Hey David,

I'm with Michaela on this one.  If it turns into a full search (we consider a full search 40 years) we charge accordingly.  While technically it may be a current owner - it does take a lot longer to check everything.  I work in some of the same counties as Michaela and there are several sets of books with hand-written indexes to run.  Things got indexed differently as different recorders took office.  Sometimes, rather than a brief legal in the index there is a note that says "see record".  Even on a current owner - it can be very time consuming.

I have been known to give a break now and then, even if it turns into a full search, if it's an uncommon name and my examiner tells me that it was fairly simple and didn't take too long.  I'm not trying to take advantage of any of my clients on these, trying to get an extra charge out of them.  We just need to be compensated for the time involved.

Best,
Robert A. Franco
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