Pennyaline wrote:

Oh, honey. I gotta tell ya, I'm with Sheldon on this. Title transfers
*can* just happen as the result of a quit claim, but only if your name
is on the deed to start with or the deed is given over to you
specifically. You would know if this had happened. You would get the tax
bill. Ask the county for a copy of your deed.

Don't get the tax bill? Wow, you really did get a deal, didn't you!

At the end of all of this, it matters little what you *have*. What will
matter is what you can *prove*. The amount of rent you paid means squat
if you can't prove it was applied toward the purchase of the land, and
there is no ownership if you don't have the deed in your name. And
though the millionaire founding father may be the nicest man in town,
it's always wise to do a survey and title search. Don't take anybody's
word for things, no matter what the local lore is.

sheesh, i guess i need to explain even more than i do, huh? lol
what i meant by "we hold the deed", is that the land is in my husband's
name. therefore, we hold the deed, we pay the tax, and all that goes
with it. so we have the deed, and we have the paperwork proving
ownership.......
what i meant by "the lawyer took care of it" is that his (the man who
previously owned it) attorney had the land agreement & transfer drawn
up. we appeared before the attorney, the notary, and the register of
deeds, to finalize it. it is not a quit claim, or a quick claim. it was
appraised and surveyed. i do know to do a little research before getting
in to matters like that. i always "shop around"...so to speak...
hence why i asked all you for advice, i like to be armed to the max
before dealing with any type of "powers that be", be that a test, a
lawyer, a doctor, a church, local government, anything....