Title Abstractor

• Independently conduct title searches and examine public real estate records for land acquisition, easement, right of way, and infrastructure projects
• Establish and document current and historical chains of title using deeds, easements, mortgages, releases, plats, judgments, liens, probate records, court records, and other instruments
• Research records remotely and travel to South Dakota county courthouses, Register of Deeds offices, and other public-record repositories when in-person research is required
• Review and interpret instruments affecting real property
• Identify current ownership, vesting information, encumbrances, easements, reservations, restrictions, and other property interests
• Research older and historical records to establish how property interests were created, transferred, modified, released, or otherwise affected
• Verify legal descriptions, parcel information, recording references, ownership information, and relationships between recorded documents
• Compare recorded title information with plats, maps, parcel exhibits, acquisition records, and other project documentation and identify discrepancies
• Identify gaps in chains of title, conflicting instruments, unreleased interests, questionable indexing, and other matters requiring research or review
• Obtain and organize supporting recorded documents
• Prepare title reports, ownership and encumbrance summaries, research worksheets, and supporting documentation
• Maintain complete research files documenting records reviewed and the basis for findings
• Escalate complex legal, ownership, surveying, or title issues for additional review
• Coordinate with project managers, attorneys, acquisition professionals, engineers, surveyors, and other project team members
• Manage multiple parcel assignments and deadlines while maintaining quality and documentation standards
• Participate in internal quality-control review and complete supplemental research
• Maintain knowledge of South Dakota real estate records, recording practices, and title research procedures