An estate with property in another county
The assistant searches the approved local indexes, records possible parcels, and returns the source trail for the fiduciary and counsel to verify.
Records and tax research
Property Discovery Research Virtual Assistants
Search approved public sources for possible estate property, document the record trail, and separate confirmed facts from items that still require professional verification.
Administrative document support only. Your licensed or responsible professional retains interpretation, judgment, and final approval.
Records and tax researchWho it is for
A defined role for a recurring document burden.
Executors, probate attorneys, fiduciaries, and researchers who need a documented property search rather than an unsupported list. It fits matters where the estate may hold real property in another county, under an old name, or behind incomplete records.
A possible property hit is not an estate asset until someone verifies the identity, authority, and record trail.
- Property may be recorded under a former name, trust, entity, or spelling variation.
- Search results from different portals use inconsistent parcel and address formats.
- A plausible match can be mistaken for a confirmed asset without a documented verification step.
- Research conducted without a source log is difficult to reproduce or defend later.
Scope of work
What the assistant handles.
Work is performed against your written procedure. The assistant records what the source says, cites where it appears, and routes anything ambiguous to the agreed reviewer rather than resolving it independently.
- Define the approved public sources, search terms, jurisdictions, and date limits
- Search property, assessor, recorder, and other approved indexes where in scope
- Record each query, source, access date, and result, including negative findings
- Capture visible parcel identifiers, addresses, owner names, and document references
- Label every possible match as unverified and explain the basis for the possible connection
- Prepare a source log and follow-up queue for the responsible professional
Working sequence
How the work moves from intake to handoff.
Each step has a defined output. Nothing is marked complete without a source or an explicit note that the item remains open.
Plan
Confirm the research questions, jurisdictions, approved sources, and the point at which a result is considered a possible match.
Search
Run the defined queries and capture each result with its source, access date, and visible identifiers. Negative results are recorded too.
Document
Organize the findings by property and explain the basis for each possible connection without asserting ownership.
Verify
Deliver the source log and open questions. Identity, title, ownership, and authority determinations remain with the responsible professional.
Review-ready handoff
What your reviewer receives.
A research plan listing sources, terms, and jurisdictions
A source log with queries, access dates, and results
A property candidate list labelled by verification status
An open-question queue for professional follow-up
Deliverables are administrative work product. They support professional review and do not replace it.
Quality controls
How accuracy is checked.
- Every finding includes a source and access date
- Negative searches are documented, not omitted
- Possible matches state the evidence and the unresolved question
- A second reviewer checks citations before the log is delivered
Where the role stops
Decisions that stay with you.
- No title, ownership, or heirship determination
- No legal advice or conclusion that a property belongs to the estate
- No unapproved paid searches, records requests, or contact with third parties
- No presentation of a possible match as confirmed
Common starting scenarios
What this looks like in practice.
Realistic examples of how teams begin, without implying a legal or tax conclusion.
A name that appears under several spellings
Variants are searched and documented separately so the reviewer can see what was tried and which results remain uncertain.
A family address with no deed in the file
The research log records what the public index shows and what is missing, without concluding that the estate holds the property.
Questions
Before you delegate this work.
Will the assistant confirm that a property belongs to the estate?
No. It documents possible records and citations. Ownership, title, and authority are confirmed by the responsible professional or title provider.
Which sources do you search?
Only the sources approved for the engagement. Availability and access rules vary by jurisdiction, so the list is set during scoping.
Can you contact a county office?
Only with explicit authorization and an agreed script. The default scope is online research using approved public sources.
How are negative results handled?
They are recorded with the query and source so the team can see what was checked and decide whether another source is needed.
Bring one representative file.
We will walk through the document set, the fields you need recorded, the sources you approve, and the decisions that must stay with your team.
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