TITLE SEARCH ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Introduction
In this assignment, you will be performing real property index searches using the online grantor-grantee index and tract index that were covered in the Video for this Module. If you have not viewed the video, please do so before attempting this assignment, as it contains information on how to use both websites that you need in order to successfully complete this assignment.
Directions
Grantor-Grantee Index Searches
For the grantor-grantee index searches, you will begin at the New York City Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS).
You are not starting on the search page used in the Index Searches presentation, in order to show you the kind of search through multiple pages that you often have to do to get from Google search results or general information pages to locate the page you really want: the one where you can actually perform the searches. Look for the “Begin Using ACRIS” link, and click on it to go to the page that we started from in the Video for this Module. From that page, click on the link to “search property records,” which brings you to the property search tools. From there, click on the “party name” link to go to the grantor-grantee index.
First Search
For the first grantor-grantee index search, use “Dodge” as the last name and leave the other name information blank. Then go to the “Select Date Range” pulldown, and select the last option, “Specific Date Range.” That will activate the fields to the right of the “Select Date Range” pulldown. In those fields, in the “From” fields, put 01 01 2017, in the “To” fields, put today’s date in the format indicated. Then click “Search.”
In those search results, you will note a range of documents. The display will default to 10 rows. Either use the “previous” and “next” buttons, or set the “Max Rows” to 25, 50, or 99. Whichever you choose, you will be able to see all of the search results (there are more than 10 of them). Find a result that is a Deed from 2017, click on the “IMG” button for that result, and make a screen capture image of the Recording and Endorsement Cover Page for this record. Save this image, as it will be the first image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
Second Search
Within the image of the document that you located with the first search, use the arrows to navigate within the document to get to the Deed itself, the document to which all of the other documents in the result are related. Make a screen capture image of the Deed contained within this record. Save this image, as it will be the second image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
• While you are in the document, take a look at the other pages, to see the sort of disclosures and attachments that are often required by state and local law when recording even a simple, one-page deed.
Third Search
Return to the main party search page (the one on which you first entered the name and date range). For the third grantor-grantee index search, use “Paprocki” as the last name and leave the other name information blank. Go next to the “Select Date Range” pulldown, and select the last option, “Specific Date Range.” That will activate the fields to the right of the “Select Date Range” pulldown. In those fields, in the “From” fields, put 01 01 2015, in the “To” fields, put 01 01 2017. Then go to the “Select Borough/County” pulldown, and select “Brooklyn/Kings.” Then click “Search.”
In those search results, you will note a range of documents. Find a result that is a Deed from 2015, click on the “IMG” button for that result, and make a screen capture image of the Recording and Endorsement Cover Page for this record. Save this image, as it will be the third image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
• To get an idea of how much good adding more fields to the search can do in terms of focusing the results, rerun this search using only the last name “Paprocki” and setting the “Select Borough/County” pulldown at “Brooklyn/Kings.” Make sure there are no date restrictions. Then click “Search.” You will need to set the “Max Rows” to 99 to see all of the records that searching with only these two criteria (last name and borough/county) generates.
Fourth Search
In the third search, we found the deed that transferred property in Brooklyn to Andrew Paprocki in 2015. In the fourth search, we are going to find out whether Andrew Paprocki is still an owner of that property in Brooklyn.
Return to the main party search page (the one on which you first entered the name and date range). For the fourth grantor-grantee index search, use “Paprocki” as the last name, “Andrew” as the first name, and leave the other name information blank. Go next to the “Select Date Range” pulldown, and select the last option, “Specific Date Range.” That will activate the fields to the right of the “Select Date Range” pulldown. In those fields, in the “From” fields, put the day after the date of the 2015 deed that you found in the third search (i.e., if the date of the deed was 01 01 2015, you would enter 01 02 2015 in the “From” fields), in the “To” fields, put today’s date. Then go to the “Select Borough/County” pulldown, and select “Brooklyn/Kings.” Finally, go to the “Select Party Type” pulldown and select “Party 1 only” (with “Party 1 only,” you are limiting the results to those where Andrew Paprocki was the grantor/party 1). Then click “Search.”
In those search results, you will note a range of documents.
If none of the documents is a deed (meaning that Andrew Paprocki is still the owner), make a screen capture image of your search results. Save this image, as it will be the fourth image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
If one of the documents is a deed (meaning that Andrew Paprocki has conveyed the property to someone), click on the “IMG” button for that result, and make a screen capture image of the Recording and Endorsement Cover Page for this deed. Save this image, as it will be the fourth image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
Tract Index Searches
For the tract index searches, you will begin at the Schuyler County, IL Parcel Search.
This is the same start page that you saw in the Index Searches presentation. Note how different this is from the page that you used for the grantor-grantee searches. In the pages leading into the grantor-grantee search page, you saw a wide range of search options, including many that were related to things other than deeds, mortgages, and liens – such as property tax assessment and valuation, as well as property tax payment. It’s a very well-developed, full-service sort of website. It even includes a tract index as well (at the “Find Addresses and Parcels” link).
The one you see here is pretty basic, although not the absolute minimum, because it does provide a few extras beyond the tract index proper that we’ll see in this assignment.
Fifth Search
In the “Parcel Number” field, enter this number: 14-21-300-005. You can enter it with or without spaces or dashes. Then hit “Search.” And that’s it. In contrast to what we saw with the grantor-grantee index, with a tract index, when you only put in one parcel number, you only get one result, for that parcel.
Make a screen capture image of this search result. Save this image, as it will be the fifth image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
Sixth Search
Still on the search results from the fifth search, scroll down to see the other information that is contained in this result. There are parcel owner information and billing sections, with the contact information for the owner of the property, together with information on recent tax bills; there is an assessments sections that include assessment information section with information about the assessed value of the property, together with the date that the property was last assessed by the County assessor; there is an exemption information section, indicating the possible exemptions that might be available to a generic parcel (that is without regard to whether either this owner or this parcel qualifies for any of them) and indication of whether any of them are being applied to this parcel.
Scroll down until the section with the Taxing Bodies information is on the screen, and make a screen capture image of this search result. Save this image, as it will be the sixth image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
Seventh Search
Return to the main parcel search page (the one on which you first entered the parcel number). For the seventh search, we are going to find out who owns the commercial building located at 120 North Congress Street, in Rushville, Illinois. One word of caution: with tract indices, there is a great deal of variation regarding the abbreviations that are used. In some tract indices, every word needs to be spelled out in full; in other tract indices, there are specific abbreviations that must be used. In this instance, directions before street names are given as one letter abbreviations with no period after them: E for east, S for south, etc. Likewise, the type of road (street, road, drive, etc.) is given in two or three letter abbreviations with no period after them: DR for Drive, AVE for Avenue, etc. Following the abbreviations used for this county, enter the street address of 120 North Congress Street.
The search result tells us the owners of the property located at 120 North Congress Street, and only one other useful piece of information – the parcel number.
Make a screen capture image of this search result. Save this image, as it will be the seventh image that you will need to copy and paste into the Word document for the assignment.
• If you want to find out the legal description for this property, or you want to find out its assessed value, you can either take the parcel number and enter it as a separate parcel search, or you can hover over the parcel number and then click to view the Parcel Result. Scroll down to see the other information that is contained in this result.
Grading and Points
This Assignment is worth 50 points, will be scored according to the attached rubric.
Submitting Your Assignment
Save all of your screen captures by copying and pasting them in sequence (image of the results from the first search, image of the results from the second search, etc.) into a Microsoft® Word® document.