Searches real estate records, examines titles, or summarizes 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.

This career is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security cluster Legal Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Prepares lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
• Examines documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
• Reads search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.
• Copies or summarizes recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
• Examines individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
• Prepares reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities, and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
• Verifies accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
• Confers with realtors, lending institution personnel, buyers, sellers, contractors, surveyors, and courthouse personnel to exchange title-related information or to resolve problems.
• Enters into record-keeping systems the appropriate data needed to create new title records or update existing ones.
• Directs activities of workers who search records and examine titles, assigning, scheduling, and evaluating work, and providing technical guidance as necessary.