My dad told me to always check the county assessor records before buying land

He kept saying a title search wasn't enough for old rural parcels like the one I wanted near Denton. I ignored him, bought the lot, and later found out there was a 40-year-old unpaid tax lien from the previous owner's estate. Has anyone else gotten burned by trusting the seller's paperwork too much?

2 comments

2 Comments

thomas1052d ago

Man, your dad was right on the money there. It's like people think a title search covers everything, but old rural land is a whole different beast. I've seen it happen with old farm equipment too - you buy a tractor from a guy, he gives you a bill of sale, but then the county comes looking for a huge registration fee from three owners ago. It's the same pattern everywhere, we trust the easy paperwork instead of digging into where the real records live. That little step saves you a world of headaches later.

caseys302d ago

Thomas, that tractor story hits a little TOO close to home. I once bought a used lawnmower from a guy at a flea market, thought I was being all smart with a signed receipt, and then the county showed up wanting fifty bucks for a "transfer fee" from 2007. Now I joke that I'm probably STILL paying off some farmer's debt from 1982 somewhere. It's like the universe says "here's your cheap deal, now here's your hidden homework.