Abstract of Title
West's Encyclopedia of American Law (2005)
Jeffrey Lehman, Shirelle Phelps
Section: A–Ba
Copyright (2005) Thomson Gale. All rights reserved.
Extract
Abstract of Title
A condensed history, taken from public records or documents, of the ownership of a piece of land.An abstract of title, or title abstract, briefly summarizes the various activities affecting ownership of a parcel of land. When a person or business agrees to purchase real estate, that person or business arranges for an examination of the history of the property's title. This examination is known as a title search. A title search is conducted to determine that the seller of the property in fact owns the property and has a free-and-clear title. A free-and-clear title has no clouds o...See the full content of this document