Title Search

Who owns the home? The property has been a part of the Republic, i.e. the United States of America, since California was annexed in the mid-19th century. But 18 people have owned that parcel of land in what is today Silicon Valley, ever since it was settled.

Who legally really does own it? Has there been clear chain of title along the way? Was the land and home on it properly "conveyed" to the bueyrs?

That's what a title search does, and what a title company does for a living. It looks waaaay back through county records, seeking out any glitches that might sadly put a dark cloud over the legality of the title to this 2,300-square-foot ranch home that just sold in Palo Alto for $5 million.