What is a title?
Title is the legal story of who holds rights in a piece of land, built from documents in the public record.
It is a stack of records, not a single certificate on the wall
When people say “title,” they mean the right to a property as it shows up in recorded documents: deeds, mortgages, releases, liens, and court papers. A county office keeps those papers so anyone can see the chain.
You can hold title and still owe a lender, or still have an easement a neighbor uses. Owning the house and having a completely clear record are not the same sentence.
A search reads that stack
A title search lists what was recorded, as of a date. It does not insure you, and it does not stop the next person from handing the recorder a new document tomorrow.
What to do
- If you are buying, ask which name will be on the deed and which county will record it.
- If you already own, keep the deed and the tax bill. The parcel number on the bill is how the county finds the land.