As part of the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Community Outreach Program, William P. O’Donnell, Register of Deeds for Norfolk County, came to town along with his colleagues Second Assistant Register of Deeds Ed Wheeler, and Director of Support Services Jonathan Thomas.
The three set up a command center of sorts in the Kingsbury Room of the Wellesley Police Station. They’d brought computers and a printer, as well as brochures and folders full of informational papers.
Their goal: to assist residents with any questions or concerns regarding real property records or land documents. The team stood ready to provide information about the Massachusetts Homestead Act; the status of mortgage discharges; print-outs of deeds; and to demonstrate how the Registry’s on-line Land Records Database works.
Massachusetts is divided into 21 registry districts, each with an elected Register of Deeds. The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds serves Wellesley, along with 27 other communities.
But it’s all about me
I showed up not just to cover office hours, but to straighten out a longtime document concern. It was about my Declaration of Homestead.
A Declaration of Homestead is a written legal document that allows homeowners to protect their family home from certain creditors, up to a particular amount. Massachusetts state law provides for an Automatic Homestead on all principal residences, protecting the home to the extent of $125,000.
According to the state website, “While this automatic protection may be sufficient to protect a deposit made upon your estate, it’s not likely enough coverage to protect the full value of your home. To protect the value of your property up $500,000 per residence, per family, you must file a document called a “Declaration of Homestead”.
Upon the advice of our attorney, we did just that soon after buying our house. I guess Bob and I didn’t bother applying our professional editors’ skills to our private life, because it was years before we noticed the document’s typos. So for a long time, I’ve been deeply uneasy about my Declaration of Homestead paperwork.
First off, I didn’t like that the zip code had been left off the Declaration document, then “corrected” by hand—to the wrong zip code. There was also the matter of our street name being legally changed at some point. The name was merely tweaked, but still, my Declaration didn’t reflect the change. The upshot—this important paperwork contains two facts that aren’t, strictly speaking, facts. The warning bells in my head were loud. Not loud enough to get me down to the Norfolk Registry of Deeds in Dedham, mind you. But if the Registry is going to come all the way to Wellesley to pay a call on me then sure, I was ready to air my concerns.
Over the years I had visions of being hauled into court by some smug plaintiff who somehow discovered my Declaration’s dark secret. He’s trying to squeeze $500k out of me, and he looks confident. His lawyer asks, “Well, Mrs. Brown is this your true zip code? Is this your true street name?” Because I must tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, I’m forced to admit the zip code and street name are but lies. The judge can see that I’m getting screwed on a technicality, but her hands are tied. The judge finds in favor of the plaintiff. I weep as I transfer a massive settlement number to my enemy’s bank account.
Not a thing, Second Assistant Register Ed Wheeler assured me, looking up from his computer. If the title number has been registered in the Norfolk Registry District of the Land Court, and the title number is correct on the Declaration of Homestead, I could retire my manufactured drama. Wheeler found that the number was, indeed, registered and correct, leaving me free to invent other concerns.
The digital age
Moving records into the digital age is what O’Donnell is most proud of as Register of Deeds. In 2015, the Registry started working with Xerox Services to take over 250,000 hand-written deeds from 1793 to 1900, scan them, and transcribe them. Once they got up to the year 1900, it was on to the next century. The transcription process was taken on to ensure that historical records will be legible to future generations, and the information on them will be read correctly.
The mission of the Registry of Deeds is the same as it was in 1793—to record, preserve and provide access to real property records and land documents. “But we deliver the services in a more modern way now,” O’Donnell said. “It didn’t happen overnight, but all our records back to 1793 are online. I remember back in 2002 when we didn’t even have email at the Registry.”
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An election year
O’Donnell has been Register of Deeds since 2002, and has gotten the thumbs up from voters four times, unopposed during each 6-year election cycle except for 2004. And now in the upcoming 2024 election. On Sept. 3, the Norwood resident will face Quincy Councilor-At-Large Noel DiBona, who last month announced his candidacy for Norfolk County Register of Deeds. The election will take place during the Democratic Primary.
O’Donnell isn’t taking his winning record for granted. “I was outside at Wellesley Town Meeting in March getting signatures,” he said.
Watch out for money-making schemes
Don’t ever let any outside company “search” your deed for you and provide you with an official copy for a mere $75 (or more). Although not illegal for companies to do this, it’s a total waste of your money, and feels a little scam-like.
The Registry of Deeds has particular scorn for a California company that for the past several years has been aggressively preying on unsuspecting homeowners by sending a direct mail solicitation asking them to send a check for $112 in order to receive a copy of their deed.
“If a consumer knew that they could print a non-certified copy of their deed for free from our website www.norfolkdeeds.org or obtain a certified copy of their deed for a charge of only $1 per page plus an additional $1 for postage, they would never agree to pay such an outrageous fee for service. The average price for a mailed homeowner’s certified deed copy by the Registry (usually two pages) is $3,” O’Donnell said.
The Registry office asks that if you receive such a deed solicitation notice, contact the Registry’s Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101 or by email at registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org.
General information
The Norfolk County of Deeds was started in 1793 and is one of the oldest registries in the country. Since its inception, the Registry has moved from scribes scratching away with quills dipped in ink pots to office staff who, armed with just a few key terms and a laptop, can bring up deeds and land records in record time.
The Registry has a Customer Service Center at 649 High Street in Dedham (across the street from the Norfolk County Superior Court), where real property records or land document services can be performed for free or a nominal fee. Call. 781-461-6101 with any questions.
If you can’t make it to the Registry, you can send a request by mail to:
Norfolk County Registry of Deeds
Copy of Document Request
649 High Street
Dedham, MA 02026.
Costs vary. Please check the website.
Services the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds performs:
- Provides copies of Deed or other land documents
- Files a Homestead Declaration
- Records recent Mortgage Discharges
- Provides information on foreclosure assistance, home buying and more
Registry phone is 781-461-6101
Registry email is registerodonnell@norfolkdeeds.org
Registry building hours are Monday – Friday, 8am – 5pm
Recording hours are 9am – 4pm
Closed holidays
