Register of Deeds News

Register of Deeds Office Accepting Surveys Electronically

The Iredell County Register of Deeds office recently recorded the first fully electronic plat map in county history. In an effort to stay current with notary changes and guidelines with the North Carolina Secretary of State, this has been a goal set forth by staff for the past year. In fulfilling their goal, the register of deeds office hosted an electronic plat map training at the Statesville location with NC Secretary of State’s record land Manager, Rich Elkins. All county, city and town review officers were invited to this training. Participants were informed of the benefits of accepting electronic maps. Not only will this substantially increase the quality of our map images online, it will also speed up the process of recordings and essentially get maps recorded days in advance. Iredell County Register of Deeds Assistants, Kristen Maiwald and Sharon Ladd, began working alongside professional land surveyor Timothy Guisewhite in an attempt to fully understand the electronic process. Mr. Guisewhite assisted with sending mock plats electronically while staff worked with the various vendors to ensure the system and settings were set up correctly. As a result of staff keeping up with modern technology made available through continued training and development opportunities, the implementation of this service has been successful. It has increased the overall efficiency for accepting and recording surveys in Iredell County. As the Register, I want to publicly commend my staff members for their dedication to making this office one of the top Register of Deeds offices in the State. If any surveyors have questions regarding how to get set up for electronic recording, please reach out to our office at (704) 872-7468.

Regards,

Renee L. Holland
Iredell County Register of Deeds

Iredell County Register of Deeds to reinitiate Thank-A-Veteran Program

The Iredell County Register of Deeds office will reinitiate the Thank-A-Veteran program to thank Iredell County’s military veterans for their service to our country. The Thank-A-Veteran program partners the Register of Deeds office with area businesses throughout Iredell County to provide discounts to veterans who have recorded their DD-214 Military Discharge Papers at the Register of Deeds office. Recording DD-214 Military Discharge Papers is a free service for veterans that is offered at the Register of Deeds office. Since taking office in December, Holland stated “this service is simply our way to express our appreciation to all veterans in our County and is hopeful she and her team can advocate the significance of this service to businesses to create a successful program for our Veterans”.

The Register of Deeds office has many responsibilities for recording official documents and one of these is to record and preserve a veteran’s DD-214 Military Discharge Papers. “These documents are important for veterans to be able to access in order to receive benefits. If the documents are recorded with the Register of Deeds office, they will always be readily available and a free certified copy can be issued to the veteran when needed,” stated Renee L. Holland, Iredell County Register of Deeds.

Iredell County’s Thank-A-Veteran program serves to encourage veterans to use this free document recording service to record their DD-214s by offering a discount program in partnership with local businesses. Once the documents are recorded, the veteran will be issued a special photo ID from the Register of Deeds office indicating they are participating in this program. Veterans can then take the ID to participating businesses throughout the county to receive a discount or incentive.

All veterans are invited to come to the Iredell County Register of Deeds office located at 211 Constitution Lane, Statesville or 610 E. Center Ave, Mooresville to record their DD-214 and join the Thank-A-Veteran program.

The Iredell County Register of Deeds office is always seeking to expand our partnership with businesses to offer new discounts and incentives for veterans participating in the program. Area businesses who would like to be a partner in this worthwhile endeavor to thank veterans for their service, please contact the Iredell County Register of Deeds office at (704) 872-7468 or email renee.holland@co.iredell.nc.us. All businesses participating in the Thank-A-Veteran program will be listed on the Iredell County Register of Deeds Thank-A-Veteran program website. Businesses will also be issued a decal that can be posted on their window that indicates the discount card is accepted at this location.

For more information, please visit the Iredell County Register of Deeds website at www.co.iredell.nc.us/registerofdeeds.

Disclaimer:

The Iredell County "Thank a Veteran" Discount Card Program is issued for the purpose of receiving the discounts made available from participating businesses only. It is not a valid photo identification for determining actual identity or residency. It is not issued by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. It does not entitle the holder to any claim of Veterans Affairs benefits.

Potential Real Estate Deed Solicitation Scams

While it is important to be able to access real estate property information online, this method also creates an opportunity for scammers to become aware of property that has recently been sold or transferred. If you get a notice stating that you owe a high service fee for a copy of your deed, don’t pay it. It’s a scam. Some companies will comb through records of real estate transactions and send mailings to homeowners that appear to be from a government agency. Typically, these mailings come from entities that appear very official and legitimate. In these letters, fraudulent companies attempt to fool homeowners into paying fees for a copy of their real estate deed and other publicly available information. These companies use persuasive language, such as offering to obtain “certified copies” of your documents, to get people to pay for unnecessary documents. County Register of Deeds offices have been warning property owners for years not to fall victim to these deceptive solicitations that look like official notices. Unfortunately, the scam isn’t new. It just keeps resurfacing in different cities and states. As your Register, I want to ensure that all citizens of Iredell County are cautioned about this potential scam. To avoid falling prey, here’s what you need to know about deed notice scam letters.

Beware of Deceptive Mailings or How to spot a deceptive deed letter

The letters typically are labeled in bold as a “Recorded Deed Notice.” They may look like a bill to include a record ID number listed at the top, along with a service fee of up to $95 and a “respond by” date. The letters often state that homeowners should obtain a copy of their “property assessment profile” that includes a complimentary copy of their deed. In addition, buzzwords like “U.S. Government,” “official,” and “certified copy” may be used to get the attention of the homeowner. Other pertinent details about the property, including address, parcel number and date of purchase or transfer, make it appear official. There might even be a payment slip and envelope to mail a payment. However, if you read the fine print at the bottom of the letter, there’s typically a disclaimer that it is not a bill from a government agency and there is no obligation to pay unless you want to purchase a property assessment profile. The reality is that your recorded deed should be given to you upon being recorded in the county where the property is located. Typically, the attorney or title company in charge of the real estate closing will provide a copy to you for no additional charge. If your deed has been recorded with the Iredell County Register of Deeds office, your recording is on record regardless of whether a copy is in your possession or not.

What to do if you get a deed scam letter

If you receive a letter like this, please do not remit payment to purchase a copy of your deed. You can always obtain a copy from our office at a minimal cost. If you’ve already sent in a payment, please contact the company that sent the letter to ask for a refund—especially if you haven’t received the documents you paid for. If your request for a refund is unsuccessful, please contact your local law enforcement agency for further review and assistance.

Advice for Avoiding Deed Scams

Companies that send these mailings count on the fact that many homeowners don’t know how, where, or when to get their deed to their home. Situations in which you need a copy of your property deed may include the following:

buying or selling your house;
refinancing your mortgage; or
transferring the title to your house

If you are asked to provide a copy of the deed to your property, find out whether the requestor needs a certified copy. Often, a copy is sufficient and will save you the expense of having to pay the additional cost of a certified copy. Our office can provide a copy of your deed for minimal cost. You do not need to pay a private company to obtain your deed for you. The cost for a certified copy of a recorded deed is $5.00 for the first page, and $2.00 per additional page. Uncertified copies of documents can be obtained for just 0.25 cents per page.

Property records are public information and are available in person, by phone (704-872-7468), or online at www.iredellcountync.gov/registerofdeeds.

The Iredell County Register of Deeds office is located in two convenient locations:

Statesville – 211 Constitution Ln, Statesville, NC 28677
Mooresville – 610 E. Center Ave, Suite 101, Mooresville, NC 28115

Hours of operation are Monday thru Friday 8:00a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding holidays.

Remember – store your original deed in a safe place with all of your other important documents. If you receive mail that seems questionable or suspicious, it is important to verify its legitimacy before sending any money or information to the company. When in doubt, contact your real estate attorney or your estate planning attorney. They will be able to review the mailing to assess its legitimacy and possibly even provide you the information you may be trying to find. It is important to never provide personal information (especially Social Security Numbers) or make payments to any company unless you are completely sure it is a legitimate request. If our office can be of assistance, please feel free to contact us.