Definition of "Abstractor"

An abstractor, or, most commonly known as an abstractor of title, is the individual that determines based on thorough research the condensed history needed for an abstract of title. They are in charge of reviewing the ownership of a property or parcel of real estate through the history of that particular property or parcel of real estate. The abstractor ensures an evaluation of all former owners, from the original grant that entrusted the property or land to someone to all the following conveyances, encumbrances, mortgages, deeds, liens, judgments, or other legal papers that affect the property.

What is an Abstractor in Real Estate?

A real estate abstractor provides accurate, summarized, and complete information about the property’s ownership through the abstract of title. The abstract of title is a concrete proof of ownership that can only be contested through another contradicting abstract of title.

The abstractor definition in real estate is the evaluator of the property’s ownership. Just like some assessors assess the property’s value, the abstractor abstracts or summarize the property’s past ownership. With the analysis of an abstractor, the potential home or land buyer can ensure a valid investment as the abstractor can verify the seller’s right to sell the property and if they are the just owner of the property. An abstractor, also known as land abstractors, abstractors of title, title examiners, title extractors, or title searchers, can spare a homebuyer from a property title fiasco.

What does an Abstractor do?

Dealing with a historic property without an existing abstract of title, an abstractor needs to go through the archives of that property and analyze any transaction, land map, mortgage, inheritance that changed the owner of the house, or legal dispute to verify whether the seller of the property has the right to sell that property. The abstractor often works with a tax assessor and local surveyor to check if the land and property are described correctly in the documents. They also check for existing mortgages or other liens that have to be finalized before the property can be sold.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Real Estate Terms

Same as term nonconforming use: Property use which is in violation of the current zoning ordinance, but had been in use prior to the zoning ordinance's enactment. A nonconforming use is ...

3D Printed Homes are basically homes that were printed via 3D Printers. Though semantically the phrase is pretty obvious and straightforward, there’s a lot we need to contextualize ...

Real estate market where supply significantly exceeds demand enabling potential buyers to obtain lower prices and good deals. ...

The Exclusive Right to Sell Listing is a type of Listing where the Listing Broker/Agent wins his/her commission even if he/she wasn’t directly responsible for the sale.Let’s ...

Transactions taking place between individuals who are alive rather than when one of the parties is either dead (e.g., estate) or is contemplating death. For example, a deed may transfer ...

Flood insurance is a type of home insurance created to protect a homeowner’s property against damages caused by floods. Flood insurance is typically not included in the regular ...

Those factors causing the movement of people, industry, and business from the central city to the outside central city areas, suburbs, and/or small cities. Elements of the dispersing force ...

Indicators reflecting future changes in economic conditions; referred to as the Composite Index of 11 Leading Indicators. This index indicates the direction of the economy in the next six ...

An offset statement defines a specific property owner’s underwritten certificate against their property. The reason behind this action is to set forth the current condition of liens ...

Popular Real Estate Questions