Obtaining and Reviewing a Property Title Search in 1-2-3

July 15th, 2019

A property title search is often a necessary step for real estate professionals during the due diligence process.

It allows lawyers to confirm the legal homeowner; flag any outstanding encumbrances, such as mortgages or liens; spot potential fraud, and more.

However, the quickest way to obtain a property title search is actually with another product — a Parcel Register*.

The Parcel Register* is an electronic document that contains the transfer and financial history of a property, along with other important information. Often when real estate sales professionals refer to getting a property title search, they actually mean that they got a Parcel Register*. However, a Parcel Register* is actually just a part of a property title search.

With a Parcel Register* you can quickly learn:

  • The legal description of the property.
  • The property identification number (PIN).
  • The legal homeowners.
  • The type and percentage of ownership.
  • A history of property transfers and transfer amounts.
  • A history of registered mortgages and registration amounts.
  • Any property liens.
  • And more.

This helps you validate that your client is, in fact, the legal homeowner and that there aren’t any others on title. You can also verify that there is enough home equity available to pay for your services.

If a Parcel Register* flags a lien or other encumbrance, you can use the registration number of any transfer or charge to request the according Instrument Image*. This will enable you to see the document that was registered and the name and contact information of the representative of the party who registered it. You can use this to help your client resolve issues that could cause a problem on closing before it gets that far.

So, in fact, the quickest and easiest way to perform a property title search is to skip the title search and obtain a Parcel Register* instead. In most cases, you will be able to receive the necessary information without doing a full property title search.

GeoWarehouse gives you easy access to the Parcel Register*. To find out more call 1-866-237-5937 or visit www.geowarehouse.ca.

*An official product of the Ontario government pursuant to provincial land registration statutes.