| Public Records | | | | rights regarding the property. There is |
| I receive lots of emails similar to | | | | also a grantee index listing who or what |
| this: "Can I see real legal evidence of | | | | is receiving the interests transferred |
| my home's prior transactions, instead of | | | | by or taken from a grantor. |
| just anecdotes from my agent and maybe | | | | The indices list the parties to the |
| from the owners? What do I have to do | | | | transactions, the date a document was |
| become authorized to see existing | | | | filed, the type of document filed, a |
| records?" | | | | reference number telling where a copy of |
| Hmmm - read this brief summary: | | | | the document can be located and a brief |
| PUBLIC records are maintained by the | | | | description of the property affected by |
| government. They primarily consist of | | | | the transaction. Record books contain |
| two types of records. Documents such as | | | | copies of the documents which can be |
| deeds, mortgages, easements, leases and | | | | read and photocopied or summarized by |
| liens are filed with the Registry of | | | | the title searcher, OR BY ANYONE!!! |
| Deeds. The other type of records deal | | | | You do not need special authorization to |
| with Probate and Family Court issues, | | | | access these records. Registry employees |
| which I'll not discuss in this short | | | | will usually be happy to help you find |
| article. | | | | the information you are seeking. A |
| Records in the Registry of Deeds are | | | | little bit of time spent researching the |
| usually organized chronologically and | | | | PUBLIC history of your prospective home |
| alphabetically. There is a grantor index | | | | and neighborhood can possibly save you |
| listing transactions by a person selling | | | | thousands of dollars and reveal |
| property, giving a mortgage secured by | | | | information about easements and/or use |
| property, granting an easement or other | | | | restrictions. |