The Two County Haunting of a Missing Deed

Tales from the (Title) Crypt – EP 2

It seemed the fog was beginning to clear. "I called the sellers and told them to meet me at the county clerk’s office the next morning. We were told that we had to have the 'original receipt' from when the deed was recorded or get a letter from ANOTHER city stating that state tax was paid at time of recording," Stacy recalls.

"We left there, got in my car and drove 30 minutes to that city's clerk's office," says Stacy. "We had no time to waste. The person who does their booking leaves for the day at noon sharp!"

Although the booker had left for the day, a friendly attendant informed Stacy and the sellers that, although they were modernizing their processes, their records did not go as far back as when the sellers had originally purchased the property.

"We left feeling defeated," says Stacy. "They wanted to close the next day and now that was not going to happen."

The blue skies were turning grey for our team, but a ray of hope was about to appear.

"To my surprise the wonder lady that was so helpful called first thing the next morning to tell me that a copy of the original receipt was waiting for me up front! I called my agent and seller to update them both, then drove to the second city to pick up the receipt then drove back to the first county so we could provide the receipt and get the deed recorded."

The seller met Stacy to finalize the long journey and was finally able to provide a happy and celebratory closing for the sellers and their real estate agents.

"We took something that was somewhat of a nightmare, worked hard to get done what was required and it paid off for all," says Stacy.

There are many stories like these in the title insurance world. Twists, turns, goblins and ghouls all ready to surprise our team members, but it is thanks to dedicated team members like Stacy that keep the light at the end of the tunnel in focus.

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