| As soon as you buy real estate, it's a must to | | | | need it. The only thing the clerk will check is what |
| register it at the recording office or wherever real | | | | kind of document you are recording. |
| estate transactions are registered in your | | | | 2. Recording |
| particular jurisdiction. If you don't, you could end | | | | The recording office will copy your deed and put |
| up losing title to your real estate due to the | | | | it into their Official Records in numerical order. So |
| misconduct of the previous owner or even due to | | | | you might end up recording your deed, for |
| a mistake. If you have bought property (as | | | | example, in Volume 452, Page 209. |
| opposed to leasing it or accepting a mortgage on | | | | 3. Indexing |
| it, both of which can also be recorded), you will | | | | It may have occurred to you that recording |
| need a properly executed, acknowledged, and | | | | deeds in strict chronological order can make a |
| delivered deed to your property. In some states, | | | | deed almost impossible to locate if you don't |
| a mere contract for the sale of real estate may | | | | already know the date upon which it was |
| be recordable, but since you're going to end up | | | | recorded. That is why the recording office also |
| with the deed anyway at the closing of the | | | | prepares a set of indexes recording information |
| transaction, recording your deed is usually the | | | | about each document for easy reference. Your |
| best idea. You will have to have your deed | | | | deed will be recorded in a grantor-grantee index |
| notarized. | | | | which alphabetically lists recorded documents |
| 1. Filing | | | | according to the grantor's (normally the seller's) |
| The clerk at the recoding office will not check to | | | | name and the grantee's (usually the buyer's) |
| see if your deed is valid, or even whether you | | | | name, along with the volume and page numbers |
| actually own the property. - that would only be | | | | where a copy of the deed can be found. It might |
| investigated during legal proceedings in case a | | | | also include a description of the deed and the |
| dispute arose as to who owned the property, etc. | | | | property. The recording office will probably also |
| All the recording office does is keep the | | | | maintain a grantee-grantor index alphabetically |
| document and make it available to people who | | | | arranged by the buyer's name. |