public records question

[yellowstonesteve]

anyone know if you can do a search for real estate owned by using a persons name? reason being, I just found out my grandmother, who died 15 years ago, had a brother who had her as co-owner on a property of which he sold his half of 2 years ago. I'd like to find out if there are other properties with her name on them too (she would sign whatever he put in front of her). Anyone who knows these things that could enlighten me would be appreciated.

[robinquivers]

Most counties have a Registry of Deeds that you can access online. You can search for person by name or address on some of them. Or you can go to wherever the record deeds and do a search there.

[B54]

Your local courthouse has all these records. For about 2$, you can get them to search every property under the name.

[lawjockey]

All the typs so far have been jurisdition specific...First you need to find out where your town/county/state keeps it's land records, second you have to go into where those records are kept and do a search for the name you want...Since I'm familyure with CT, I'll tell you how we do things...All or land records are kept in the towns in which the property is located. You would go to the town where you suspect she might have owned land, and take a look at what's called the "Grantee index" for your grandmother's last name. Some towns are computerized, which makes it take all of three seconds, some are not which makes you look back in books for as long as she was alive.

your jurisdiction might do things on a county basis, but the principal's the same.

[Exanimate]

I spend every day doing searches. You need to check the grantee indexes for her name, like it was stated above. Then check the Grantor indexes for her name to see if she signed her interest away. If she is dead, find out if she had a will or died intestate. Find out if her and her brother owned it as joint tenants with rights of surviorship. If so, all of it went to her brother. If not, and she had no will it went to all of her heirs. Can be a pain in the ass, but sometimes it is worth it.

[lawjockey]

You a searcher? If so who do you work for?

[Exanimate]

You a searcher? If so who do you work for?

I work for a private consulting firm. We do all of WV, KY, and OH. I handle 4 counties in WV on a daily basis, and pick up other counties if needed. I have the shit rural counties where property tends to stay in the family for generations, not to mention all of the coal companies.

[robinquivers]

And who ever said wackbag was just for complaining. Post a question. Get an answer.

[yellowstonesteve]

And who ever said wackbag was just for complaining. Post a question. Get an answer.

thats why I came here first! thanks all, I'll let you know what I come up with and if I end up finding any cash out of this, the first round is on me I was in the will, this property was not)

[Exanimate]

thats why I came here first! thanks all, I'll let you know what I come up with and if I end up finding any cash out of this, the first round is on me I was in the will, this property was not)

Make sure that her will was specific devise. If she specifically named the real property that you were supposed to get, then you will have no claim. If she named you as an heir to any real property, then you have a claim.

Good luck.

[lawjockey]

even if he isn't the beneficiary of a specific devise, as long as the property wasn't given away as a specific devise, then it will go into the corpus (all the shit that is not specifically given away that the beneficiaries get) to be divided as per the will

[Exanimate]

even if he isn't the beneficiary of a specific devise, as long as the property wasn't given away as a specific devise, then it will go into the corpus (all the shit that is not specifically given away that the beneficiaries get) to be divided as per the will

Good point sir, good point.

[yellowstonesteve]

ok, Delaware County was an easy search on the courthouse website, no cost. Philadelphia took me over an hour to find where to do the search + $15. It was worth it. There doesn't appear to be anymore dual-owned property to deal with.
The only reason we found out about this is because "1/2" the deed was sold 2 years ago, and we got a letter in the mail regarding my grandmothers half. The guy can't do anything with the property until he settles with us; won't be much though, its a shitty plot on a shitty street in South Philly.
Thanks again for all the help guys!

[lawjockey]

Ok, glad we could help anyway, even if it helped you about as much as a penis on Rosie's cruise



nothing?