Recording deeds in the office of the clerk or registrar that holds the official documents of the property's municipality allows the chain of title to be public record, Nolo explains. Anyone looking for prior ownership of a certain piece of property can search the title in the county records.
According to About.com, every municipality has an office that records and maintains official documents, and the general public is able to search those public records. Most information found in title searches include how long a person has owned a piece of property, how much is owed on the property, and if any improvements may have been made to the property.
