Washington Property Records: How to Search Deeds, Liens, and Title Statewide
Find Owners · Deeds · Liens · Title Search · Preliminary Reports
Washington property records are public and recorded by the County Auditor in each of the state’s 39 counties, while value is set by the county assessor at 100 percent of market value. This guide explains how to find deeds, deeds of trust, liens, owners, and title information in Washington State, in person, online, or through a professional report. For a complete title search, lien search, certified deed copy, or preliminary title report on any Washington property, U.S. Title Records delivers an abstractor-prepared report by email, from $29, with no subscription.
How to Access Washington Property Records
Washington property records are public documents recorded and maintained by the County Auditor in the county where the property is located, and there are three ways to access them: in person at the Auditor’s recording department, online through the county’s index, or through a professional title search. Washington has 39 counties, each with a County Auditor that records deeds, deeds of trust, and liens against a tax parcel number and legal description, while value is set separately by the county assessor at 100 percent of true and fair market value. Three Washington features shape a records search: home loans are secured by a deed of trust that is typically foreclosed without a court at a trustee’s sale, with no right of redemption after that sale; every transfer pays the real estate excise tax, with a REET affidavit filed at recording; and Washington is a community property state, so a married owner’s spouse can hold an interest that does not appear on the face of a deed.
In person: visit the County Auditor’s recording department in the county where the property sits and search the grantor-grantee index, and check the assessor and treasurer for value and tax status. Online: most counties offer an online Auditor’s recording index and an assessor parcel search, though the depth of older records varies by county. Professional report: for a complete picture across the Auditor’s records, the assessor and treasurer, and the court records in one document, a title search compiles ownership, the chain of title, deeds of trust, liens, and tax status without an in-person visit.
U.S. Title Records performs Washington property records research for any of the 39 counties, delivering a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary title report by email, from $29, with no account or subscription. For the rest of the country, see our property records by state directory.
County Auditor and 100 Percent Assessment
Each of the 39 Washington counties records deeds, deeds of trust, and liens through the County Auditor, while the county assessor values property at 100 percent of true and fair market value, revalued regularly. A complete search reads the Auditor’s records, the assessor, and the courts. We cover every Washington county at the same price.
Deed of Trust and the Trustee’s Sale
Washington secures home loans with a deed of trust, and a default is typically foreclosed without a court: the trustee records a notice of trustee’s sale and sells the property at auction, and once the trustee’s deed issues there is no right of redemption on that path. Our reports flag open deeds of trust and recorded sale notices. Title search from $29.
REET at Every Recording
Every Washington conveyance pays the real estate excise tax, with graduated state rates that rise with the price plus a local portion, and a REET affidavit must be filed for the deed to record. The excise record is part of the property’s paper trail. Our reports pull the recorded transfer history. Deed copies from $45.
Community Property and Judgment Liens
Washington is a community property state, so a spouse can hold an interest in property titled in one name, and a superior court judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s real estate in that county. Both must be checked in a search. Our $29 report shows the parcel, owner of record, and tax status.
Washington Property Records at a Glance
The key facts and figures behind a Washington property records search, from the recording office to the statewide market and tax picture
Figures are approximate statewide medians (U.S. Census American Community Survey, household income approximately $94,000 and median home value approximately $565,000, with 2025 and 2026 market measures running above $600,000 and King County near $885,000; SmartAsset and Tax Foundation derived measures, an effective rate of roughly 0.8 to 0.9 percent, below the national average, with regular levy growth capped at 1 percent per district) and vary by county. Washington assesses property at 100 percent of true and fair market value, deeds and deeds of trust are recorded by the County Auditor, foreclosure is typically a non-judicial trustee’s sale under the Deed of Trust Act, every transfer pays the graduated real estate excise tax with a REET affidavit, and Washington is a community property state. Washington property is identified by a tax parcel number and a legal description. For exact figures on a specific property, order a Property Detail Report ($29).
Types of Washington Property Records
Washington property records cover every recorded document that affects a parcel, and knowing the main types makes any search faster, with two features that set Washington apart: the deed of trust foreclosed at a trustee’s sale and the excise tax record on every transfer. The records you will encounter most are deeds and deeds of trust, judgments and liens, and the assessment and tax records.
Deeds and deeds of trust. A deed conveys ownership, and Washington uses the statutory warranty deed (the state’s standard full-warranty form, warranting title against all claims), the bargain and sale deed (a limited form common from builders, fiduciaries, and lender resales, warranting only against the grantor’s own acts), and the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty). A deed of trust is different: it secures a loan among the borrower, the lender, and a trustee, and when the loan is paid off the trustee records a reconveyance releasing it. Because a defaulted deed of trust can proceed straight to a trustee’s sale, the recorded deed of trust, any assignment, any notice of trustee’s sale, and the reconveyance history are central records.
Judgments and liens. Liens are voluntary (the deed of trust you give a lender) or involuntary. In Washington, a superior court judgment becomes a lien on the debtor’s real estate in the county where it is entered, and can be extended to other counties by filing a transcript or abstract of the judgment. Other involuntary liens include federal and state tax liens and a mechanics lien filed by a contractor or supplier, and a Washington mechanics lien can take priority as of the date labor or materials first began, which can place it ahead of later-recorded interests.
Assessment, taxes, and the excise record. The county assessor values property at 100 percent of true and fair market value, with regular revaluations, and the treasurer collects the tax; if taxes run about three years delinquent, the treasurer can issue a certificate of delinquency and foreclose. Every conveyance also files a REET affidavit and pays the real estate excise tax, so the excise records trace the transfer history. A reliable Washington search reads the County Auditor’s records, the assessor and treasurer, and the court records together.
Washington Title Search
A Washington title search examines the recorded history of a property to establish who owns it and what claims are attached to it, reading the County Auditor’s records, the assessor and treasurer, and the court records together. A complete property title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the Auditor’s grantor-grantee index to confirm current ownership and how title is held, identifies every open deed of trust and verifies the reconveyances of the paid ones, checks for a recorded notice of trustee’s sale, searches for judgment liens against the owner in the superior court records, checks for mechanics liens and federal and state tax liens, and reviews the assessor and treasurer for the assessed value and tax status, including any certificate of delinquency. Because Washington deeds of trust can move to a trustee’s sale without a court, because a paid loan without a recorded reconveyance still clouds the record, and because community property can put a spouse’s interest on the title, a reliable title search reconciles all of these sources rather than reading the deed index alone.
U.S. Title Records performs Washington title searches for buyers, sellers, investors, attorneys, and lenders without an in-person county visit, in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, and every other county. A Title Search by Name ($75) locates property tied to a person or entity, while the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) deliver a comprehensive examination. Learn more about our real estate title search service.
What a Washington Title Search Reveals
Current owner and the chain of conveyance, how title is held, open deeds of trust and missing reconveyances, any recorded notice of trustee’s sale, judgment liens, federal and state tax liens, mechanics liens, tax status and any certificate of delinquency, and easements. The examination covers the County Auditor, the assessor and treasurer, and the courts together.
Why Use a Professional Search
Records are public, but the reconveyance question, the trustee’s sale timeline, and the community-property wrinkle make a self-search easy to get wrong, and Washington has 39 counties. A professional search compiles it into one report. From $29.
Washington Lien Search
A Washington lien search identifies every recorded claim against a property or an owner, and in Washington that means reading the County Auditor’s records for deeds of trust and liens, and the superior court records for judgments. Liens attach to Washington real property from many directions: a deed of trust securing a loan, a judgment lien arising from a superior court judgment in the county, a federal or state tax lien, and a mechanics lien filed by a contractor or supplier. Two Washington features matter to a lien picture. First, a mechanics lien can take priority as of the date labor or materials first began on the project, so a lien recorded after a sale or a loan can still stand ahead of it, which makes recent construction a genuine risk factor. Second, a deed of trust that has been paid off does not clear itself: the trustee must record a reconveyance, and an unreconveyed deed of trust remains a cloud on the record that a search must run down. Delinquent property taxes add the treasurer’s layer, where roughly three years of delinquency can produce a certificate of delinquency and a county tax foreclosure. A complete search reads the Auditor’s records and the court and tax records together.
Our lien search options scale to the need. The Lien Report ($95) covers recorded property liens, the Full Owner Lien Report ($195) adds judgments, tax, UCC, and bankruptcy against the owner, and a UCC lien search covers business filings.
Liens We Search
Deeds of trust and assignments, missing reconveyances, judgment liens, state and federal (IRS) tax liens, mechanics liens, certificates of delinquency, and UCC financing statements.
Reconveyances and Relate-Back Liens
An unreconveyed deed of trust, or a mechanics lien that relates back to the start of construction, can cloud title and survive a careless purchase. Our $195 report identifies open deeds of trust, judgment liens, and which liens are actually attached.
Washington Deed Copies and Deed Search
A deed is the recorded instrument that conveys Washington real property, and a deed copy from the County Auditor is often needed to confirm ownership, prepare a transfer, or resolve a title question. Washington conveyances run through the statutory warranty deed (the standard full-warranty form), the bargain and sale deed (a limited form warranting only against the grantor’s own acts), and the quitclaim deed (conveying whatever interest the grantor has, without warranty). A Washington deed must be signed, acknowledged before a notary, and recorded with the County Auditor to give notice, with a REET affidavit filed and the real estate excise tax paid at recording, and it is indexed by grantor and grantee names and by tax parcel number. In a community property state, a conveyance of community real estate generally requires both spouses. A deed of trust, by contrast with a deed, is not a conveyance of ownership to a buyer but a security instrument, released by a recorded reconveyance when the loan is paid.
U.S. Title Records retrieves recorded Washington deeds and supporting documents. A Deed Copy ($45) delivers the recorded vesting deed, and the Property Detail Report ($29) confirms the current owner, the parcel, and how title is held. For the full conveyance history, the Chain of Title ($275) assembles every deed in order.
Washington Preliminary Title Reports
A preliminary title report sets out the condition of title before a transaction closes, so a buyer, lender, or investor knows the ownership, the liens, and the exceptions in advance. A preliminary report identifies the current owner and how title is held, the open deeds of trust and the reconveyance status of the paid ones, any recorded notice of trustee’s sale, the judgment liens and tax liens, the mechanics liens, the tax status and any certificate of delinquency, the easements and restrictions, and any other matters of record that affect the title. In Washington it is where an unreconveyed deed of trust, a judgment lien, a relate-back mechanics lien, or a recorded notice of trustee’s sale first comes to light, and it is the standard due-diligence document at the front of a Washington transaction.
U.S. Title Records prepares preliminary title search reports as a records-based examination of the recorded chain, the deeds of trust and reconveyances, the judgment and mechanics liens, the trustee’s sale status, and the assessment and tax data. This is a property records and title search product, not title insurance or a commitment to insure, and it gives buyers, investors, attorneys, and lenders a clear pre-closing picture at a fraction of the cost and delay of a full underwriting file. The Chain of Title ($275) and the Expanded Title Search ($375) serve this preliminary-report purpose. See the full schedule of fees.
What a Preliminary Report Shows
Current owner and how title is held, open deeds of trust and missing reconveyances, any recorded notice of trustee’s sale, judgment liens and tax liens, mechanics liens, tax status and any certificate of delinquency, easements, and restrictions. It is the pre-closing due-diligence picture for a Washington property.
Records-Based, Not Insurance
Our preliminary title report is a comprehensive search of the public record, not a policy of title insurance or a commitment to insure. It gives buyers, lenders, and investors a fast, professional read on title before they commit. Reports from $275.
Washington’s Two Foreclosure Paths
A Washington lender holding a deed of trust chooses between the trustee’s sale and the superior court, and the choice changes redemption and deficiency for everyone involved
Fast, final, no redemption
- How it works: under the Deed of Trust Act, the trustee records a notice of default and then a notice of trustee’s sale, with no court case.
- The sale: a public auction, after which the trustee’s deed conveys title to the winning bidder.
- Redemption: none after the sale; the borrower’s chance to cure runs before it.
- Deficiency: generally waived on owner-occupied residential loans foreclosed this way.
- In practice: the standard Washington foreclosure path.
The court, with redemption after
- How it works: the lender sues in the superior court and forecloses the deed of trust like a mortgage, by decree.
- The sale: a sheriff’s sale under the court’s judgment.
- Redemption: the borrower generally keeps a post-sale redemption period, commonly eight months to a year.
- Deficiency: a deficiency judgment is generally available, subject to limits.
- In practice: slower and less common, used where a deficiency or a title issue matters.
Because the standard Washington path ends in a trustee’s deed with no redemption, a recorded notice of trustee’s sale is a hard deadline for owners and a decisive fact for buyers. Our $195 report examines the recorded chain and identifies open deeds of trust, sale notices, and liens.
Washington Title Search and Records Reports
One pricing schedule in every Washington county, from a quick ownership check to a full title examination, with no subscription
Property Detail Report ($29)
Ownership, parcel, and tax data for any Washington property.
- Current owner
- Tax parcel number and legal description
- How title is held
- Assessed value and tax status
- Open deeds of trust of record
- Most recent recorded sale
Full Owner Lien Report ($195)
Comprehensive property AND owner lien and title search.
- Everything in the $29 report
- All recorded deeds of trust and assignments
- Judgment liens
- Mechanics liens
- Federal and state tax liens
- UCC financing statements and bankruptcy
Expanded Title Search ($375)
The most comprehensive Washington examination and preliminary report.
- Everything in the $195 report
- Complete recorded chain of title
- Reconveyance verification
- Easement and restriction research
- Preliminary title report scope
Full ladder: Property Detail $29 | Deed Copy $45 | Title Search by Name $75 | Lien Report $95 | Full Owner Lien $195 | Chain of Title $275 | Expanded $375 | Schedule of fees
Washington Property Records by County
Professional title, lien, and deed searches in all 39 Washington counties at the same statewide pricing, recorded by each County Auditor
King County
Seattle and the most populous Washington county, with the state’s highest home values and heaviest recording volume. Full title, lien, and deed search.
Pierce County
Tacoma and the South Sound, the state’s second most populous county, with active residential markets. $195 recommended for due diligence. Full title, lien, and deed search.
Snohomish County
Everett and the northern Seattle suburbs, with heavy transaction volume and new construction. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
Spokane County
Spokane and the Inland Northwest, eastern Washington’s recording and market center. $375 Expanded for full chain and reconveyance verification. Same pricing statewide.
Clark County
Vancouver, across the Columbia River from Portland, one of the state’s fastest-growing counties. Deed and title search with lien review. Same pricing statewide.
Thurston & Kitsap
Olympia and the state capital (Thurston) and the Kitsap Peninsula with Bremerton and Bainbridge Island, each with its own County Auditor. Title, lien, and deed retrieval. Same pricing statewide.
Whatcom, Skagit & Yakima
Bellingham near the Canadian border, the Skagit Valley, central Washington’s Yakima, and the Tri-Cities counties of Benton and Franklin. Title, lien, and deed retrieval.
All 39 Washington Counties
Every Washington county, recorded by its County Auditor. Search by address or tax parcel number. BBB A+ since 2009, reports from $29, no subscription.
Washington Counties We Cover
U.S. Title Records covers all 39 Washington counties at the same pricing, including King, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Clark, Thurston, Kitsap, Yakima, Whatcom, Benton, Skagit, Cowlitz, Grant, Franklin, Island, Lewis, Clallam, Chelan, Grays Harbor, Mason, Walla Walla, Kittitas, Stevens, Douglas, Jefferson, and San Juan counties, along with every other county in the state. Submit any Washington address or tax parcel number to begin.
Property Records Beyond Washington
U.S. Title Records covers Washington and every other state at the same statewide pricing
All 50 States
Nationwide property records, title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports, one schedule of fees in every state. BBB A+ since 2009.
California Property Records
California, with its county recorder and non-judicial trustee’s sale under the Civil Code. Full title and lien search across every county.
Arizona Property Records
Arizona, with its County Recorder recording and trustee’s sale under a deed of trust. Title, lien, and deed search across every county.
Start a Search
Enter any Washington or U.S. property address and choose a report from $29 to $375. Delivered as a PDF by email, no account or subscription required.
Property Owner Search
Find the current owner of any Washington property by address or tax parcel number, with the recorded vesting deed and how title is held. From $29.
Deed Search
Retrieve the recorded deed or the full chain for any Washington property, with the grantor, grantee, and recording reference. From $45.
Three Washington Title Risks That Require Professional Examination
1. The trustee’s sale is fast and final, with no redemption after the hammer falls. A Washington home loan is secured by a deed of trust, and when it defaults, the standard path runs outside the courts under the Deed of Trust Act: the trustee records a notice of default, then a notice of trustee’s sale, and sells the property at a public auction months later. What surprises many owners and buyers is the finality. Once the auction closes and the trustee’s deed issues, Washington gives the borrower no right of redemption on this path; the chance to cure the default runs before the sale, not after it. The trade-off cuts the other way too, because a lender that forecloses an owner-occupied residential loan at a trustee’s sale generally gives up any deficiency. A judicial foreclosure through the superior court remains available, and it carries a post-sale redemption period, commonly eight months to a year, which is exactly why buyers must know which path produced the deed they are relying on. For a buyer or a researcher, a recorded notice of trustee’s sale is a hard deadline. U.S. Title Records flags open deeds of trust and recorded sale notices in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
2. Unreconveyed deeds of trust and relate-back mechanics liens cloud more Washington titles than anything else. Paying off a Washington loan does not clear the record by itself: the trustee must record a reconveyance releasing the deed of trust, and when that step is missed, the old deed of trust sits on the title as if the debt were still alive, sometimes surfacing decades later at the worst possible moment. Mechanics liens carry a different trap: a Washington mechanics lien can take priority as of the date labor or materials first began on the project, so a lien recorded after a purchase or a refinance can still stand ahead of it, which makes recently built or remodeled property a genuine risk category. Add judgment liens, which attach to the debtor’s real estate in the county where a superior court judgment is entered and can be extended county by county, and the lien picture requires reading the Auditor’s records and the court records together. U.S. Title Records verifies reconveyances and searches judgment and mechanics liens in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report.
3. Tax foreclosure runs through the treasurer, and community property puts unrecorded interests on title. Washington property taxes are collected by the county treasurer against an assessed value set at 100 percent of market, and when taxes run roughly three years delinquent, the treasurer can issue a certificate of delinquency and foreclose through the superior court, with the county’s tax deed to the auction buyer cutting off the old title, generally with no redemption after the sale. Every transfer also runs through the excise system, where a REET affidavit and the graduated real estate excise tax are required for a deed to record. Layered over all of it is community property: real estate acquired during a Washington marriage is generally community property regardless of whose name is on the deed, and conveying or encumbering it generally requires both spouses, so a signature missing from a deed or a deed of trust can leave a spouse’s interest outstanding. With 39 counties, each with its own Auditor, assessor, and treasurer, a thorough search is county-specific. U.S. Title Records reviews tax status, the excise record, and the vesting in the $195 Full Owner Lien Report and the $375 Expanded Title Search.
Washington Property Records: The Essentials
Washington property records are the deeds, deeds of trust, and liens recorded by the County Auditor in each of the state’s 39 counties, together with the ownership and assessed-value data held by the county assessor at 100 percent of market value, the tax and excise records held by the treasurer, and the superior court’s judgments and foreclosure records, establishing who owns a property and what claims are attached to it. Because the standard foreclosure is a trustee’s sale with no redemption after it, because a paid deed of trust must be cleared by a recorded reconveyance, and because community property can put a spouse’s interest on title, a complete property records search reads the Auditor’s records, the assessor and treasurer, and the courts together.
The five things people search for most in Washington are: a title search to establish ownership and encumbrances, a lien search to find claims against a property or owner, deed copies and deed records to confirm ownership, a preliminary title report for pre-closing due diligence, and the chain of title. U.S. Title Records delivers all five for every Washington county, from $29, with no subscription.
How a Washington Property Records Search Works
The same simple process for a title search, lien search, deed copy, or preliminary report
Enter the Address or Parcel
Provide the Washington property address or the tax parcel number through the order portal. We confirm the county, parcel, and recorded chain.
Choose Your Report
From a $29 ownership check to a $375 preliminary title examination. $195 is the recommended due-diligence report; $375 for full chain and reconveyance verification.
Multi-Source Search
County Auditor deeds, deeds of trust, reconveyances, and sale notices, assessor value at 100 percent of market, treasurer tax status, superior court judgments, UCC, and bankruptcy.
Report Compiled
Ownership and chain, how title is held, open deeds of trust and reconveyance status, judgment and mechanics liens, tax and excise history, deed copies, with references.
PDF Delivered
Report emailed. Email office@ustitlerecords.com with questions. Asset investigation through U.S. Asset Records.
No Courthouse Visit
No trip to the County Auditor or the assessor. Full examination without in-person access. One property, one fee, no subscription. BBB A+ since 2009.
Washington Property Records Questions
Title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary reports
How Do I Search Washington Property Records Online?
Start with the county assessor for ownership and the tax parcel number, the County Auditor for recorded deeds, deeds of trust, and liens, and the treasurer for tax status, in the county where the property sits. Most counties offer an online Auditor’s recording index and an assessor parcel search, though the depth of older documents varies. Free tools rarely combine the recorded chain, the reconveyance status, the judgment liens, and the tax and excise history in one place. For a complete Washington property records search, submit the address or tax parcel number to U.S. Title Records. From $29.
How Do I Find Out Who Owns a Property in Washington?
The county assessor shows the owner of record by address and tax parcel number, and the most recent recorded deed in the Auditor’s records confirms the vesting and how title is held, including entity or trust ownership, though community property means a spouse can hold an interest not shown on the deed. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines both into one report, and a Title Search by Name ($75) finds all property tied to a person or entity in Washington.
How Do I Find Liens on a Washington Property?
A Washington lien search must cover the County Auditor’s records for deeds of trust, missing reconveyances, and mechanics liens, the superior court records for judgment liens, the treasurer for delinquent taxes and any certificate of delinquency, and the UCC index. Because a mechanics lien can relate back to the start of construction and a paid deed of trust needs a recorded reconveyance, the sources have to be read together. Our Full Owner Lien Report ($195) covers all of it against the property and the owner.
How Do I Get a Copy of a Deed in Washington?
Recorded deeds are public, held by the County Auditor. Washington uses the statutory warranty deed, the bargain and sale deed, and the quitclaim deed, recorded after acknowledgment before a notary with a REET affidavit and the excise tax paid, and indexed by grantor, grantee, and tax parcel number. A deed of trust is a security instrument cleared by a reconveyance, not a conveyance to a buyer. We retrieve a recorded deed by address or parcel. A Deed Copy is $45.
What Does a Washington Preliminary Title Report Show?
It shows the condition of title before closing: the current owner and how title is held, open deeds of trust and the reconveyance status of paid ones, any recorded notice of trustee’s sale, judgment liens and tax liens, mechanics liens, tax status and any certificate of delinquency, easements, and restrictions. Our preliminary title report is a records-based examination, not title insurance, giving buyers, lenders, and investors a fast pre-closing read. The Chain of Title ($275) and Expanded ($375) serve this purpose.
How Much Does a Washington Title Search Cost?
Property Detail $29, Deed Copy $45, Name Search $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien $195, Chain of Title $275, Expanded $375. One fee per property, no subscription. Schedule of fees.
Washington Property Records FAQ
Are Washington property records public?
Yes. Washington property records are public documents. Deeds, deeds of trust, and liens are recorded with and maintained by the County Auditor in the county where the property is located, and anyone may search the grantor-grantee index or obtain a copy, in person, online through the county, or through a professional report. Ownership and assessed-value information is public and is held by the county assessor, which values property at 100 percent of true and fair market value, and tax status is held by the treasurer. The main practical points are that the standard foreclosure is a trustee’s sale with no redemption after it, that every transfer files a REET affidavit and pays the excise tax, and that community property can put a spouse’s interest on title. U.S. Title Records compiles the public record into one report from $29.
How do I find out who owns a property in Washington?
The fastest way to find the current owner of a Washington property is the county assessor for the county where the property sits, which lists the owner of record by address along with the tax parcel number and the assessed value. To confirm legal ownership and how title is held, the most recent recorded deed in the County Auditor’s records is the controlling record, and it will show whether the property is held by an individual, a married couple, a trust, or an entity such as an LLC. One Washington wrinkle is community property: real estate acquired during marriage is generally community property regardless of whose name appears on the deed, so a spouse can hold an interest the deed does not show. A Property Detail Report ($29) combines the assessor’s owner with the recorded vesting deed, and a Title Search by Name ($75) finds every property tied to a given person or entity across Washington. Property owner search.
How do I do a title search in Washington?
A Washington title search reads the chain of recorded deeds in the County Auditor’s grantor-grantee index to confirm ownership and how title is held, identifies every open deed of trust and verifies the reconveyances of the paid ones, checks for a recorded notice of trustee’s sale, searches for judgment liens in the superior court records, checks for mechanics liens and federal and state tax liens, and reviews the assessor and treasurer for value and tax status, including any certificate of delinquency. Because a paid deed of trust without a recorded reconveyance still clouds the record, a mechanics lien can relate back to the start of construction, and community property can put a spouse’s interest on title, a reliable search reconciles the Auditor’s records, the assessor and treasurer, and the courts. You can do much of this yourself through the county, but the reconveyance verification and the lien priority questions are where a professional search earns its keep. U.S. Title Records performs the full examination from $29, with the Expanded Title Search ($375) as the most comprehensive option.
How does a trustee’s sale work in Washington, and is there redemption?
A Washington trustee’s sale is the standard, non-judicial way a defaulted deed of trust is foreclosed under the state’s Deed of Trust Act. The trustee, a neutral third party named in the deed of trust, records a notice of default and then a notice of trustee’s sale, publishes and serves the required notices, and sells the property at a public auction months later, all without a court case. The borrower’s opportunity to cure the default and stop the sale runs before the auction; once the sale is held and the trustee’s deed issues to the winning bidder, Washington provides no right of redemption on this path, which makes the sale final in a way that surprises many owners. The trade-off is that a lender foreclosing an owner-occupied residential loan by trustee’s sale generally gives up any deficiency against the borrower. The lender can instead choose judicial foreclosure through the superior court, which is slower but preserves a deficiency claim, and which leaves the borrower a post-sale redemption period, commonly eight months to a year. For anyone buying at or after a foreclosure, which path produced the deed determines whether a redemption right exists. U.S. Title Records flags open deeds of trust and recorded sale notices in the Full Owner Lien Report ($195).
What is the Washington real estate excise tax (REET)?
The real estate excise tax, or REET, is Washington’s tax on the sale of real property, and it touches every recorded conveyance. The state portion is graduated, starting around 1.1 percent and stepping up through higher marginal rates as the sale price rises past statutory thresholds that adjust over time, and cities and counties add a local portion, commonly a quarter to half a percent. The tax is typically paid by the seller at closing, and a REET affidavit reporting the sale must be filed, and the tax paid or an exemption claimed, before the County Auditor will record the deed; certain transfers, such as gifts and inheritances, can qualify for exemptions. For records research, the excise system leaves a useful trail: the recorded transfer history reflects the affidavits filed with each conveyance, which helps establish the chain of title and the timing of sales. U.S. Title Records pulls the recorded transfer history with any Deed Copy ($45) or Chain of Title ($275).
What is the difference between a deed and a title in Washington?
A deed and a title are related but not the same. A deed is a physical, recorded document that transfers ownership of real property from a grantor to a grantee, and Washington uses the statutory warranty deed, the bargain and sale deed, and the quitclaim deed depending on how much the grantor warrants. Title, by contrast, is the legal concept of ownership itself, the bundle of rights to possess, use, and dispose of the property; it is not a single document but a status established by the chain of recorded deeds. You take title to a property by receiving and recording a deed, and a title search examines the full chain of deeds and other recorded instruments, and in Washington also the deeds of trust and their reconveyances and the community-property vesting, to ensure the seller holds clear title. In short, the deed is the instrument; the title is the ownership it conveys. U.S. Title Records retrieves the deed in the Deed Copy ($45) and examines the title in a title search.
How much does a Washington title search or report cost?
Pricing is the same in every Washington county: Property Detail Report $29, Deed Copy $45, Title Search by Name $75, Lien Report $95, Full Owner Lien Report $195, Chain of Title $275, and Expanded Title Search $375. The $29 report is the quick ownership, parcel, and value check, the $195 report is the recommended due-diligence search that includes judgment liens, mechanics liens, and tax status, and the $375 Expanded is the full title examination with chain and reconveyance verification. There is no account, subscription, or recurring charge, one flat fee per property, delivered as a PDF by email. See the full schedule of fees. BBB A+ since 2009.
How far back does a Washington title search go?
A standard Washington title search typically examines the chain of title back about 40 to 60 years, which is generally enough to establish a marketable chain and surface the deeds of trust, judgments, liens, and defects that matter for a current transaction. A full chain of title can go back much further, to the original federal land patent, and is assembled when a transaction or a legal matter requires it, such as a quiet-title action, an estate, a boundary or easement dispute, or a property with a complicated history. How far the records reach in practice depends on the county; Washington County Auditor records can extend back well over a century, though older documents are more likely to require retrieval from physical volume and page books. U.S. Title Records traces the full conveyance history in the Chain of Title ($275).
Search Washington Property Records
Professional title searches, lien searches, deed copies, and preliminary title reports for any property in all 39 Washington counties, from King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane to every rural county. County Auditor records, deed of trust and reconveyance analysis, trustee’s sale and notice review, judgment and mechanics lien checks, tax and excise history, community property vesting, and full chain of title. Reports from $29, delivered by email, no subscription.