The deed is the legal document that transfers ownership of real property. In Philadelphia, the type of deed used in a transaction tells you exactly how much protection the seller is giving you -- and how much risk you are carrying. A special warranty deed, a quitclaim deed, and a sheriff's deed all convey ownership, but they carry very different warranty obligations and title risk profiles. Understanding the difference before you close is not a technicality. It determines what happens if a problem surfaces in the chain of title after you buy.
A deed is the written legal instrument that conveys title to real property from a grantor (seller) to a grantee (buyer). It is not the same as title, and it is not the same as ownership. Title is the legal concept of holding enforceable rights to a property. A deed is the document that transfers those rights from one party to another. You can hold title to a property without a deed in your hand -- what matters is whether the deed was properly executed, delivered, and recorded.
Under Pennsylvania law, a valid deed must meet several requirements:
A deed that is signed and delivered is legally effective between the parties even before it is recorded. But recording is essential to protect the grantee against subsequent purchasers and lien creditors. In Philadelphia, deeds are recorded with the Philadelphia Department of Records (formerly called the Recorder of Deeds), located at City Hall. When the deed is presented for recording, the Department stamps it with the deed book and page reference and, critically, affixes transfer tax stamps showing that the Pennsylvania and Philadelphia realty transfer taxes have been paid.
Transfer tax is a critical part of every Philadelphia deed recording. Pennsylvania imposes a 1% state realty transfer tax, and Philadelphia imposes an additional 3.278% local transfer tax, for a combined rate of 4.278% of the sale price (or assessed value if higher). These taxes are typically split equally between buyer and seller in standard transactions, though this is negotiable. The transfer tax stamps on the deed itself are public confirmation that the transfer was recorded and the taxes paid.
Deed vs. title vs. ownership: These three terms are related but distinct. The deed is the document. Title is the legal right. Ownership is the practical concept. When a title company conducts a title search, they are tracing the chain of deeds -- each recorded instrument from grantor to grantee -- to establish who holds title and whether any encumbrances have been recorded against it. See our title insurance guide for how this search works and what it covers.
A general warranty deed is the strongest form of deed a seller can give. When a grantor conveys property by general warranty deed, they warrant title against all defects from any point in time -- not just defects arising during their ownership, but defects that existed before they ever owned the property, going back as far as the chain of title extends. If a title defect surfaces after closing that predates the seller's ownership, the buyer can look to the seller personally for a remedy.
The general warranty deed contains formal covenants of warranty: the covenant of seisin (the grantor owns the property they are conveying), the covenant of the right to convey (they have authority to transfer it), the covenant against encumbrances (no undisclosed liens or encumbrances), the covenant of quiet enjoyment (the grantee will not be disturbed in possession), and the covenant of warranty (the grantor will defend the title against all lawful claims). These covenants are personal obligations of the grantor that survive the closing.
General warranty deeds are rare in Philadelphia's resale and investor market. Most sellers in an active market context -- investors who bought, renovated, and are reselling; landlords selling rental properties; individuals who inherited or purchased property from an estate -- are not in a position to warrant what happened in the chain of title before they owned it. They will resist a general warranty deed and instead offer a special warranty deed (see below).
You are most likely to encounter a general warranty deed in new construction sales, where the developer is the original creator of the parcel and can genuinely warrant its entire title history, and in some institutional sales where the seller has done comprehensive title work and is willing to stand behind the full chain. For practical purposes in Philadelphia's day-to-day deed types real estate market, a general warranty deed is the exception, not the standard.
The special warranty deed is the dominant deed type in Philadelphia real estate, used in the vast majority of arm's-length transactions outside of new construction. Understanding it is essential to understanding how deed types in Philadelphia actually function.
A special warranty deed contains a limited warranty: the grantor warrants title only against defects that arose during their own period of ownership. If a lien was filed against the property, a judgment was entered against the seller, or an encumbrance was created while this seller held title, they are on the hook for it. But they make no warranty about what existed in the chain of title before they acquired the property. Defects that predate their ownership are the buyer's risk.
Why does Philadelphia use special warranty deeds so heavily? Because the city's real estate market is dominated by investor activity, estate sales, and resales of properties that have changed hands multiple times. An investor who bought a rowhouse in Point Breeze two years ago, renovated it, and is now selling it is unwilling to warrant what the prior owner, or the owner before that, did or did not do to the chain of title. The special warranty deed lets them convey the property with an honest, limited warranty.
For buyers, the practical implication is this: the special warranty deed shifts pre-existing title risk to you. This is why a comprehensive title search and a strong owner's title insurance policy are essential in any Philadelphia transaction. The title insurance fills the warranty gap -- it covers you for defects in the pre-seller chain of title that the seller's special warranty deed does not address. When people say a Philadelphia buyer needs title insurance, this is a significant part of the reason why.
The language in a special warranty deed will typically read something like: "the grantor, for themselves, their heirs and assigns, does warrant and forever defend the said property unto the grantee against the claims of the grantor and all persons claiming by, through, or under the grantor." That phrase "by, through, or under" is the key -- it limits the warranty to claims arising from the grantor's chain of acts, not from all prior owners.
Investor buyers in Fishtown, Point Breeze, Kensington, and similar active flip markets: Nearly every property you will buy in these neighborhoods will come with a special warranty deed. That is market standard and not a red flag by itself. What matters is the quality of the title search behind the policy. Make sure your title company traces the chain back at least 60 years and explicitly searches for judgment liens, mechanics liens, and tax delinquency from prior owners -- not just the current seller's period of ownership.
A quitclaim deed conveys whatever interest the grantor has in the property -- and nothing more. There is no warranty of any kind. If the grantor has full, clear, unencumbered title, a quitclaim deed conveys that full title. If the grantor has a partial interest, a disputed interest, or no interest at all, a quitclaim deed conveys exactly that -- whatever it is, or nothing. The grantee takes the risk entirely.
In Philadelphia, quitclaim deeds are common in several specific contexts where warranty is not appropriate or needed:
When you encounter a quitclaim deed in a chain of title during a Philadelphia deed search, the first question is: what was the context? A quitclaim deed from a parent to a child, with no consideration paid, in a property that then continued in the family for 15 years before an arm's-length sale is routine. A quitclaim deed in what appears to be an arm's-length sale, particularly with full consideration paid, is a red flag that requires investigation.
How to spot a quitclaim deed in a chain of title: look at the deed language. A quitclaim deed will say the grantor "remises, releases, and quitclaims" or simply "quitclaims" the property. There will be no warranty language. The deed may recite nominal consideration ("$1 and other good and valuable consideration") or no consideration at all. When you see this in the chain of title for a property you are buying, flag it to your title company and ask them to explain the transfer and satisfy themselves as to the grantor's interest at the time of that conveyance.
The key concern with a quitclaim deed in the chain is this: because the grantor made no warranty, any defects or encumbrances that existed at the time of that transfer were passed along with the conveyance and cannot be recovered from the prior grantor. The downstream chain inherits whatever problems existed. Title insurance is particularly important when there is a quitclaim deed in the chain from a period where an encumbrance may have been created.
A sheriff's deed is issued following a court-ordered sheriff's sale -- either a tax sale to collect delinquent property taxes or a mortgage foreclosure sale. The deed is executed not by a property owner but by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office, acting pursuant to a writ of execution or order of court. It conveys whatever interest the prior owner held, with no warranty whatsoever.
Philadelphia has one of the most active sheriff sale markets in the country. The city conducts regular sheriff sales through the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office, and distressed investors, hedge funds, and individual buyers bid on properties ranging from vacant lots to occupied rowhomes to commercial buildings. Understanding the sheriff deed Philadelphia context before you bid is essential.
The sheriff's deed purports to convey the same interest the prior owner held -- but it conveys it free of the foreclosed lien and any junior liens that were named and served in the foreclosure action. In a mortgage foreclosure, the successful bidder typically takes the property free of the foreclosed mortgage and any junior mortgages, judgment liens, and other encumbrances that were subordinate to the foreclosed lien. However, senior liens (including Philadelphia real estate tax liens and water/sewer liens) survive the foreclosure and are the buyer's responsibility.
In a tax sale, the picture is even more complicated. The Philadelphia Land Bank and the courts handle tax-delinquent properties differently depending on whether the sale is a judicial tax sale or an upset sale, and the lien survival rules differ. See our sheriff sale guide for the full mechanics of the Philadelphia sheriff sale process.
Obtaining title insurance on a property purchased at a Philadelphia sheriff's sale is more complicated than in a standard transaction. Most title underwriters treat sheriff's sale properties as high risk and impose seasoning requirements -- typically 12 to 24 months of post-sale ownership before they will issue a standard owner's policy. During this seasoning period, investors typically cannot obtain conventional financing on the property, because lenders require insurable title.
To bridge this gap, some title companies offer a foreclosure title endorsement that provides limited coverage on sheriff's sale properties before they season. Alternatively, an investor who acquires a sheriff's sale property with a complicated title history may need to pursue a quiet title action -- a court proceeding that establishes the owner's title against all potential claimants. Quiet title actions in Philadelphia are filed in the Court of Common Pleas and can take six months to over a year to resolve.
Pennsylvania does not have a post-sale redemption period for sheriff sales. Once a sheriff's sale closes and the deed is recorded, the prior owner's right to reclaim the property by paying off the debt is extinguished. This is different from many other states where a prior owner can "redeem" the property by paying what is owed for a period (sometimes years) after the sale.
However, the absence of a statutory redemption period does not mean a sheriff's sale deed is immune from challenge. Prior owners can still seek to set aside a sale on grounds of procedural defect -- improper service of process, fraudulent bid practices, or constitutional due process challenges. These challenges are rare but not unheard of. Before bidding at a Philadelphia sheriff sale, research the underlying default action: how long ago was the action filed, was proper service made, and were all required notices given? A well-conducted foreclosure that was properly served and litigated produces a cleaner sheriff's deed than one that was rushed or procedurally flawed.
Sheriff's sale buyer warning: Buying at a Philadelphia sheriff sale is not the same as buying at a standard settlement. You get a sheriff's deed with no warranty, you may inherit senior liens, you cannot get standard title insurance immediately, and you may face a quiet title action before you can finance or resell. Budget for these costs. The discount at the auction has to account for all of it.
A deed of distribution is the instrument used to convey real property out of a decedent's estate through the probate process. It is executed by the estate's personal representative -- the executor (if the decedent left a will) or the administrator (if they died without a will) -- acting pursuant to authority granted by the Register of Wills of Philadelphia County.
The process works like this: when a Philadelphia property owner dies, their estate is administered through the Register of Wills at City Hall. If there is a will, the court admits it to probate and issues Letters Testamentary to the named executor, authorizing them to act on behalf of the estate. If there is no will, the court issues Letters of Administration to an administrator. Either way, the personal representative has the legal authority to convey the decedent's real property.
A deed of distribution is used when the estate is distributing property directly to a beneficiary -- for example, a son inheriting a property from his mother outright under the terms of the will. This deed conveys the property from the estate to the named beneficiary and is executed by the personal representative in their representative capacity (e.g., "John Smith, Executor of the Estate of Mary Smith"). It contains no warranty of title -- the estate is distributing an asset, not making sales representations.
An executor's deed is slightly different: it is used when the estate is selling the property to a third-party buyer (not a beneficiary) as part of the estate administration -- perhaps to raise cash to pay estate debts, taxes, or distributions to multiple heirs. An executor's deed is the instrument in a probate sale transaction. Like a deed of distribution, it is executed by the personal representative, and it contains either no warranty or a special warranty limited to acts of the personal representative.
When you encounter a deed of distribution or executor's deed in a chain of title, verify that the personal representative actually had Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration at the time of the transfer. Letters are issued by the Register of Wills and have a recorded document number. Your title company should verify this. An executor who acted without authority, or whose letters had expired or been revoked, creates a defect in the chain that title insurance must address.
Estate sales and inherited property transactions are a significant segment of Philadelphia's housing inventory, particularly in older row-home neighborhoods where long-term owners are passing properties to the next generation. See our Philadelphia probate real estate guide for the full process of buying and selling through an estate.
A correction deed -- also called a confirmatory deed -- is used to fix a defect or error in a previously recorded deed. It does not convey new title; it corrects the record of a prior conveyance that was defective in some way. Common reasons a correction deed is needed include:
A correction deed must be executed by the original grantor (or their successor if the grantor is deceased or an entity that has since been dissolved). It is recorded at the Department of Records and references the original deed by book and page number. The correction deed does not create a new conveyance; it relates back to the original deed date and is treated as though the corrected information had appeared in the original instrument.
From a title insurance perspective, a correction deed is generally a neutral event -- it resolves a defect rather than creating one. When you see a correction deed in the chain of title during a Philadelphia deed search, confirm that the correction actually fixed the underlying problem and that no new issues were introduced in the correcting instrument. Your title company should flag correction deeds and confirm the fix is complete.
A deed in lieu of foreclosure is exactly what it sounds like: a borrower who is in default on a mortgage voluntarily conveys title to the lender to avoid the formal foreclosure process. From the borrower's perspective, it avoids the credit damage and public proceedings of a foreclosure. From the lender's perspective, it is faster and cheaper than litigating a foreclosure through the courts.
A deed in lieu is executed by the borrower as grantor and names the lender (or its assignee) as grantee. Like a quitclaim deed, it typically carries no warranty. The lender takes whatever interest the borrower had, subject to all existing encumbrances.
The critical risk when you encounter a deed in lieu of foreclosure in a chain of title is junior lien survival. Unlike a formal foreclosure proceeding, which when properly conducted can extinguish junior mortgages and judgment liens, a deed in lieu does not automatically extinguish junior liens. If the borrower had a second mortgage, a home equity line of credit, or judgment liens against them, those encumbrances remain attached to the property after the deed in lieu is recorded. The lender who accepted the deed in lieu becomes responsible for dealing with those junior liens -- but so does any subsequent buyer who purchases the property from that lender.
When you see a deed in lieu in the chain of title, ask your title company to investigate the state of the title at the time it was executed. Were there junior liens? Were they discharged at or after that transfer? What did the lender do with the property after accepting the deed in lieu? A property that went from borrower to lender via deed in lieu, then sat in the lender's REO (real estate owned) portfolio for two years before being sold, may have accumulated additional tax delinquency during that time.
Every recorded deed in Philadelphia follows a predictable structure. Knowing the components lets you read any deed yourself and understand what it is conveying, to whom, and with what warranty.
The deed opens with the identification of the parties. The grantor is the seller -- the party conveying title. The grantee is the buyer -- the party receiving title. Both are identified by legal name and address. For entities (LLCs, corporations, trusts), the deed will identify the entity type and state of formation. For trusts, the deed will typically name the trustee in their trustee capacity (e.g., "Jane Doe, Trustee of the Jane Doe Revocable Living Trust"). The vesting language -- how the grantee takes title -- appears here: sole ownership, tenants in common, joint tenants with right of survivorship, or husband and wife (tenancy by the entireties in Pennsylvania, which provides protection from individual creditors of one spouse).
The deed states the consideration paid. In Pennsylvania, deeds typically state the actual purchase price, because the transfer tax is calculated on it and stamped on the deed. Some older deeds use nominal consideration language ("$1 and other good and valuable consideration") to avoid disclosing the price, but modern Philadelphia deeds typically show the full price because the Department of Records requires it for transfer tax purposes.
The legal description identifies the property being conveyed with the precision required by law. Philadelphia deeds use one of three description types: metes and bounds (directional bearings and distances tracing the lot perimeter), a reference to a recorded subdivision plan (lot and block from a recorded plan of lots), or a reference to a prior deed (incorporating the description "as more fully described in the deed from [X] to [Y] recorded at Book [#] Page [#]"). The legal description is what the title company uses to identify the parcel and tie the deed to the correct city records.
Modern Philadelphia deeds include the OPA property number, sometimes called the BRT number or parcel ID (the terms are used interchangeably -- they refer to the same nine-digit identifier assigned by the Office of Property Assessment). This number is how the city's assessment, tax, and building permit systems identify the property. It typically appears near the legal description and looks like: "OPA# 012345678" or "BRT# 012345678." You can use this number to search OPA's online portal, the Department of Records, and Philadelphia's Atlas data system.
Every deed recorded in Philadelphia is assigned a deed book and page reference at recording. Older deeds used physical deed books; modern recordings use a document number system, but the book and page format persists in common usage. The reference will look like "DB # 012, PG 345" or "Document ID: 12345678." This reference is how subsequent deeds in the chain identify prior instruments, and it is how you pull a specific deed from the Department of Records search portal.
For a deed to be recorded, the grantor's signature must be acknowledged before a notary public. The notary block appears at the end of the deed and states that the grantor personally appeared before the notary, identified themselves, and acknowledged that they signed the deed. The notary's name, commission expiration date, and seal appear in this block. A deed recorded without a proper notarization has a chain-of-title defect -- the acknowledgment is missing -- which is one of the triggers for a correction deed.
When a deed is recorded at the Department of Records, transfer tax stamps are affixed to the margin of the document. These stamps confirm that the Pennsylvania state realty transfer tax (1%) and Philadelphia local transfer tax (3.278%) have been paid. The stamps show the amounts paid and are keyed to the stated consideration. In Philadelphia deed searches, these margin stamps confirm both that the deed was properly recorded and that the consideration stated in the deed is accurate.
Reading a deed chain: To trace a chain of title, start with the most recent deed for the property. Find the grantor in that deed -- they were the prior owner. Search their name as grantee to find the deed by which they acquired the property. Find the grantor in that deed. Repeat backward until you have traced ownership for the required search period (typically 60 years). Each link in the chain is a deed; each deed identifies its predecessor by book and page reference.
Philadelphia deed records are public records maintained by the Philadelphia Department of Records, located at City Hall, Room 156. Recorded instruments are available for public inspection, and a growing archive of scanned deed images is available online through the city's deed search portal.
The primary online tool for Philadelphia deed searches is the Department of Records search portal, accessible at philadeeds.com. You can search by:
The portal returns a list of recorded instruments matching your search. For each instrument you can typically view the scanned document image and see the recording date, document type, consideration amount, and the parties named. Images for older instruments (pre-digitization) may require an in-person visit to City Hall.
When reviewing deed records for a property you are considering buying, a full chain-of-title analysis involves more than confirming who owns the property today. You are looking for:
For a buyer or investor conducting basic research, the philadeeds.com portal provides meaningful access to the recorded deed history. For a full professional title search -- which is what you need before closing -- your title company or a title abstractor searches not just deeds but also mortgages, judgment liens at the Court of Common Pleas, mechanics liens, tax delinquency records, and municipal lien searches. The deed search is one layer of that work, not all of it.
Deed research shows you ownership history. Flagstone shows you L&I violations, open permits, tax delinquency, 311 complaints, flood zone status, and lead service line risk -- the compliance layer a deed search will never reveal.
Run a free property report →The following table summarizes all seven major deed types used in Philadelphia real estate, their warranty scope, typical use contexts, title insurance treatment, and relative buyer risk levels.
| Deed Type | Warranty Scope | Common Use in Philadelphia | Title Insurance Treatment | Buyer Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Warranty Deed | Full warranty against all title defects from any time in history | New construction sales; some institutional or developer sales | Standard policy; seller's warranty supplements insurance coverage | Low |
| Special Warranty Deed | Warranty limited to defects arising during seller's ownership only | Most Philadelphia resale and investor transactions; flips; standard arm's-length sales | Standard policy; title search and insurance cover pre-seller warranty gap | Moderate |
| Quitclaim Deed | No warranty; conveys whatever interest grantor has, if any | Family transfers, LLC changes, adding/removing co-owners, resolving title clouds | Title insurer scrutinizes transfer context; may require additional endorsement or expanded search | Moderate to High (context-dependent) |
| Sheriff's Deed | No warranty; conveys interest held by prior owner after foreclosure or tax sale | Philadelphia sheriff sales (mortgage foreclosure and tax delinquency) | Seasoning period required (12-24 months); possible quiet title action needed; foreclosure title endorsement available | High |
| Deed of Distribution / Executor's Deed | No warranty; personal representative conveys decedent's interest | Estate sales; probate distributions; inherited property sales | Standard policy; Register of Wills authority verified; Letters Testamentary required | Moderate |
| Correction (Confirmatory) Deed | No new conveyance; corrects prior deed; relates back to original | Fixing errors in legal description, misspelled names, wrong APN, defective notarization | Title company verifies correction resolves underlying defect; generally neutral | Low (if correction is complete) |
| Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure | No warranty; borrower conveys to lender to avoid foreclosure | Lender REO acquisitions; distressed property situations | Junior lien survival must be investigated; expanded title search required | High (junior lien risk) |
Philadelphia's real estate market has distinct patterns in how deed types are used across different neighborhoods, property types, and transaction structures. Understanding these patterns helps you contextualize what you find in a deed search.
Virtually every flip sale in Philadelphia's active investor neighborhoods uses a special warranty deed. Investors who bought, renovated, and are reselling in Fishtown, Point Breeze, Grays Ferry, Brewerytown, or similar markets will almost never give a general warranty deed. The buyer carries the pre-investor title risk, and the title search plus owner's insurance policy is the mechanism for addressing it. This is not a red flag; it is the market standard and is priced into how Philadelphia title insurance is sold and used.
Sheriff's sale properties carry the highest title risk of any deed type in the Philadelphia market. The concentration of Philadelphia sheriff sales in North Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, Kensington, and other high-tax-delinquency neighborhoods means buyers in those areas encounter sheriff's deeds frequently. The post-sale seasoning requirement, potential for quiet title actions, and the complexity of lien survival make sheriff's sale properties suitable only for buyers with experienced title counsel and the capital to carry a property through the title seasoning period.
As Philadelphia's investor market has matured, more properties are held in LLCs for liability protection. When an investor reorganizes their portfolio -- moving properties between LLCs, adding partners, or restructuring ownership -- these transfers often use quitclaim deeds. A string of LLC-to-LLC quitclaim transfers in a chain of title is common and not inherently concerning, but each transfer should be verified to confirm the same economic ownership continued and no new encumbrances were created or carried through. See our Philadelphia real estate LLC guide for how these structures work.
Philadelphia's aging housing stock and long-term homeownership patterns mean a large share of properties hit the market through probate. In neighborhoods like Germantown, Olney, West Oak Lane, and parts of West Philadelphia, it is common to encounter chains of title that include one or more deeds of distribution or executor's deeds. These are not red flags in themselves -- they reflect the reality of long-term Philadelphia ownership. What matters is verifying the personal representative's authority and confirming that the estate was properly administered. The Register of Wills records at City Hall are public and searchable.
During and after the 2008-2012 foreclosure wave, many Philadelphia properties cycled through lender REO portfolios after deed-in-lieu transactions. Properties that were transferred to banks via deed in lieu, sat vacant, and were eventually sold by the lender often carry chains of title that include this step. When you see a transfer from a borrower to a lender (particularly a bank or servicer) with no mortgage satisfaction accompanying it, this may indicate a deed in lieu. Ask your title company to investigate the transfer, trace any junior liens, and confirm what encumbrances survived.
The following 10-item checklist covers the deed-specific due diligence every Philadelphia buyer and investor should complete before closing on any transaction.
The special warranty deed is by far the most common deed type in Philadelphia's active resale and investor market. The grantor warrants title only against defects that arose during their period of ownership, not from prior owners. Nearly every arm's-length flip, investor sale, and owner-occupant resale in neighborhoods like Fishtown, Point Breeze, and Kensington uses a special warranty deed. General warranty deeds are rare and appear primarily in new construction sales.
A special warranty deed provides limited warranty -- the seller only warrants against title defects arising during their ownership. For pre-existing encumbrances from prior owners, the buyer carries the risk. In practice, title insurance covers most of this gap: a thorough title search and owner's title policy issued at closing should catch and insure against undisclosed prior-owner defects. The special warranty deed is the market standard in Philadelphia because most sellers are investors or resellers who cannot warrant what happened decades before they owned the property.
A quitclaim deed in the chain of title requires investigation. First, understand the context: was it a transfer between family members, an LLC entity change, or an addition or removal of a co-owner? These are routine. If the quitclaim deed was used in what appears to be an arm's-length sale -- where the seller should have provided warranty -- that is a red flag. Review the transfer dates, consideration paid, and the relationship between the parties. Ask your title company to expand the title search around that transfer to identify any encumbrances that may have been conveyed along with the quitclaim interest. Your title attorney can advise whether a title insurance endorsement or gap in coverage requires attention.
Philadelphia deed records are maintained by the Philadelphia Department of Records at City Hall (Room 156). The online search portal at philadeeds.com allows free searches by address, grantor/grantee name, or document type. Recorded instruments going back decades are available as scanned images. For a full chain-of-title review, trace ownership by looking up the current owner's deed, identifying the prior grantor from that deed, then searching that grantor's name to find the deed by which they acquired the property, and repeating back 60 years or more. The OPA property number (also called the BRT number) can help locate all recorded instruments for a specific parcel.
Deed research is one layer. Flagstone checks L&I violations, open permits, tax delinquency, 311 complaint history, flood zone, and lead service line status -- all the things that follow a property regardless of what type of deed you receive.
Run a free property report →