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Title Examiner Career Interview
Deborah Allen has been a title examiner for 25 years, and she currently works at Pioneer Title in Virginia.
Title Examiner Career Path
Deborah started off in residential real estate sales, but after leaving that field to start a family, she stumbled into real estate title examination after accepting a part-time position conducting independent market research at the local courthouse
“While working at the courthouse , I saw lots of people carrying legal pads, pulling books off the shelves and recording data from the books,” she explains. “I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but I knew that whatever it was, I could do it.”
“I researched it and found out that they were conducting real estate title examinations/searches or abstracts,” Deborah continues. “Frankly, I was surprised because at the time I thought title examinations were only performed by attorneys.”
Title Examiner Experiences
Deborah majored in political science at Colorado State University, but she started her early adult career in marketing with what was then Mountain Bell (before the Bell System was broken up).
“After relocating to another city, I left the Bell System, went to real estate school and became a licensed realtor.
Deborah took real estate classes at Tidewater Community College completing coursework in title abstracting, real estate law and other real estate related classes. The majority of her skills and knowledge, however, originated from her real estate experience and what she learned working as a title examiner.
“Practical, hands-on experience is needed, but the classroom offers a primer,” she adds. “It is after reading and abstracting hundreds of various legal documents that you develop a full understanding of its purpose, and how it relates to the land and affects the title.”
As a title examiner, Deborah has worked for two law firms: Byrd, Dinsmore, Evans and Bryant, and Shuttleworth, Ruloff, Giordano and Kahle.
Deborah currently works for Branch Banking and Trust Company in their insurance division at Pioneer Title in Virginia. She has been at Pioneer for 20 years.
Title Examiner Degree Programs
“You can begin with a high school diploma supplemented by course study in real estate law, a real estate paralegal curriculum, and any real estate courses you find in real estate abstracting, condo laws, surveying, etc.,” Deborah advises. “The vast majority of your knowledge and skill is going to come from the experience you gain on the job.”
“The mechanics of every title search is the same; however, a simple search can be completed in 30 minutes or less, while a commercial search can take several weeks to months depending on the scope of the project,” she continues. “You are locating, reading, abstracting and reporting data from recorded legal documents, and no matter how long you’ve been in the industry, you will always come across a document that you’ve never seen before, so experience is everything.”
Although there aren’t any national standards of education requirements for title examiners, many land title associations around the country have established guidelines or are in the process of doing so.
Title Examiner Job Description
When needed, Deborah serves as a commercial title examiner at Pioneer Title in Virginia. Her job entails locating, reading and abstracting legal documents recorded in the public land records to determine the condition of the title to a subject property. This includes but is not limited to examining deeds, deeds of trust, real estate tax records, marriage and divorce records, and probate files seeking matters that affect the property, such as easements, liens and other encumbrances.
Title Examiner Daily Routine
As with most fields, the normal day for a title examiner depends on where you work. “If you work in a market that has remote access to land and tax records,” Deborah explains, “you might begin your search from your office by pulling preliminary information, such as obtaining current tax assessments for the title.”
“If you are working in a market without remote access, a normal day would begin with you organizing your work to determine what has to be done, what cities you have to travel to if you work in multiple jurisdictions, establishing your itinerary and heading out to the courthouse.” Upon arrival at the courthouse, and finding your source of title and tax records for a subject parcel , a title examiner begins searching the records to complete the titles on the agenda for the day.
“During the day, you are receiving calls, faxes and pages requesting tasks that need to be done immediately and called or faxed in,” Deborah continues. “It is not unusual to be working on something and have to stop abruptly to deal with something else occurring in real-time at the closing table or an escalated deadline due to a change in a closing date or other immediate need. Priorities can be altered frequently throughout the course of the day.”
Title Examiner: Steps to Success
Title examiners deal with many documents and juggle varying tasks simultaneously therefore they need to be able to multi-task, manage their time well, and think on their feet. They also need to be proficient with real estate tools, such as scale rulers, protractors, maps, and surveys.
“You must be mathematically proficient in fractions and decimals,” Deborah advises. “You need a working knowledge of title abstracting, real estate law, document structure and execution, and Circuit Court procedures. This includes the ability to, interpret all of this information to a lay person.”
A successful title examiner also has to be creative and physically able to lift large heavy books and stand on their feet for long periods of time coupled with the ability to manage stress well.
Title Examiner Job Opportunities
Networking is crucial for title examiners; knowing someone in the business is a strong avenue for entry into the field. The current status of the real estate market plays a large role in the opportunities available to a title examiner.
“An up market with booming real estate sales is an easier market in which to enter the field. It is much more difficult in a down market.”
Title Examiner Favorite Aspect
“The interesting things you find out about people, society and communities though the public records,” Deborah explains. “The history of a real estate parcel can tell you a lot about history in general. I have worked on searches that took me back to the grant of land from the King of England.
“You will discover a lot of history related to the institution of slavery. Even the court records were segregated. You will uncover language in documents that has been rendered illegal now under civil rights and other legislation. You can see where a subdivision or shopping center evolved from a farm, and you will discover a lot about that farm.
“The types of things people give to others in their wills are very interesting, and the things strictly forbidden from passing by will are even more interesting,” she adds.
Title Examiner’s Future Ambitions
Since Deborah is near retirement, her title examination career is just about over.
“It would be really neat to go to law school and work in the real estate or land title insurance industry,” she says. “Real estate is a fascinating industry, and there are many different vocations in real estate, title insurance being one of them.”
Advice for Prospective Title Examiners
“Title examiners should think of themselves as detectives,” Deborah advises. “It is your jobs to sleuth out the facts and report them, no matter how dire they may be. It is up to the underwriter and attorney to solve the problem.”
Deborah also recommends attention to detail as a trait necessary for any good title examiner. “Be sure to clearly delineate in your title notes anything that has an adverse impact on marketable title, and provide copies of documents to support your assertions,” she says. “Don’t risk taking shortcuts when working on a cumbersome search, as your shortcut could result in a title claim further down the road.”
In title examination, Deborah believes it is all about experience.
“Title examination is a lucrative field, but you have to pay your dues before earning the big bucks,” she explains. “If you want to own your own business, lay the foundation to become an independent contractor performing title searches/abstracts or work in the field long enough to learn the ropes.”
