Four records tell you most of what you need before you commit to a property, and you can pull all four yourself for free: the county grantor-grantee index (who owns it, what's attached), the recorded deed (what ownership actually transferred), the tax record (whether taxes are current), and a title company's Ownership and Encumbrance (O&E) report for a professional read before you pay for a full title commitment. The half nobody teaches is what each record does not prove. A record that proves one thing and gets read as proving three is how a deal that looked clean on paper becomes somebody else's unpaid bill.
Educational information about public records only — not legal advice, not a title opinion, and no substitute for a title professional or an attorney.
Why this is already free
The only reason anyone can charge $5k for "secret owner data" is that most people never learn these records are public by law. Recording is a public act on purpose: in California an unrecorded conveyance "is void as against any subsequent purchaser or mortgagee... whose conveyance is first duly recorded" (Cal. Civ. Code § 1214). Keeping the record is a county duty, not a favor (ORS 205.130).
1. The title search, and the cheaper O&E
A title search is defined work, not a vibe. The clearest published description of one sits in an unlikely place: the federal rule for land developers registering subdivided lots. It doesn't govern your purchase, but it's the government writing down what counts as adequate — a search of "all public records which may contain documents affecting title to the land," reaching the recorder of deeds, "U.S. Internal Revenue Liens," the "circuit, probate, or other courts," the tax records, and UCC filings, then listing "any and all exceptions or objections to the title... including any encumbrances, easements, covenants, conditions, reservations, limitations or restrictions of record" (12 CFR § 1010.209).
That's your map: recorder, courts, IRS, tax rolls, UCC.
The O&E report is the lighter product — current ownership plus open liens and encumbrances of record, no insurance commitment. Name, format, availability, and price vary by county.
Why a lien attaches to the property, not the seller
The most expensive misunderstanding in off-market real estate: people assume the seller's debts leave with the seller.
- Federal tax liens attach "to all of your assets... and to future assets acquired during the duration of the lien," with a public Notice filed "to alert creditors that the government has a legal right to your property" (IRS).
- Property taxes are "a lien thereon... until paid," and that lien "shall not be voided or impaired" (ORS 311.405). A lien on the thing, not the person.
- Easements are "a nonpossessory property interest that provides the easement holder permission to use another person's land," and they "transfer along with the dominant tenement" (Cornell LII). The neighbor's right of way doesn't care that you're new.
The CFPB says it plainly: title claims "could come from a previous owner's failure to pay taxes, or from contractors who say they were not paid for work done on the home" (CFPB). Somebody else's unpaid bill, riding on your house. If you finance, the search is an itemized line — title service fees "include the title search fee," shown in section B or C of your Loan Estimate; in Section C you can shop (CFPB).
2. The grantor-grantee index and the chain of title
A grantor is the giving party. A grantee is the receiving party. King County, Washington indexes "by name (Grantor/Grantee), instrument number, and property tax parcel number," free online, with "most documents recorded on or after August 1, 1991" available (King County Recorder) — though it "does not maintain an address field" (FAQ), so start at the assessor for a parcel number. California codifies the same shape: a "Grantors" index headed "Names of grantors," "Names of grantees," "Where recorded" (Gov. Code § 27232), plus a mirror "Grantees" index (§ 27233).
Walking it backward: find the current owner as a grantee, note who granted to them, search that person as a grantee, repeat.
The trap that gets beginners
The index is not a list of owners. It's a list of instruments.
Oregon has the clerk index "every instrument recorded" by grantor name, naming "any mortgage, bond, judgment or other instrument" in the same breath (ORS 205.160). California keeps parallel mortgage indexes headed "Names of mortgagors" and "Names of mortgagees" (Gov. Code § 27234) — identical giving/receiving structure, applied to a loan.
So mortgages, judgments, liens, and easements sit in those same two columns. On a mortgage, the borrower is the grantor and the lender is the grantee — the homeowner gave a security interest, the bank received it.
Which means the newest grantee is the owner of record only when the instrument is a deed. If the newest grantee is a bank, you didn't find a sale — you found a loan. Read the document-type column before the names, then open the document itself.
3. Warranty deed vs. quitclaim deed
A quitclaim deed conveys "his or her present interest, if any... without representing, covenanting, or warranting that the title is good" (Cornell LII). Read "if any" twice — it transfers whatever the grantor has, up to and including nothing.
A warranty deed is where "the grantor (seller) guarantees clear title," assuring the property "is free from any liens, encumbrances, or claims, except those explicitly stated in the deed" — "the highest level of protection to the buyer" (Cornell LII).
Some states use a middle instrument. In California, "grant" implies exactly two covenants "and none other": the grantor hasn't already conveyed the estate to someone else, and it's free of encumbrances "done, made, or suffered by the grantor" (Cal. Civ. Code § 1113). Note the ceiling — encumbrances the grantor caused, not what was already there.
A quitclaim in a chain isn't automatically bad; they're routine between spouses, into a trust, or to fix a misspelled name. One from an unrelated party right before a sale is a question you ask out loud.
4. The tax record proves the taxes are late. That's it.
Maricopa County, Arizona lets anyone search treasurer records by parcel, name, or address, and publishes tax lien information and a map of delinquent taxes (Maricopa County Treasurer). Free, no account. Most counties have an equivalent.
What delinquency proves: the taxes are unpaid, and that unpaid tax is a lien on the property until paid.
What it doesn't prove: that the owner wants to sell, that the property is vacant, that anyone is in distress, or that there's equity. Someone can be three years behind with no intention of selling, or perfectly current and desperate to get out this month.
Owner intent and occupancy appear in no county record. There is no field for either. Intent comes from a conversation with the owner. Occupancy comes from observation: a drive-by, a neighbor, mail-return data, or a lawful skip-trace. Anyone selling a "motivated seller list" built purely off delinquency is selling an inference and calling it a fact.
5. What an underwriter checks, and what you can't pull free
| What gets checked | Free to you? | Where it comes from | |---|---|---| | Ownership of record | Yes | County recorder / clerk index | | Recorded mortgages, liens, judgments | Yes | Recorder index + court records | | Easements and restrictions of record | Yes | Recorder index (listed on a title search) | | Property tax status and delinquency | Yes | County treasurer | | Legal description, parcel data | Yes | County assessor | | Full title commitment + title insurance | No | Title company (paid) | | Appraisal | No | Licensed appraiser, lender-ordered | | Survey (boundaries, encroachments) | No | Licensed surveyor |
Straight on the appraisal: it's "a written document that shows an opinion of how much a property is worth," an "independent assessment," and when you borrow, "your lender may need to get a new appraisal and may require you to pay for it" (CFPB). Licensed-professional work, and a cost you may carry — though "you can't be charged a fee for copies," and you're entitled to one no later than three days before closing.
The honest limit on all of it: the index only knows what got recorded. An unrecorded lease, a handshake, an heir nobody listed, a fence three feet over a line only a survey finds — none of it shows up. That gap is much of what title insurance exists to cover.
Run it in this order
- Assessor — parcel number and legal description. Most recorder indexes won't search by address.
- Recorder index — walk backward, grantee to grantor. Read the document type on every row.
- Open the deed. Warranty, quitclaim, or grant.
- Treasurer — tax status. Log it as a signal, not a story.
- Order the O&E if the deal is still alive.
- Then talk price. Not before.
What none of this replaces
An O&E is a preliminary read, not a substitute for a full title commitment, a title company, or an attorney at closing. It's typically uninsured, often limited in the period it covers, and binds nobody. Availability, format, and cost vary county by county; recording law varies by state. Before money moves, use a title company and an attorney licensed in that state.
Doing this yourself isn't about replacing the professionals. It's about not paying a guru to read a free public record to you.
Free, no account, same energy: our 50-state wholesaling legality tracker links the statute for every state, and the 70% rule breakdown covers max-offer math once title checks out.
Frequently asked questions
Is a title search the same as an O&E report?
No. A title search is the underlying research — all public records that may affect title, covering enough history to insure marketability, listing every encumbrance, easement, covenant, and restriction of record. (That standard comes from a federal developer-registration rule, 12 CFR § 1010.209, not a law governing your purchase.) An O&E reports current ownership and open encumbrances without an insurance commitment. Screen with an O&E; close on a full commitment.
Can I really check ownership for free?
In most counties, yes. King County, Washington runs a free online index searchable by grantor/grantee name, instrument number, or parcel number. Maricopa County, Arizona lets anyone search tax records by parcel, name, or address. Older records may exist only on microfilm at the counter.
What if the newest grantee in the index is a bank?
You found a mortgage, not a sale. On a mortgage the borrower is the grantor and the lender is the grantee. The newest grantee is the owner of record only when the document is a deed.
Does a quitclaim deed mean something is wrong?
Not by itself. It conveys the grantor's present interest "if any" without warranting title, so it guarantees nothing — but it's routine between spouses, into trusts, or to correct a name. One from an unrelated party right before a sale deserves a title professional's eyes.
Do delinquent taxes mean the owner wants to sell?
No. Delinquency proves the taxes are unpaid and a lien sits on the property until paid — nothing about intent, occupancy, distress, or equity. No county record contains owner intent; that comes from a conversation.
Do I have to pay for an appraisal?
If you're borrowing, possibly — the CFPB notes your lender may need a new appraisal and may require you to pay for it. You can't be charged for copies of it.
Sources and disclaimer
Every claim above links its public primary: CFPB on title insurance, title fees and appraisals; 12 CFR § 1010.209; the IRS on federal tax liens; California Civ. Code § 1214 and § 1113 and Gov. Code § 27232 / § 27233 / § 27234; ORS ch. 205 and ch. 311; the King County Recorder and Maricopa County Treasurer; and Cornell LII on quitclaim, warranty, and easement.
Educational information about public records only. Not legal advice, not a title opinion, and no attorney-client relationship is formed. Availability, format, and cost vary by county; recording law varies by state. Verify against the linked sources and consult a licensed attorney and title professional before you commit.