How to hire title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles. • Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions. • Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use. • Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches. • Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it. • Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles. • Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties. • Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: High school diploma or equivalent] • Strong reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, speaking, writing and monitoring skills • Working knowledge of customer and personal service, administrative and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $28.20 an hour ($58,650 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Tell me about a time you had to understand a request or problem that was explained poorly. How did you make sure you got it right?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What title examiners, abstractors, and searchers do
- Copy or summarize recorded documents, such as mortgages, trust deeds, and contracts, that affect property titles.
- Examine documentation such as mortgages, liens, judgments, easements, plat books, maps, contracts, and agreements to verify factors such as properties' legal descriptions, ownership, or restrictions.
- Examine individual titles to determine if restrictions, such as delinquent taxes, will affect titles and limit property use.
- Prepare and issue title commitments and title insurance policies, based on information compiled from title searches.
- Prepare lists of all legal instruments applying to a specific piece of land and the buildings on it.
- Prepare reports describing any title encumbrances encountered during searching activities and outlining actions needed to clear titles.
- Read search requests to ascertain types of title evidence required and to obtain descriptions of properties and names of involved parties.
- Verify accuracy and completeness of land-related documents accepted for registration, preparing rejection notices when documents are not acceptable.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Typical education to start: High school diploma or equivalent (BLS)
- Related work experience most have: 6 months to 1 year (O*NET)
- Training on the job: Moderate-term on-the-job training (BLS)
- Job outlook: +2.1% over ten years, about as fast as average · about 5,300 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $77,600 |
| Oregon | $76,930 |
| Nevada | $71,050 |
| Washington | $66,440 |
| Utah | $62,210 |
| Missouri | $48,190 |
| Wisconsin | $48,070 |
| Arkansas | $47,510 |
See title examiners, abstractors, and searchers pay in every state
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Post this job on JAI Bot. Free to start: JAI Bot reads every applicant against your must-haves, shows the resume evidence behind each one, and helps you reply to everyone. People make every decision.
Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.