Guilford County citizens accessibility to land records has increased dramatically. Our technology capabilities were enhanced through our new computer hardware and software system on July 17, 2006. Prior to July 17th, images and indexes of land records were available and searchable online from 1982-forward. With the new computer system, indexes and images of land records are available and searchable from the county’s original document in 1771 to the present.

Furthermore, over 200 citizens have been trained on the new computer system via office training, online demos, and CDs. Presentations were also given to the Greensboro Bar Association.

Want to save time in applying for a marriage license? Try the Guilford County Register of Deeds new online marriage application! The goal of this new online service is to expedite the processing of your application and reduce your time in our office. The first marriage license application was submitted October 30, 2006. Over 100 applications have been submitted in the last six weeks!

A new telephone system has been implemented in the Greensboro office. As a result, the public receives a staff person for over 85% of phone calls during normal business hours. In addition, calls to High Point will be routed to our office specialist by the end of the year. Call productivity reports have been established for efficiency and accountability, and these have shown that 87.5% of calls are answered during business hours, at an average of 1,780 calls per month.

1. Successful implementation of the new computer system in July 2006
   • Accomplished.


2. Complete the RFP process and select vendor for the Marriage License Restoration Project
   • RFP released in November 2006 and estimated Board of Commissioners approval in February 2007.


3. Complete the RFP process and select vendor for the Land Records Restoration Project
   • RFP released in November 2006 and estimated Board of Commissioners approval in February 2007.


4. Redesign and Refurnish the Vault Area of Greensboro office
   • Vault project estimated completion in February 2007.


5. Lay the appropriate foundation for electronic recording
   • Accomplished. Guilford County ROD will be partnering with the private sector to accept loan cancellations electronically, estimated June 2007.


6. Develop a Customer Assessment Survey to distribute in 2007
   • ROD will be distributing a customer survey in January 2007. Please see our full article below for more information.

Members of the NC Register of Deeds Association are creating a Property Records Education Partners (PREP) chapter in North Carolina through the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA). PREP is a partnership between Register of Deeds, NC Secretary of State, Title Companies, Appraisers, Tax Assessors, Lenders and members of the real estate industry. Their common goals are to improve local industry relationships and work together on issues such as electronic recording.

The first PREP meeting was held in Fayetteville on September 26, 2006. You can read the minutes for that meeting here (pdf). The meeting was co-facilitated by the Guilford County Register of Deeds alongside the Mecklenburg County Register. Guilford County will host the next PREP meeting in February 2007.

The Guilford County Register of Deeds Property Records Partners Council (PRAC) gives our users updates on activities in our office. The first meeting was held in the Blue Room in the Old County Courthouse beside the Commissioner's offices on Tuesday, October 17th. There were about 30 people who attended the PRAC meeting. The group discussed the Register of Deeds new computer system and received positive feedback from attorneys and title abstractors.

Stephen Dew, Guilford County Geographic Information Services (GIS), gave a presentation on their new GIS Data Viewer.

The new Data Viewer has been a collaborative effort between GIS, IS, Tax, Register of Deeds, Planning, and Community Development. The first phase is complete! You can see the enhanced functionality and access deed and plat information along with aerial photos and other information. The second phase will have property card information included as well. They are expecting that piece to be completed in the near future.

As you can see, the Guilford County Register of Deeds has seen many changes this year! The accomplishments could not have been accomplished without the work of dedicated county employees and our receptive users. In an effort to better serve you, a customer survey to will be distributed to assess our technology, customer relations, and effectiveness in meeting your needs.

The survey will be sent out both by email and by postal mail in January. We would urge you to give us any feedback you might have, as it is our mission to constantly improve our ability to serve the public.

Guilford County Government and the City of Greensboro battled it out to raise the most funds for the United Way at One Government Plaza this fall! The Good Deeds Team raised $340 in just under 3 hours. I'm very grateful to all staff who took part in this effort!

To the right, Helen Duncan is serving up customers in High Point during a User Appreciation party on December 20th.

We thank you for a great year and look forward to serving you in 2007!

email: jthigpe@co.guilford.nc.us

phone: (336) 641-3239

web: http://www.guilforddeeds.com