Real Estate Records In The Computer Age

It wasn't that long ago that real estate ownership records were housed in a collection of huge, thousand-page books housed in the county recorder's office. Now, all those same records are stored electronically in a computer database.

Before a computer recorded the name change, it meant tedious paperwork by both insurance companies and county recorders' employees. No longer.

As technology advances, more and more companies are recording documents electronically. It works like this:

1. The records department of the title company electronically scans the documents that must be recorded.

2. Then the documents are sent electronically to the county recorder's office...either via a private line or the internet.

3. The county recorder receives notification that the title company has sent the documents electronically.

4. The County Recorder's Clerk will open the electronic file, review the documents to ensure they are in proper form. When the request is approved, an email is sent to the title company with the instrument number, escrow number, date and time of upload.

5. Upon receipt of this email, the title company can notify all parties to the transaction that the sale has been "closed".

These documents are now a matter of public record. When a document is recorded, it gives the world "constructive" notice that an act has taken place. Anyone having title or interest in said real estate will now be bound by the action represented by the recorded document. It can only be challenged through legal means.

The public has easy access to the records in the database using computer terminals located in the county recorder's offices. In many countries, these records are now available to everyone via the Internet. In these regions, you can view records from your office or home computer. For a fee, the recorder will print a copy of any recorded document.

In a real estate transaction, the deed is recorded, but it is rare that any other document related to the transaction enters the public record.

Computers have really opened up public records to the public. At least to those of the public who will take the few minutes it takes to learn how easy it is to view records.