Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

• Summary

• Details

Work Activities

• Confer with realtors, lending institution personnel, buyers, sellers, contractors, surveyors, and courthouse personnel to exchange title-related information or to resolve problems.
• Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
• Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
• Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
• Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
• Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices.
• Obtain maps or drawings delineating properties from company title plants, county surveyors, or assessors' offices.
• Retrieve and examine real estate closing files for accuracy and to ensure that information included is recorded and executed according to regulations.
• Summarize pertinent legal or insurance details, or sections of statutes or case law from reference books for use in examinations or as proofs or ready reference.
• Assess fees related to registration of property-related documents.
• Confer with realtors, lending institution personnel, buyers, sellers, contractors, surveyors, and courthouse personnel to exchange title-related information or to resolve problems.
• Retrieve and examine real estate closing files for accuracy and to ensure that information included is recorded and executed according to regulations.
• Summarize pertinent legal or insurance details, or sections of statutes or case law from reference books for use in examinations or as proofs or ready reference.
• Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
• Enter into record-keeping systems appropriate data needed to create new title records or to update existing ones.
• Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches.
• Enter into record-keeping systems appropriate data needed to create new title records or to update existing ones.
• Retrieve and examine real estate closing files for accuracy and to ensure that information included is recorded and executed according to regulations.
• Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
• Direct activities of workers who search records and examine titles, assigning, scheduling, and evaluating work, and providing technical guidance as necessary.
• Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
• Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
• Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.
• Determine whether land-related documents can be registered under the relevant legislation, such as the Land Titles Act.
• Summarize pertinent legal or insurance details, or sections of statutes or case law from reference books for use in examinations or as proofs or ready reference.
• Determine whether land-related documents can be registered under the relevant legislation, such as the Land Titles Act.

Skills

• Coordination
  • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
• Persuasion
  • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
• Critical Thinking
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
• Installation
  • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
• Equipment Maintenance
  • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
• Management of Personnel Resources
  • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
• Service Orientation
  • Looking for ways to help people.
• Social Perceptiveness
  • Understanding people's reactions.
• Repairing
  • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
• Quality Control Analysis
  • Testing how well a product or service works.
• Judgment and Decision Making
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
• Time Management
  • Managing your time and the time of other people.
• Active Listening
  • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
• Management of Financial Resources
  • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
• Reading Comprehension
  • Reading work-related information.
• Active Learning
  • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
• Instructing
  • Teaching people how to do something.
• Science
  • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
• Equipment Selection
  • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
• Monitoring
  • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
• Operations Monitoring
  • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
• Systems Evaluation
  • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
• Speaking
  • Talking to others.
• Negotiation
  • Bringing people together to solve differences.
• Learning Strategies
  • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
• Mathematics
  • Using math to solve problems.
• Writing
  • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
• Complex Problem Solving
  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
• Operations Analysis
  • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
• Programming
  • Writing computer programs.
• Troubleshooting
  • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
• Systems Analysis
  • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
• Management of Material Resources
  • Managing equipment and materials.
• Technology Design
  • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
• Operation and Control
  • Using equipment or systems.

Abilities

• Information Ordering
  • Ordering or arranging things.
• Control Precision
  • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
• Visualization
  • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
• Response Orientation
  • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
• Depth Perception
  • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
• Visual Color Discrimination
  • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
• Sound Localization
  • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
• Trunk Strength
  • Using your lower back and stomach.
• Extent Flexibility
  • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Speed of Limb Movement
  • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
• Near Vision
  • Seeing details up close.
• Oral Expression
  • Communicating by speaking.
• Written Expression
  • Communicating by writing.
• Originality
  • Creating new and original ideas.
• Inductive Reasoning
  • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
• Multilimb Coordination
  • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
• Finger Dexterity
  • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
• Time Sharing
  • Doing two or more things at the same time.
• Auditory Attention
  • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
• Perceptual Speed
  • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
• Memorization
  • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
  • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
• Number Facility
  • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
• Far Vision
  • Seeing details that are far away.
• Rate Control
  • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
• Hearing Sensitivity
  • Telling the difference between sounds.
• Static Strength
  • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
• Gross Body Coordination
  • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
• Gross Body Equilibrium
  • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
• Stamina
  • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
• Manual Dexterity
  • Holding or moving items with your hands.
• Mathematical Reasoning
  • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
• Selective Attention
  • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
• Oral Comprehension
  • Listening and understanding what people say.
• Flexibility of Closure
  • Seeing hidden patterns.
• Speech Clarity
  • Speaking clearly.
• Reaction Time
  • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
• Dynamic Flexibility
  • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
• Explosive Strength
  • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
• Dynamic Strength
  • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
• Speed of Closure
  • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
• Written Comprehension
  • Reading and understanding what is written.
• Fluency of Ideas
  • Coming up with lots of ideas.
• Problem Sensitivity
  • Noticing when problems happen.
• Deductive Reasoning
  • Using rules to solve problems.
• Spatial Orientation
  • Knowing where things are around you.
• Category Flexibility
  • Grouping things in different ways.
• Night Vision
  • Seeing at night or under low light.
• Wrist-Finger Speed
  • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
• Peripheral Vision
  • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
• Speech Recognition
  • Recognizing spoken words.
• Glare Sensitivity
  • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.

Knowledge

• Economics and Accounting
  • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
• Geography
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
• Medicine and Dentistry
  • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• English Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
• Foreign Language
  • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
• Fine Arts
  • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Public Safety and Security
  • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
• Law and Government
  • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Computers and Electronics
  • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Production and Processing
  • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• Design
  • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Administration and Management
  • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Administrative
  • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Sales and Marketing
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
• Mathematics
  • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Chemistry
  • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Therapy and Counseling
  • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
• History and Archeology
  • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Philosophy and Theology
  • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Communications and Media
  • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Transportation
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
• Food Production
  • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
• Engineering and Technology
  • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Building and Construction
  • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mechanical
  • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Physics
  • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
• Biology
  • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Psychology
  • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
• Sociology and Anthropology
  • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
• Education and Training
  • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Telecommunications
  • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
• Customer and Personal Service
  • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Personnel and Human Resources
  • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.

Education

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Work Experience

No work experience

Training

1 to 12 months on-the-job training

Education and Training Opportunities

×

Education and Training Opportunities

• Clark College
  1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver WA 98663-3598
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 360-992-2000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.clark.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Edmonds College
  20000 68th Ave W, Lynnwood WA 98036
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 425-640-1459
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.edmonds.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree, Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Save

  ---

• Highline College
  2400 S 240th St, Des Moines WA 98198-9800
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 206-878-3710
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.highline.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Peninsula College
  1502 E Lauridsen Blvd, Port Angeles WA 98362
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 360-452-9277
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.pencol.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• South Puget Sound Community College
  2011 Mottman Rd SW, Olympia WA 98512-6292
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 360-596-5200
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://www.spscc.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year
  Award Level
  Certificates of at least 12 weeks but less than 1 year, Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Spokane Community College
  1810 North Greene Street, Spokane WA 99217-5399
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 509-533-8400
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://scc.spokane.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

• Tacoma Community College
  6501 S 19th St, Tacoma WA 98466-6100
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  5,000 - 9,999

  Financial Aid 253-566-5000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  https://www.tacomacc.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  2 years
  Award Level
  Associate's degree, Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years
  Save

  ---

• Whatcom Community College
  237 W Kellogg Rd, Bellingham WA 98226
  School Type

  Public, 4-year or above

  Admissions
  School Size

  1,000 - 4,999

  Financial Aid 360-383-3000
  Other Degrees Offered

  Undergraduate degree or certificate offering,No graduate offering
  Website

  http://whatcom.edu/
  Program Name
  Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  Length
  At least one but less than two years
  Award Level
  Award of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Associate's degree
  Save

  ---

Close

Pay

Washington Annual Salary

60730/yr

Washington Hourly Wage

29.2/hr

Washington Employment Trends

Currently Employed

980

Yearly Projected Openings

90

Personality

Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:

• Cautiousness
• Integrity
• Attention to Detail
• Dependability

Tools

• Desktop calculator
• Desktop computers
• Laser fax machine
• Laser printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Photocopiers
• Scanners
• Special purpose telephones

Technology

• Accounting software
• Calendar and scheduling software
• Customer relationship management CRM software
• Data base user interface and query software
• Document management software
• Electronic mail software
• Enterprise resource planning ERP software
• Geographic information system
• Internet browser software
• Office suite software
• Operating system software
• Presentation software
• Project management software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software