Real estate title glossary
What is grantor?
Definition
The grantor is the person or entity that transfers an interest in real property, such as the seller on a deed or the borrower on a mortgage.
Every recorded instrument has a grantor side and a grantee side. On a deed the grantor gives up title; on a mortgage or deed of trust the borrower is the grantor, because the borrower grants the lender a security interest in the property.
How it shows up in a title search
County indexes are built on these two names. A title search looks up each owner as grantor to find what they conveyed or mortgaged, which is how a sale out of the chain or an unreleased loan is found.
Guides that go deeper
- Chain of Title: What It Is, an Example, and How It Differs From an Abstract of TitleA chain of title is the ordered record of every transfer of a property. A worked example, how gaps appear, and how it differs from an abstract of title.
- How to Do a Title Search on a Property, Step by StepHow a title search works, step by step: the parcel, chain of title, every mortgage, lien and lawsuit, and the release checks people miss. Or run one in a minute.
- Deed vs Title: What Each One Is and How They Work TogetherA deed is the document that transfers ownership. Title is the ownership itself. How the two differ, what legal and equitable title mean, and where to find each.
Related terms
Source: Legal Information Institute, Wex: grantor. Plain-English summary of general US usage; state law varies, and this is not legal advice.