Trustees, executors, heirs and adult children managing a parent's property
Title research for estate planning and elder law shows how a parent's or client's property is actually titled, every recorded lien against it and the full chain of ownership, verified with the county. Trustees, executors, heirs and the attorneys advising them use it to fund a trust, plan for care or settle inherited property, including property in another state.
A trust holds real property only when a deed into the trust was recorded; the record, not the trust schedule, shows whether that happened. Families often believe the house went into the living trust years ago, and the recorded deed still shows the parents as individuals, or one parent alone, or a child added as a joint owner after a hospital stay. The plan rests on the recorded vesting, not on the family's memory of what was signed.
Elder law planning starts from the same record. Before an attorney advises on a move to assisted living or a nursing home, they need to know exactly how each property is titled, whether a life estate or transfer-on-death deed is already on record, and what mortgages, tax liens or judgments are recorded against it. The rules that follow vary by state and are the attorney's to apply. The record has to be right first.
Inherited property in another state is where the gaps show. An heir in one state cannot walk into a recorder's office two time zones away, and a decedent's parcel held in a prior name, a half interest left over from an old divorce, or a mortgage that was paid off decades ago but never released surfaces when a buyer's title company runs its own search. By then the estate has been distributed.
The client's trust schedule lists the house, but was the deed ever recorded? We pull the current vesting deed, report who holds title today and attach the image. If the property is still in the individual's name, the attorney knows what deed to prepare. If it was deeded into the trust, the file shows the instrument and its recording date.
Before the elder law attorney advises on the home, the family needs to know how it is titled, whether a child was ever added to the deed, and what is recorded against it. We report the vesting, every lien and the full chain, and leave the planning conclusions to the attorney.
We research the out-of-state county the same way we research a local one: vesting at death, how title passes under the recorded instruments, liens to pay and the deed images. You receive the record without traveling, and the plain-language summary explains the next step.
We search by name, including maiden and prior names, in the counties you give us and follow the record to any other county it points to. Each parcel comes back with its vesting, its liens and the deed image, formatted for the court file if the estate is in probate.
Yes, from the record. We report the current vesting deed word for word, with the deed image attached, and show whether a deed into the trust was ever recorded in that county. If the house is still titled in an individual's name, the report says so plainly, and the attorney decides what instrument is needed to fund the trust.
No. Medicaid eligibility and long-term care planning are legal determinations made under state-specific rules, and the report does not make them. What it supplies is the verified record that the attorney's analysis depends on: how each property is titled, what is recorded against it and how it has changed hands. Consult a licensed attorney for the planning itself.
We start with the name. Give us the decedent's full name and any prior or maiden names, the counties or states where property is likely, and any addresses or parcel numbers you already have. We search by name in those counties, follow the record trail to any other county it points to, and report exactly which counties and indexes were searched.
Yes. Coverage is nationwide and every order is handled in writing by email, so the heir or trustee never needs to visit the county. Document images are retrieved even when the county has not digitized them, and findings are verified with that county's assessor, tax office, recorder and courts before the report is delivered.
Through the probate law firm package: $595 per estate, with the first property included, and $395 for each additional property in the same estate. For a living client, for example a trust funding check on one property, tell us the situation in writing and we will say which package fits before you order. There is no invoicing. Every order is paid at checkout before work begins.
No. Every order is confidential. Nobody connected to the property, including the owner, co-owners, heirs or a lender, is contacted or notified, and the identity of the person ordering is never disclosed. The report is delivered only to the ordering email address, with the order number rather than the owner's name in the subject line.
No. The report is title research: it shows what the county record contains, verified with the recorder, tax office and courts, and explains it in plain language. Whether a property is in the trust, part of the estate or counted in a care plan under your state's law is a decision for a licensed attorney. The report gives that attorney the record to decide on.
Turnaround is 1 to 3+ days, depending on the county and the complexity of the property's records. You enter your deadline when you order, and if it cannot be met we tell you in writing before work begins. Questions after delivery are answered free, and one complimentary update is available within 12 months on request.
Describe your situation in a few sentences. We reply in writing with the package that fits, or tell you if none does.