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Your home's purchase is official the moment that you record the deed at the county courthouse. Usually, the title company or escrow agent is responsible for recording the deed and you'll need to pay a small fee. So, if you wanted to do a little investigating into the former owners of your home, you could go to the county clerk's office and check the files - this list of owners is called the chain of title. Any claims on your home, including a mortgage and liens for unpaid debts, are also recorded there. The county clerk who records a deed can be called the county recorder or the registrar of deeds.

See: Title search, Lien