I do not know how record rooms in other parts of the country are set up because I have only worked in North Georgia the 10 years I have been doing title work. But in the five counties that I cover it would be impossible to do 50 titles or even 25 in a days time. Maybe the meaning of the term "current owner" search is different in
other parts of the country than it is in the area I work. I have been tempted to ask some of the people that have asked for a 25.00 search just exactly what information they are looking for. It couldn't be much. Most examiners I know here charge that much just to drive to the courthouse for a doc retrieval and that does not include the cost of the copies!
The counties I work in do not have all the information located in one place that is needed to do a thorough search. Some are in a different part of the building, and some are in a completely different building. Very little is computerized, so a full (50 year) search takes anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days to complete. A current owner, (which most of my clients require a minamum of 36 months) averages 45 minutes to an hour to complete. That does not include the time and gasoline to drive to the county or to write up the report.
And I, like you agree, the liability is still the same. And the expense is the same.
Thanks for letting me vent!
Phyllis
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