| Q. |
What
are the hours of the Register of Deeds Office? |
| A. |
The office is open Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Real and
personal property documents presented after 4:00 p.m. may be recorded or filed
on the following working day. Please check here for holidays that the office
is closed. |
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| Q. |
What
are the recording fees? |
| A. |
The recording fee for a deed, mortgage, lis pendens or other real estate instrument
is $14.00 for the first page and $3.00 for each additional page. Any document
which assigns or discharges more than one instrument, $3.00 shall be added to
the recording fee for each additional instrument being assigned or discharged.
For more detail, click here: Fee Schedule. |
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| Q. |
Where
is the Register of Deeds located? |
| A. |
The street address is 125 W. Main Street (M-86), Centreville, Michigan 49032,
in the St. Joseph County Historical Courthouse. The Register of Deeds office
is located on the 2nd floor of the building. Click here for further directions. |
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| Q. |
Can
you prepare my document, or give me the forms to use? |
| A. |
No, the Register of Deeds does not prepare any legal document, nor do we give
legal advice. Forms may be obtained from an office supply company. If you need
assistance, please contact an attorney or a real estate agent. |
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| Q. |
Does
the document need to be witnessed and notarized? |
| A. |
Documents
executed in the state of Michigan prior to March 4, 2002
must have the signatures and printed names of two witnesses.
The documents must be notarized with the notary showing
their printed name, county/state of commission and expiration
date. After March 4, 2002, no witness are required, only
a notary. |
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| Q. |
Where
can I find a notary? |
| A. |
Financial
institutions, credit unions, funeral homes, title companies,
realtors, automobile dealerships, and many other businesses.
Their may be a fee for the
notary’s services. |
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| Q. |
Can
I record a copy of my deed? |
| A. |
No,
only the original documents can be recorded. |
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| Q. |
Can
I record my deed or other documents by mail?
|
| A. |
Yes,
documents can be either mailed or brought in to the office
for recording. |
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| Q. |
How
long before I get my document returned to me? |
| A. |
If
the customer/attorney hand-delivered the document to
our counter, or if the document was sent thru the mail,
it will take approximately 2-3 days. If it came to us
through a title company or a bank, the documents will
be returned in 2-3 days to the title company or bank.
It will be entirely up to the title company or bank when
they return it to you. |
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| Q. |
What if I need my document back the same day? |
| A. |
If necessary, your recorded document can be processed and returned while you wait at the counter. |
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| Q. |
What
documents have to be tax certified? |
| A. |
All
warranty deeds, deeds which contain a covenant of warrant,
land contracts, and assignments of land contract, which
contain a covenant of warrant, must have a tax certification
from the county Treasurer’s office.
For up to 5 descriptions $1.00. Each additional description $.20. This fee can
be included in your recording fee check. |
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| Q. |
How
do I put someone’s name on my deed or how do I
take someone’s name off my deed? |
| A. |
You
need to have an attorney draft a deed for you. Then you
bring it to the Register of Deeds office for recording.
There may be many questions that should be asked of an
attorney when you are thinking about adding someone’s
name on your deed. Such as, if I add my son and daughter
in-law’s name on my deed, what happens if they
get a divorce? If I add my children’s name to my
deed, and I need to borrower money to put on a new roof,
or make home improvements, will this be a problem? Please
talk with an attorney before you make any changes to
your deed. |
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| Q. |
My
spouse passed away and our property is in both of our
names, what do I do? |
| A. |
Bring
in a certified copy of the death certificate along with
appropriate recording
fees and we will record it. |
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| Q. |
When
an instrument is recorded that legally removes the name
of an owner (like a death certificate), will I receive
a new document showing the current owners? |
| A. |
No.
The Register of Deeds is just a recording office. State
law mandates that if a document meets state requirements,
then the Register of Deeds must accept and record that
document. The Register of Deeds Office does not draft
documents. |
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| Q. |
Who
can get a copy of my deed? |
| A. |
Anyone,
they are public record. There is a charge of $1.00 per
page for each
copy. |
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| Q. |
How
do I search for a deed? |
| A. |
You
need a grantor or grantee name to search any land record
information and you should have an approximate transaction
year to search. More recent transactions may also be
searched by the property tax identification number, if
it was provided on the instrument. The best way to conduct
a search may be in person. The Register of Deeds staff
will be glad to demonstrate how to use our computer system
and/or
the grantor/grantee card file. |
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| Q. |
Why
are deeds and mortgages recorded in your office? |
| A. |
The
mission of a recording office, with respect to real property
transactions, is to provide a trustworthy place where
instruments and notices concerning ownership of and encumbrances
against real property can be located by all creditors,
subsequent purchasers, and others with an economic interest
in the property.
The means by which land recording offices
achieve their mission is not only by maintaining original
copies of all real-estate
related documents required to be recorded in secure, non-alterable
form, but also by providing searchers with a means of accessing
these documents through indexes to the documents recorded,
sorted into an orderly listing.
The purpose of recording instruments and notices applicable
to real property transactions or encumbrances is to provide
an inexpensive legal means to protect the interest of owners
(deed holders) and encumbrances by notifying all creditors,
subsequent purchasers, and others with an economic interest
in a parcel or real property about ownership of any encumbrances
against that property. |
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| Q. |
Why
is there a 2 ½ inch top margin requirement? |
| A. |
The
State passed a law on April 1, 1997 that requires a 2 ½ inch
top margin
and ½ margins on all other sides. This is to allow room for the recording
information, transfer tax stamp etc. |
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| Q. |
How
do I find who owns certain property? |
| A. |
If
you do not know the property owner’s name, you
may contact the Land
Resource Centre or Treasurer’s Office. Land Resource Centre is where you
will find Equalization/Land Description. They can help you verify legal descriptions,
parcel numbers, property splits, Rural Identification (address) and any zoning
or school district questions. GIS can provide you with
property maps and aerial
maps.
These offices will provide you with the name(s) that appear on the tax roll,
which may or may not be the owner(s). With these names, you can then search our
office for any recorded information. If you have a name and approximate transaction
year to search, and come in to our office, we may be able to provide you with
recorded information. |
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| Q. |
Can
I get genealogy information? |
| A. |
Yes,
you can. You need the approximate year of the transactions,
parties’ names, and need to be prepared for heavy
lifting. Some of the old records are in heavy books.
You may want to bring someone to assist you. Plan on
spending several hours when you come to do your search.
Copies of documents that you find may be purchased at
the cost of $1.00 per page. |
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| Q. |
Can
someone do a genealogy search for me? |
| A. |
Yes,
we have several people who are willing to do searches.
There is a fee for their service, and they work independently,
from the Register’s office.
Genealogy Society – Cemetery Records
Martha Starmann
116 W. Chicago Road
White Pigeon, MI 49099
(269) 483-7122 |
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| Q. |
Where
are Sheriff’s Sales Held? |
| A. |
The
sale is held at 10:00 a.m. each Thursday, on the second
floor of the historical
courthouse, by Carmella Jones.
The deputy sheriff, holding the sale, is acting on behalf of the foreclosing
bank. For information regarding foreclosure sales please contact our office at 269-467-5552 on Thursday's between 10:00 am and 11:00 am to speak to the deputy sheriff holding the sale. |
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| Q. |
Sheriff’s
Deeds - Is this where I come to redeem my property? |
| A. |
Yes,
we handle Sheriff’s Deed Redemptions (during the
redemption period). Arrangements can also be made through
the involved companies, such as, the financial institutions
or their legal counsel, to redeem property directly from
them. After the redemption period has expired, only they
can help you. |
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| Q. |
Sheriff’s
Deeds – Can I get a payoff amount for a foreclosure? |
| A. |
We cannot give figure payoff amounts for properties in foreclosure,
for any workday, during the redemption period. We can get you a copy of the affidavit of redemption that is required to be with your Sheriff's Deed. This will give you the per diem amount and allow you to come up with the figures yourself. it also gives a designated person to contact to get the redemption amount figured for you for a fee. Any redemption of a foreclosure
must
be received in certified or cashier’s funds by 5:00 p.m. on the last day
of the redemption period. |
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