I am a New Jersey resident. I was told yesterday by my lawyer's office that neither they nor the seller's lawyer can find the original deed for the house that I bought more than 4 months ago, so they are going to get me a certified copy of the deed from the county office.
Can anyone tell me whether the certified copy is as good as the original as they say? If not, what can I do? Thanks for help.
2006-11-02 05:03:24 · 5 answers · asked by kwoknguo 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
The certified copy is fine.
After a deed is fully executed by the Seller, it gets taken to the Land Records (usually the County Clerk, but some states it is the Town Clerk) and it is Recorded. They make a copy, and put the copy into the official books, and mail the original back to wherever they were told to mail it (deeds usually go to the new owner, mortgages to the lender, but sometimes they are told to send it to an attorney).
Sometimes the original gets lost. It doesn't matter. It's on record, and a copy of the original that is Certified by the Clerk as a True and Correct Copy is every bit as good as the original for any and all purposes.
2006-11-02 05:12:18 · answer #1 · answered by open4one 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A certified copy should be fine. A deed is only valid if it is recorded with the county-- it cant be changed afterwards-- so whatever the county has IS the valid deed, and they are certifying it to make it as close to 'original' as possible (instead of just a copy.)
2006-11-02 06:17:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The validity of the ownership stems from the recording of the original deed which is then returned to who ever sent it for recording. What is on the record at your county is what counts.
Here are links that will help you research your concern:
Frequently asked questions Housing & Real Estate: http://www.state.nj.us/faqs/house/index.html
State bar Association: http://www.njsba.com/
LAWS: http://lis.njleg.state.nj.us/cgi-bin/om_isapi.dll?clientID=136499&depth=2&expandheadings=off&headingswithhits=on&infobase=statutes.nfo&softpage=TOC_Frame_Pg42
Buena Suerte
2006-11-02 05:16:58 · answer #3 · answered by newmexicorealestateforms 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes. As long as it has the property information, and most importantly, the Recording info.... where it was recorded by the clerk. If so, it is just as good as original.
2006-11-02 05:17:12 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would think so. they always ask for a cert. copy of your birth cert or dd214 so i would think that is suffiecient.
2006-11-02 05:05:41 · answer #5 · answered by MiaDiva28 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋