Jason,

There is one building in the Westside of Los Angeles, where the title read "Queen of England".  That was erroneous, although it was owned by a British Development Company.  Somehow, some crazy lady had put herself on the title.  The other reason to look at the title is to see if said property really owns the home, and whether there are liens on it.  A

I always look up or have the title run before listing a home or writing an offer in order to determine who owns the property. 

Well, it's not something that Realtors do.  But the settlement attorneys do a title search to make sure the seller really owns the place.

I leave it to the title company and then review it.

Jason Osborn - to make sure that title is 'clear' - there is no cloud on it.

In parts of our rural areas, there are mineral rights, and you need to know.

I always do a tax records search to get the owner of record for the offer.  Once it goes under contract, I get the prelim from the title company.  Helps to make sure there are no surprises.

I leave that up to escrow agents

To see the history of the title.

I find it helpful to pull title information prior to listing a property. It allows me to easily ask questions about current liens, etc. and to verify the sellers' full names. 

Looking for title descriptions....I had a client who's husband had passed and whe had no idea of how much land she has

Name on title, liens, rest

This is what the folks doing the title search do.

I look it up to find out if there is a recorded easment or restrictions or possible other people on the title. Otherwise I leave that to the title searchers.

You want to be sure of ownership before getting a listing contract signed, or when under contract if there are any issues that cloud the title or liens that much be addresed before transferring title.

We have the Title and Escrow Company run a Prelim to see if there are any issues prior to putting a listing on the market

I've never had to do that in 38 years.... that's what attorneys are for....

Are you asking about the title "search" done during a transaction or the actual long term title history?

When property was purchased, how much, by whom and a few other tricks

The reason I have it done is to write the back story.

I have no idea, I've never had to do this. Title search is done by title companies and or real estate attorneys.

When preparing to list a property for sale or to present an offer:  to see "who" or "what" owns the property.  

Jason Osborn To ensure you are working with a clear title.

Actually a great question and the answer is to make sure it is clear and free of liens or encumbrances to transfer from current seller to buyer. You want to make sure all mortgages and liens are paid and that no one has deeded a piece of the property off to someone else.

Chapter 10, Title

In Oklahoma we still have paper abstracting and each page has to be examined by a title attorney.

Others have answered.

Pesky liens... & they are better to find out about upfront than later. 

Always watch for fraud.