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Title Searchers and Examiners


Overview

Title Searchers and Examiners

Introduction

Title searchers and examiners conduct searches of public records to determine the legal chain of ownership for a piece of real estate. Searchers compile lists of mortgages, deeds, contracts, judgments, and other items pertaining to a property title. Examiners determine a property title's legal status, abstract recorded documents (mortgages, deeds, contracts, and so forth), and sometimes prepare and issue policy guaranteeing a title's legality. There are about 63,600 title searchers, examiners, and abstractors worki...

Quick Facts


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Median Salary

$48,180

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Employment Prospects

Good

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Minimum Education Level

High School Diploma
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Experience

Internship or part-time experience recommended


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Skills

Information Management
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Personality Traits

Organized
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Earnings

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings of title examiners, abstractors, and searchers were $48,180 in May 2019. Salaries ranged from less than $29,060 to more than $79,920. Title searchers and examiners may receive such fringe benefits as vacations, hospital and life insurance, profit sharing, and pensions, depending on their employers.

Work Environment

Title searchers and examiners generally work a 40-hour week. Most public records offices are open only during regular business hours, so title searchers and examiners usually will not put in much overtime work, except when using private indexes and preparing abstracts.

The offices in which title searchers and examiners work can be very different in terms of comfort, space, and equipment....

Outlook

Employment of title searchers and examiners is expected to decline by 3 percent through 2029, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The health of the title insurance business is directly tied to the strength of the real estate market. In prosperous times, more people buy and sell real estate, resulting in a greater need for title searches. While the real estate business in Am...