Section 10 Recorder’s Office

• Library: Real Estate Fundamentals 2011

The indexes available for locating the necessary instruments in the recorder’s office are as follows:

· The grantor-grantee index

· The grantee-grantor index

· The federal and state tax lien book

· An index to notices of sale filed under § 443.325, RSMo 2000

· An index to transcripts of judgments

Normally, the searcher will begin in the grantee-grantor index by running from the current date back until finding the instrument by which the alleged present owner acquired title. The searcher will then go to the grantor-grantee index and, beginning with the date of the instrument in favor of the owner, search to the current date to determine whether the owner has made any conveyances, executed any deeds of trust, or otherwise created any adverse interest in the property.

If no such instruments are found, the grantee-grantor index will be searched for the name of the grantor in the instrument conveying title to the person presently claiming to be the owner. This name will be checked back until a deed or other instrument is found that conveyed title to that grantor.

The grantor-grantee index is then searched to see if the grantor made a conveyance or created an encumbrance before the deed was executed in favor of the person presently claiming to own the real estate.

By this method, the searcher will be able to work backward, assuming there is a regular chain of title, until the original source of title has been recorded. But this procedure will not disclose any stray deeds or encumbrances for the obvious reason that they are out of the chain of title...