DIGGING INTO PROPERTY EASEMENTS—ANYONE ELSE FIND ONLINE TOOLS CONFUSING?
That nagging feeling you mention? Yeah, it never really goes away, especially with older parcels. I’ve been burned before thinking I had everything, only to have some handwritten easement from the 1940s pop up during closing. You’re right about the county recorder’s office—sometimes you get lucky and find a plat map with pencil notes or a deed book that never made it to the digital age.
Here’s how I try to keep my bases covered: First, I’ll cross-check whatever’s online with what’s physically at the courthouse. If there’s a gap, I’ll ask the clerk if there are any “miscellaneous” files or old surveyor notes. Sometimes they know about stuff that isn’t indexed. I also make a habit of talking to neighbors—oddly enough, they’ll remember if a utility company dug up the yard in 1982 or if there’s a shared driveway agreement nobody bothered to record.
It’s never perfect, but piecing together the puzzle is half the job. You’re not alone in feeling like you’re missing something... that’s just part of dealing with old properties, I guess.