Legal Definitions - grantee–grantor index

A grantee–grantor index is a public record system, typically maintained by local government offices (like a county recorder's office), used to track the ownership history of real estate. It functions as a comprehensive catalog of property transactions, organized in two complementary ways: by the name of the person or entity receiving property (the grantee) and by the name of the person or entity transferring property (the grantor). This dual organization allows individuals to research property records by knowing either who bought or who sold a particular piece of land or building.

• Example 1: Verifying Current Ownership for a Sale

  Imagine a couple, the Millers, are interested in buying a house. Their real estate attorney needs to confirm that the current sellers, the Johnsons, legally own the property and have the right to sell it. The attorney would use the grantee–grantor index. They might start by searching the index under the Johnsons' name as the grantee to find when and from whom the Johnsons acquired the property. Then, they could follow the chain backward, using each previous owner's name as a grantee to trace the property's history and ensure there are no breaks in the ownership chain or unrecorded transfers that could complicate the sale.

• Example 2: Tracing Historical Property Divisions

  A local historical society is researching the original land divisions and ownership patterns of a town founded in the 19th century. They have an old map showing a large parcel of land originally owned by "J. Smith." To understand how that large parcel was subdivided and sold over time, a researcher would use the grantee–grantor index. They would search under "J. Smith" as a grantor to find all the instances where J. Smith sold portions of his land to various buyers. This allows them to trace the subsequent owners and the evolution of property boundaries within the town over decades.

• Example 3: A Neighbor Investigating an Easement

  Sarah is buying a property that has a shared driveway with her neighbor. She wants to understand the legal agreement for this shared access, known as an easement. She suspects the easement was established many years ago when the properties were first developed. Sarah could visit the county recorder's office and use the grantee–grantor index. She might search for her property's previous owners as grantees to find the deed where they acquired the property, hoping to find a reference to the easement. Alternatively, she could search for the original developer of the subdivision as a grantor to see if they granted easements across multiple properties at the time of initial sale, helping her locate the specific document that created the shared driveway agreement.