Do All Closing Attorneys Do a Full 50-Year Title Search? 

Unfortunately, the answer is no. In Georgia, the 50-year span is considered the standard of sufficient time to determine that a property is free from reasonable doubt of litigation, but that amount of time is not mandated. 

Some closing attorneys take their chances with a quick limited search to move the process along faster. They may expect that they most likely won’t have to pay any claims, or that title insurance will cover anything that does show up. 

The problem is that in the event that the title is not clear, filing a subsequent title insurance claim is not quick, and will cost the new property owner time, stress and money. 

The extra two or three days it takes to get a full search completed is worth the effort to save the owner and many others months of trouble.