I agree. Although I believe this is part of the process of our open society - nothing is cut and dried - we all have the chance to weigh in on the subject (rumor - a contingent of landmen are on their way to Austin).  

This problem evolved over a period of time.  Given the immense task and cost to redact (which in order to be 100% -give or take human error- must be done doc by doc by hand and not by computer program) it seems reasonable to give the clerks some time (& $$$) for this project.  After all, real estate is a huge part of our economy - you cannot just shut it down for a long period of time.  And as far as the recall comparision, there are other toys you can buy and other food you can eat, there's only one way to research property - unless you want a search from a 'thin' title plant  : ) .

OK - I am curious as to everyone's perspective - I've been trying to get someone to voice in on the specifics of the following:

Do you think the public is protected by keeping images off-line while still allowing total access in the clerks office, or do all docs (back to 1930 when SSN's were instituted) need redaction immediately - today - before anyone can even view the instrument?

And should bulk sale of docs be allowed to (local) title insurance companies in the meantime? 

Because, the reality of real estate closings is you need a complete search with a reasonably current effective date - nothing could close until that is done.

Bear in mind:  I'm not arguing the ideal - but we do have certain realities here.  How long should a title search take in the midst of this redaction project?  And how much should I charge if one report takes all day or multiple days if I am  limited to only viewing 10 docs a day (I had 25 docs on a report today that only went back to 2000)? 

I'm not whining - Im a trooper - I'll deal - but will I last through this project?

Another rumor:  Dallas County would be closed for the next 3 months.