How to become A Certified Abstractor

• Abstract Clerk
• Data Abstractor
• Title Examiner
• Title Inspector
• Abstractor of Title

What do Certified Abstractors do?

A Certified Abstractor would typically need to:

• Search, examine, analyze, evaluate and verify public records relating to titles of homes, land, and buildings using various databases and digital systems
• Ensure that the title to a property in question has no restrictions that may prevent or hinder its sale or use
• Research titles and properties by locating official sources such as court documents and other property data to verify information on title reports
• Check bankruptcies and blacklist websites on property owners
• Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices
• Examine deeds, deeds of trust, liens, judgments, easements and maps to determine ownership and encumbrances to verify legal descriptions of property, ownership, restrictions, and conformity to requirements
• Compile, code, categorize, calculate, tabulate, audit and check pertinent legal or insurance details, or sections of statutes or case law from reference books to be used in examinations, or as proofs or ready reference
• Prepare property reports and title commitments based on findings, summarizing relevant information about the real estate
• Analyze the chain of title and preparation of reports outlining title-related matters
• Verify the accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration and prepare rejection notices when documents are not acceptable
• Determine whether land-related documents can be registered under the relevant legislation
• Print out digital deeds, liens, and property tax forms to compile these documents into comprehensive property packages
• Prepare and issue title insurance, acquire rights of way, buy and sell property, grant mortgage loans, and obtain and protect mineral rights
• Examine and research title reports from outside abstractors; direct activities of workers searching records and examining claims to real property
• Identify the underlying principles, reasons, and facts of information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events
• Use relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether activities or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards; transcribe and maintain the data in written or electronic/magnetic form
• Exchange title-related information, handle complaints, settle disputes, resolve grievances and conflicts through conferences with realtors, lending institution personnel, buyers, sellers, contractors, surveyors, and courthouse personnel
• Transmit completed updates to appropriate parties (client, closer, etc.)
• Remain up-to-date on legal statutes and title law in the regions where they work
• Communicate with people outside the organization and the organization to customers, the public, government and other external sources in person, in writing, by telephone or by email
• Provide guidance and direction to subordinates; set performance standards and monitor performance
• Assess fees related to registration of property-related documents

Certified Abstractors work in a professional office environment. You usually work independently but function within a team-oriented professional framework, and ultimately report to direct supervisors.

Certified Abstractors may travel to courthouses and elsewhere to obtain information about properties, but they generally conduct online research from within the office. You may routinely use standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.

This position requires up to 25 percent travel. The dress code for a Certified Abstractor is by and large business casual unless otherwise specified.

This is a full-time position stretching across a five-day week, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. As most public records offices are open only during regular business hours, Certified Abstractors wouldn’t usually put in much overtime work, except when using private indexes and preparing abstracts.

Certified Abstractors may be hired to work part- and full-time shifts during business hours, or they may be employed as independent contractors on a per-project basis.

Certified Abstractors are generally employed by:

• Legal Services
• Insurance Carriers
• Real Estate
• Oil & Gas Extraction
• Law Firms
• Real Estate Companies
• Automobile Dealers
• Electric Power Generation, Transmission & Distribution
• General Medical & Surgical Hospitals
• Land Subdivision
• Insurance Companies

Professional associations and organizations are a crucial resource for Certified Abstractors interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more looks excellent on your resume to bolster your credentials and qualifications.

• Validity of documents may prove difficult to determine
• Knowing when an encumbrance on an adjacent parcel affects the title to the subject property
• Pending suits, i.e., foreclosures and probate cases
• Extreme under-compensation and non-payment of salaries by companies along with an increase in operational expenses such as gas, and errors and omissions insurance
• Required to sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch and crawl, frequently lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 25 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required including close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus

Most Certified Abstractors complete vocational training at a community college or do an apprenticeship or undergo similar on-the-job training.

Some employers accept work experience in place of formal education when hiring Certified Abstractors. Two or more years of Abstracting experience with two or more years of experience in the mortgage and real estate will prove invaluable to candidates with a high school diploma or an associate degree in related fields.

Rookies may undergo brief training in the form of on-the-job experience or informal training by experienced workers. The training period may depend on the employer but usually lasts no longer than two weeks. While in training, aspiring Certified Abstractors become familiar with the search techniques needed to verify real estate history.

There may be opportunities for temporary employment during the summer and school holidays at title companies, financial institutions, or law firms. Such employment may involve making copies or sorting and delivering mail, but it offers an excellent chance to see the work of an examiner firsthand. Some law firms, real estate brokerages, and title companies provide internships for students interested in working as a Certified Abstractor. Information on the availability of such internships is usually available from the regional or local land title association or school counselors.

Courses in law studies, office procedures, and entrepreneurship would also prove useful to becoming a Certified Abstractor. A high school diploma may suffice, but a bachelor’s or an associate degree in real estate law, business law, or documentation would give you an edge with law firms and insurance companies.

A candidate with a degree does not need experience, but the employer will provide training. Some community colleges offer paralegal programs that include real estate title search coursework. An associate degree in accounting or records management is also helpful.

Certification by an authorizing entity affording candidate licensure to practice as a Certified Abstractor would require a high school diploma, minimum work experience, and success in a test. Certificates proving proficiency in the usage of title software will come in handy. Additional certifications in English, database management, and typing will help you set you on the right track. Some employers request that Title Abstractors have a valid driver’s license and travel may be required.

The career path is quite straightforward, leading from a freshly recruited trainee to a Certified Abstractor to Department Supervisor or a Senior Certified Abstractor. With sufficient start-up capital, experienced Abstractors can venture into self-employment by starting their Title Abstracting companies.

Candidates with experience and expertise will have the best job prospects.

No matter how long Certified Abstractors have been working in the business, they can always come across new things. That is one reason it is challenging to learn to be a Certified Abstractor. It's not so much knowing how to abstract - it’s knowing what a Certified Abstractor should do when they find something they have never experienced earlier.

Certified Abstractors learn most of their skills on the job. They may gain a basic understanding of the title search process in a few months, using public records and indexes maintained by their employers. Over time, employees must gain a broader understanding of the intricacies of land title evidence and record-keeping systems.

Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the local political process is essential to enable a Certified Abstractor climb up the career ladder. Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language, including the meaning and spelling of words and rules of composition and grammar, are also essential.

Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology would mean a fair shot at being recognized and awarded suitably at the workplace. This knowledge and several years of experience are the keys to advancement.

Certified Abstractors are required to follow the guidelines of their association and maintain certification by regularly taking a stipulated number of hours of continuing education or association-accepted courses.

There are no short-cuts to learning how to be a Certified Abstractor - it takes on-the-job training with an experienced Abstractor. The training period is nothing concrete, but it would take a minimum of three to six months before you should be completing searches on your own. Even after that, it is important to have a good mentor that you can ask questions.

Real estate laws vary significantly across locations. Online courses cannot possibly prepare you for this line of work, nor for the liability, a Certified Abstractor has in performing duties.

As a Certified Abstractor, you will use various websites and title search software; you must be innovative in your approach to locating property information. A Certified Abstractor must be able to operate in an environment with tight deadlines and strict standards. They must also be able to ensure confidentiality in their work. The job duties vary depending on the real estate they’re researching and the availability of the documents needed to find and verify specific property information.

A valid Errors and Omissions insurance will make sure Certified Abstractors will not lose a fortune in case they make a mistake at work.

More than a third of all title searches through public records reveal a problem! However, title professionals fix it before clients close the accepted sales contract of a purchased home.

At first sight, it seems as though the job has not much to advertise; it also appears as though a wannabe-Certified Abstractor may be deluded into thinking it's a glamorous and smooth career. Notwithstanding the amount of time and effort needed to gain the experience that builds a strong reputation, the extraordinary amount of potential liability for very little compensation, and the substantial risk of not being paid at all, you will enjoy your job as a Certified Abstractor if research and communication skills are your strengths.

Since rights are only claims against other people and not claims on other people and their property, rights end when they infringe on others’ rights. In a conflict between human rights and property rights, human rights must prevail.