and publically available; meaning anyone can visit the office and retrieve the data or documents needed to create a title search report. In most cases the costs are copy fees (typically a per printed page fee of $1 or more).

On the down side, getting the information you are looking for from public records requires knowing how they are indexed, how to read the documents and understand which ones are relevant and current, and learning the fundamentals on proper public records database searching.

Also, you may need to visit more than one location, such as the recorders office and the county courthouse, to get all the documents that affect your property. All of this may take a great deal of your time.