A chain of title refers to the complete history of the title of a property, and begins with the original owner of the property. The chain of title is preserved by several written documents that can be found at the registry office or at the county recorder of deeds. Sometimes, a dispute over the chain of title may arise when you decide to purchase a home. A third party may try to block the sale by claiming ownership of the property. Here is some vital information you need to know in case a dispute arises over the ownership of the property you are purchasing.

How do you get information about all the previous owners of a property?

If you have contracted to buy a home and a third party claims that the property belongs to them because it was transferred by a previous owner through a deed or a will, the best thing for you to do is to conduct a title search. In order to conduct an effective and legal title search it is always best to hire a real estate attorney, since every state has its own recording laws and some of the legal jargon may be difficult for you to understand if you have not been legally trained. A title search will tell you the names of any previous, legitimate owners of the property by pulling up several legal documents.

What type of legal documents will a title search find?

A title search is likely to pull up the following legal documents:

• deeds to the property.
• death certificates of previous owners
• foreclosure documents
• every record of the transfer of the title

All of these documents are part of the chain of title and any illegitimate claims by a third party about ownership of the property can be disproved by examining them. Any deed that a third party produces that cannot be found in the official records at the registry office or at the county recorder of deeds will be regarded as a wild deed and any claims to ownership of the property will be dismissed.

Doing a chain of title search is the best way to find out about the history of the property you are purchasing, so that any questions that arise about how the property was passed from one owner to the next can be answered. This will prevent you from falling victim to unscrupulous people who wish to make illegitimate claims to the property that you wish to purchase. Consult with a real estate attorney for assistance.