Industry Roles
- Searcher:
A Searcher reports all documents on record for a particular property, including every person in the chain (regardless of applicability*). S/he would not determine relevance to the parcel in question, but would copy the documents and provide
them to an abstractor or title examiner to be analyzed.
Abstractor:
The Abstractor researches and pulls documents in the records room and determines relevance to a particular parcel. Each person in the chain is researched and the documents are pulled and analyzed to determine relevance to the subject property.
The abstractor is knowledgeable about time frames for liens and judgments. S/he also has the ability to place lots, easements, and rights-of-way using surveys on record and comparing them with tax maps.
Title Examiner:
The Title Examiner may or may not work directly in the records room. S/he has the knowledge to perform a title search using public records and is knowledgeable about applicable laws and statutes that affect time frames for liens and judgments.
The Title Examiner typically reviews the work of Abstractors and Searchers and performs additional duties, such as creating title binders and policies, based on the title search.