News from the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, Chester County, Pennsylvania

April/May 2023

Officials:

Diane O'Dwyer, Acting Recorder

Erin VanRyn, First Deputy

Nancy W. Pine, Esq., Solicitor

Mailing Address:

Chester County Recorder of Deeds

313 W. Market Street, Suite 3302

P.O. Box 2748

West Chester, PA 19382

Telephone: (610) 344-6330

Fax: (610) 344-6408

Email: RODinfo@chesco.org

Website: www.chesco.org/ recorder

Click "Records Search" in the website menu for records online.

Hours: The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Same-day document recording stops at 4:00 p.m. Same-day plan recording stops at 3:00 p.m.

Fees: For a full list, click here.

For more FAQs and an archive of past newsletters, please visit www.chesco.org/recorder.

Recorder Remarks

Hello Friends,

We hope this combined April/May issue of Good Deeds finds you well. Fennel Hudson said “May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive.” The dogwoods are in bloom, the horses have run at the Kentucky Derby, and the Phillies are playing baseball again (though I wish they would win a few more games!).

Spring is a time for growth and change and is known as the season for hope. We have some reason for cautious optimism about the housing market. Consumer confidence rebounded in the first quarter of 2023. In April, we saw the housing market holding steady, with an increase of 7.5% in the number of homes for sale in Chester County as compared to March, according to Rocket Homes. Mortgage rates are mostly steady and seem likely to drop. Pennsylvania's 30-year fixed mortgage rates remain stable at 6.46% as updated by Zillow on Monday, May 8th. We know the housing market was volatile in 2022 and so far, 2023 feels like a return to more normalcy in the market. Mortgage rates are stabilizing, and home prices are still rising, but not so precipitously, and homes are staying on the market longer.

One of my favorite duties as Acting Recorder of Deeds is when we record Veterans’ discharge paperwork and provide them with our Chester County Veteran ID Discount Cards. We continue to bring our mobile unit to the communities where the Veterans live. In this issue, we have pictures from our recent event at Representative Chris Pielli’s Senior Fair in West Chester. On Saturday, June 10th we will bring our mobile unit to the Veterans Resource Fair in Malvern.

As Memorial Day approaches and many of us are thinking about picnics and family trips to the beach, let us take time to honor those members of our armed forces who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy. We must remember how much freedom costs and we must be thankful.

Thank you for subscribing to Good Deeds. We will continue to distribute our newsletter to keep you up to date about happenings at the Recorder of Deeds office and offer useful information about our services. "Teamwork and Service" is our motto here at the ROD. Our team is proud to serve you, the public, to the best of our ability. Until next time, get outside, stretch your legs, and enjoy the Spring weather!

Please note, you can sign up for future publications here if you have received this in forward.

Diane O'Dwyer

Acting Recorder of Deeds

Rep. Pielli's Senior Fair

Our staff joined State Representative Chris Pielli's office for its Senior Fair on Thursday, April 27th, at the West Chester Area Senior Center from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The event had a great turnout, including those who visited our table for information and/or off-site services related to our Military Discharge Recording and Veteran ID Discount Program(s). It was great to see our former Recorder of Deeds and we are thrilled to have been a part of this lively event.

Good Deed: Staff Story Spotlight

The Recorder of Deeds office is proud of our reputation for quality customer service, but what our staff members find truly gratifying is when we can connect with customers one-one-one, in a meaningful way. One such example is the following story of how we were able to help a Veteran’s son connect with his father’s past.

"A gentleman contacted us looking for a DD-214 belonging to his father, a deceased Chester County Veteran. After contacting multiple other entities including the National Archives in St. Louis, his search had finally led him to our office. I was able to locate the document in our secure database quickly, discovering that it had been recorded in one of our older record books in 1946. I let the gentleman know we had found the record and asked him to come into the office with the documentation necessary to verify his immediate relation to the Veteran.

To my surprise, the Veteran's son and his wife were waiting outside our building at the start of business the very next day. After verifying his identity, I was able to show them on a computer screen the document image that I would then print out as a certified copy. The man began to share his father's story. The Veteran had fathered his son in his fifties and passed away when his son was only 12 years old after serving as a marksman in the Army during WWII. The son could recall only a few direct conversations with his father and knew very little about him for a long time, until he began to pursue his genealogy 10 years ago. Detailed information about his father's military service and discharge was still missing from his family puzzle.

Though certified copies are the extent of what we can release as we must carefully maintain the original versions, I offered the Veteran's son the opportunity to view the original, bound parchment. He said to me, "You mean I can hold it in my hands?" The man had tears in his eyes and his wife watched proudly, both beaming, as he meticulously read the details on the document, which confirmed some information he'd recently been told by relatives he previously didn’t even know he had. He also learned that his father had fought at Normandy during the war. The Veteran received multiple decorations during his service, including a Purple Heart. With a record this old, it is difficult to say how exactly we once acquired it, but I now knew it was sheer fate that we've had it here, almost like it was waiting for this man's son to find. This is one of the most touching and memorable moments I have experienced working at the Recorder of Deeds to date, and it clearly meant even more to him."

—Kim Bydlon, Special Projects Coordinator

Any Veteran who records or has ever recorded their discharge paperwork with us is eligible to receive a County Veteran Discount ID Card. Visit our website for more information about our Veteran-related services.

Bubbles the bulldog is the official mascot of the Recorder of Deeds and best fur friend to First Deputy Erin VanRyn. Bubbles has all the answers to common questions as well as helpful tips to expedite your recording process without any major issues. Woof-hoo!

How Can I Get a Copy of My Deed?

Bubbles says... "To get a copy of your deed, you have a few options:

1. Online: Documents recorded after 1993 are available online for free (Eagle Web). Older documents are printable online with a fee of 50¢ per page (IQS Search). Please see our records search page for detailed instructions.

2. By mail: please include the property owner’s name, the book and page number of the document (use ChescoViews), a self-addressed stamped envelope, and a check to cover the fee (business or cashier’s checks only). The fee is $5 per page and, if needed, $1.50 to certify the document. If you fax or email us a request, you should also include credit card payment information.

3. In Person: No appointment necessary. Fee is 50¢ per page and $1.50 to certify. Cash, credit card or business check are accepted."

Recorded Documents: YTD

15,291

as of 5/9/23

82%

eRecording

News from the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, Chester County, Pennsylvania

April/May 2023

County of Chester, Recorder of Deeds | Website