Abstractor

Working Schedule

Abstractors usually work full-time, Monday through Friday, during business hours. Some may travel to courthouses or county offices for records not available online. Deadlines can be tight, especially when tied to closing dates on property sales.

Typical Duties

• Examine deeds, easements, and legal descriptions of properties
• Identify and record mortgages, judgments, or unpaid taxes
• Summarize findings into an abstract of title or report
• Verify legal land descriptions against survey maps and plats
• Maintain organized records of searches and findings

Additional Responsibilities:

• Extract, analyze, and summarize financial and accounting data from various documents and records
• Ensure accuracy and consistency in abstracted financial information for reporting and auditing purposes
• Collaborate with accounting teams to support budgeting, forecasting, and compliance activities
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of accounting standards, regulations, and best practices
• Assist in the preparation of detailed financial abstracts for internal and external stakeholders
• Support the development and implementation of process improvements to enhance data accuracy and efficiency

An abstractor’s morning might start with reviewing electronic courthouse databases for new filings. By mid-morning, they could be scanning microfilm or visiting a records office to verify an old deed. The afternoon could involve preparing an abstract for a law firm handling a property closing. Their workday often ends with submitting a clear, concise summary that helps lawyers and buyers make informed decisions.

Soft Skills

• Patience and persistence in research
• Strong attention to detail
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Organization
• Time management
• Clear written communication for legal summaries

Technical Skills

• Knowledge of property law and real estate transactions
• Familiarity with legal terminology
• Proficiency in online records systems and title software
• Ability to read and interpret maps, plats, and surveys
• Data entry and document management

• Title Abstractor – Specializes in summarizing real estate ownership and liens.
• Legal Abstractor – Works with attorneys to prepare case-related summaries.
• Insurance Abstractor – Prepares abstracts for insurance companies to assess risks.
• Government Records Abstractor – Works in courthouses or public offices maintaining official property abstracts.

• Title companies
• Real estate law firms
• Mortgage and lending institutions
• Insurance companies
• County courthouses or government agencies
• Independent abstracting firms

Abstractors must be comfortable with repetitive, detail-heavy work. The job requires long hours of reading legal documents, sometimes in old or hard-to-read formats. Tight deadlines close to property closings can be stressful. However, the career offers stability and a sense of importance, as errors could cost clients thousands of dollars.

• Increasing use of digital title databases and automation in records searches
• Growth in remote and freelance abstracting, especially in rural areas
• Demand for abstractors with strong technology skills as more counties digitize their archives
• Rising importance of cybersecurity in protecting property records from fraud
• Ongoing need for human verification, since software cannot always interpret older legal documents correctly

Future abstractors often enjoyed solving puzzles, organizing collections, or conducting in-depth research for school projects. They might have liked reading mysteries, tracking details others overlooked, or working on tasks that required patience and accuracy. Many were the “go-to” friends for proofreading papers, organizing records, or double-checking details.