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Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
Search real estate records, examine titles, or summarize pertinent legal or insurance documents or details for a variety of purposes. May compile lists of mortgages, contracts, and other instruments pertaining to titles by searching public and private records for law firms, real estate agencies, or title insurance companies.
Other titles employers use
Abstractor · Commercial Title Examiner · Searcher · Title Abstractor · Title Agent · Title Examiner · Title Officer · Title Searcher
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
- Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
- Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
- Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
- Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
- Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing and persuading work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Complex Problem Solving
Subjects to know
- English Language
- Law and Government
- Administrative
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Written Expression
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.0 | Largely your own space |
| On your feet | 1.9 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.7 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.8 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 60%
- A certificate or some college 14%
- A four-year degree 14%
- A two-year degree 12%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Office suite software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Document management software
- Spreadsheet software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Operating system software
- Word processing software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 7,890
- Job openings each year
- 800
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 15.7%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 7,890 | 800 | 15.7% |
| Florida | 5,870 | 580 | 9.7% |
| California | 4,700 | 450 | 4.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 3,940 | 370 | — |
| Missouri | 2,560 | 250 | 3.2% |
| Michigan | 2,510 | 240 | — |
| Colorado | 2,310 | 230 | 7.4% |
| New York | 2,120 | 10 | 6.0% |
| Ohio | 2,010 | 180 | −6.1% |
| Oklahoma | 1,960 | 190 | 5.4% |
| Arizona | 1,820 | 180 | 11.7% |
| Utah | 1,680 | 170 | 11.3% |
| Indiana | 1,500 | 140 | 2.7% |
| Tennessee | 1,390 | 140 | 8.6% |
| Virginia | 1,300 | 120 | −5.8% |
| Wisconsin | 1,240 | 120 | — |
| Oregon | 1,100 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Washington | 980 | 90 | −1.0% |
| Georgia | 960 | 90 | 5.5% |
| Maryland | 920 | 90 | −1.1% |
| New Mexico | 840 | 80 | 12.0% |
| Louisiana | 690 | 60 | −2.8% |
| New Jersey | 690 | 70 | — |
| Iowa | 670 | 60 | −2.9% |
| Idaho | 660 | 70 | 13.8% |
| Arkansas | 600 | 60 | 5.3% |
| Kansas | 550 | 50 | — |
| Alabama | 530 | 50 | — |
| Nebraska | 520 | 50 | 2.0% |
| Nevada | 510 | 50 | 10.9% |
| North Carolina | 500 | 50 | 8.7% |
| Minnesota | 480 | 40 | −5.9% |
| South Dakota | 440 | 40 | 10.0% |
| Montana | 390 | 40 | 11.4% |
| North Dakota | 350 | 30 | 2.9% |
| Wyoming | 260 | 30 | 8.3% |
| West Virginia | 230 | 20 | −4.2% |
| Mississippi | 210 | 20 | 5.0% |
| Puerto Rico | 140 | 10 | 16.7% |
| Alaska | 120 | 10 | — |
| Rhode Island | 120 | 10 | — |
| Maine | 100 | 10 | — |
| Connecticut | 80 | 10 | — |
| New Hampshire | 70 | 10 | — |
| Guam | 60 | 10 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 83
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
Florida Gulf Coast University
- Degrees each year
- 69
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
CUNY New York City College of Technology
- Degrees each year
- 48
- Admit rate
- 81%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
University of West Florida
- Degrees each year
- 45
- Admit rate
- 57%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
Grand Valley State University
- Degrees each year
- 41
- Admit rate
- 95%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
Stevenson University
- Degrees each year
- 32
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
Indiana University-Indianapolis
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 81%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Eastern Kentucky University
- Degrees each year
- 20
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000