Register O'Donnell Guest Speaker at Stoughton Women's Club

STOUGHTON, MA - From the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: As part of an ongoing effort to bring the Registry of Deeds directly to the citizens of Norfolk County, Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell appeared Sept 14th as guest speaker at the Stoughton Women’s Club. O’Donnell gave an overview of the Registry, the principal office for real property in Norfolk County.

Along with providing an overview, O’Donnell spent time providing an update on improvements that have taken place at the Registry. “The improvements implemented at the Registry include a state of the art computer system, more public terminals, a Customer Service Center, and designated space for residents to close real estate transactions. These improvements have allowed Registry staff to work smarter and more efficiently serving its customers, the residents of Norfolk County. In addition, we have concluded a project to transcribe hard to read land documents dating from 1793 to 1900 that were written in cursive. This effort has resulted in users being able to better comprehend these hard to read documents. The net result of all these improvements is the Registry being better able to perform its core mission of recording and maintaining accurate, safe, secure and accessible land documents,” stated the Register.

Register O’Donnell also spent time discussing the advantages of the Massachusetts Homestead Act. “The Homestead Act is an important tool for homeowners as the law provides limited protection against the forced sale of an individual’s primary residence to satisfy unsecured debt up to $500,000,” noted O’Donnell.

Finally, Register O’Donnell warned members about an ongoing deed scam that is being perpetrated against all citizens of Norfolk County, young and old. “Norfolk County residents,” noted O’Donnell, “continue to receive direct mail solicitations offering them a certified copy of their property deed for an exorbitant fee ranging from $59.50-$83.00. Don’t fall victim to this deed scam. These companies are making outrageous profits. If a consumer knew that the Registry of Deeds would provide them a certified copy of a property deed for a charge of only $1.00 per page, plus an additional $1.00 for postage,
they would never agree to pay these companies such an outrageous fee for service. The average price for a mailed homeowner’s deed by the Registry, usually two pages, is $3.00.”

Concluding his remarks, O’Donnell stated, “I was honored to speak before the Stoughton Women’s Club. In particular, I want to thank president Nancy Urell for her invitation to speak before the club. The Stoughton Women Club’s members do an outstanding job volunteering their time to not only help the local community, but raise awareness about issues affecting all women. I want to thank the members for listening to my remarks and asking great questions.”

To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives like us at facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds and instagram.com/NorfolkDeeds.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds is located at 649 High Street in Dedham. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. All land record research information can be found on the Registry’s website www.norfolkdeeds.org. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of
Deeds Customer Service Center via telephone at (781) 461-6101, or email us at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org.

Image via Norfolk County Registry of Deeds