[cmt412]

I purchased a property from someone in 2004 and filed the Quitclaim Deed (2) days later. Approximately 1 1/2 years later someone else files a deed which also appears to have been sold by the person that I bought the property from. They filed a regular deed, signed in 2003, but never before filed. I was told to file another deed, selling the property back to myself, in order to make myself the sole owner on public records. This was done a year ago, but I'm only finding out now, that this did not resolve the title issue.

PA law is said to state that the recording date is the date used to determine ownership, not the date of sale, which may or may not have been backdated... As I recorded my deed approximately 1 1/2 years before this unknown person did, I am the legal owner. However, because the property was sold to both of us by the same individual, both I and this unknown person are now listed on the title.

I don't know who this person is, don't know how to contact them, having left letters at all known addresses found via the internet (a part-time real estate agent ran the person's name for me and gave me every address that they currently own, all of which appear to be vacant properties... ) but have had no response to my letters. My intention was to try to get them to sign a quitclaim deed over to me to remove his name from the title.

I have a buyer who's about to walk away, I've intested all of my funds into rehabbing the property, and need to resolve this ASAP. Is there anything that can be done? Is there anything that I can do myself in order to straighten this out?

City Hall should have never accepted his deed from the previous owner to himself, because I was the sole owner of the property at the time that his deed was presented. City Hall takes no responsibility for their actions. They said that they simply accept deeds, file them, and if there's a problem, they leave it to the victims to file suit. H E L P!

[LisaB4657]

You're going to have to file a lawsuit to quiet title. That is where the court issues a final judgment as to who the owner is. You need to speak to a real estate attorney. Don't count on being able to sell this property until the suit is resolved.