These days, the process of determining who owns a particular property can be difficult and time-consuming. Although conducting a public search through your local assessor's office may help you uncover basic property ownership information, it may not provide the full picture, particularly if you are dealing with a complex real estate transaction. For this reason, some individuals and companies researching the ownership history of a particular property choose to employ a professional title search firm. These companies have the advanced search capabilities necessary to track down every detail of a property's ownership history and legally attest to the veracity of their findings. Often, these search services can cost several hundred dollars. In recent years, a new generation of websites promising free property title search capabilities has been introduced. Although these sites can provide beneficial basic information about a property, they often do not deliver the same accuracy and depth of detail that can be found through a professional title search. While it may be advantageous to use a free property title search service to glean basic information, experts advise that you should contract with a professional service for legally binding matters.