Identifying restrictions
An easement can rule out the addition, the pool, the fence line, or the detached garage. Knowing which strip of a lot is spoken for, and by whom, changes what is worth planning.
About AFX Research
Your Trusted Partner in Property Research
Welcome to AFX Research, your trusted partner in property research and easement documentation since 1995. We provide fast, accurate, and reliable title search services for individuals, real estate professionals, and businesses across the United States.
Certified abstractors, reading the actual record
At AFX Research we understand the complexities of property ownership and the part easement searches play in a real estate transaction. Our team works in the county offices where the records live, and every report we issue is built from the instruments themselves rather than from an aggregated dataset.
That matters because easements are where property records get untidy. A right of way can be created on a subdivision plat and never appear on a deed. A utility easement from the 1960s can be held by a company that no longer exists under that name. An access arrangement everyone in the neighborhood treats as settled can turn out never to have been written down at all.
We report what the record shows, attach the documents behind it, and are direct about what a records search cannot answer.
The Stakes
Why Easement Searches Matter
An easement search surfaces the rights and restrictions recorded against a property, which is exactly the information that is easiest to discover too late.
Avoiding disputes
Most easement arguments between neighbors, or between an owner and a utility, are arguments about what a recorded document says. Reading it first is cheaper than litigating it later.
Understanding value
Easements affect marketability. A recorded right of way across a rear yard, or a conservation easement capping development, is something a buyer, a lender, or an appraiser will want to see documented.
The Company
A quarter century of property research
- Founded in 1995: AFX Research LLC has researched land title and property records nationwide for three decades.
- Based in San Luis Obispo: 999 Monterey St, Suite 380, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401, with abstractors working in county offices across the country.
- Certified title abstractors: Searches are performed by abstractors, and every easement reported carries its recording citation and a copy of the instrument.
- Industry membership: ALTA, BBB, NALTEA — the associations that set the standards our work is measured against.
- Backed by a limited guarantee: Substantial records discrepancies caused by our research are refunded. Read the terms.
In the Press
Featured Articles
Coverage of AFX Research and of the property records work our team does.
- Pursuit MagazineProperty Title Forensics
- Claims MagazineUsing Property Title Abstracts in Adjusting
- PINow.com10 Ways Electronically Stored Information Is Changing the Investigative Industry
- The New York TimesBank Settlement in Mortgage Mess May Hinge on MERS
- ForbesTop 10 Reasons to Check Your Property Title Search
How to Order
Ordering an Easement Search
Give us the street address, city, county, and state, pick a 20, 30, or 50 year term, and submit the order. A certified abstractor starts the search and the report comes back by email, typically in 2 to 3 business days.
If the search needs to be narrower or wider than a standard term, tell us what you are trying to establish and we will scope it before anything is ordered.
Order Your Easement Search Today
Certified abstractors search the county land records against your parcel and report the easements found of record, with a copy of every recorded instrument attached. Order online in minutes, or tell us about the parcel and we will help you pick the search term.
Questions? Call 877-848-5337 ext. 138 or email info@afxllc.com