When you buy a house or land, it's critical to ensure the title is clean. Defects are flaws in the title that might restrict how you use the land or harm its value. When you prepare to buy a property, get a preliminary title search, but don't rely on it alone. You'll need to perform your own property search. You may, of course, hire someone to do it for you, but that will cost money. Here are some more options for doing it for free.

Visit the Courthouse of the County or District in Which the Property is Located

If you go to the courthouse, you may view a record of your property's title and deed history. You must go to the courthouse where the property is located if you want to transfer ownership. You may have to go through each paper by hand, noting the title transfers and any conditions that accompanied them, in some instances. A title search in this manner is time-consuming, but it is not costly.

Visit the County Assessor's office

States now have more sophisticated tools for free property title searches available. These are accessible through your state's government sites under "county assessor." You'll need to choose your county before you can search for property listings. Keep in mind that this information is sometimes lacking in many counties. If you don't discover your home through the title search, you'll have to go to the courthouse in person.

Remember that you should always be able to locate your property. If the property does not appear in the search, it means that the data is either incorrectly labeled or that it isn't present in the system. It doesn't imply that there aren't any restrictions on it or other similar concerns.

Find a real estate lawyer for more help doing a property title search.