Grantor vs. Grantee: Definitions and Deed Examples
Published: November 12, 2026
Updated: November 12, 2026 • 8 min read
Written by
Bennett Leckrone
Writer / Reviewer / Expert
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Reviewed by
Jake Driscoll
Reviewer
Key Takeaways
- A grantor is the person or entity transferring an ownership interest in real estate. A grantee is the person or entity receiving that interest. In a typical home purchase, the seller is the grantor and the buyer is the grantee.
- Grantor and grantee names appear on property deeds and in public land records. These records help establish a property's ownership history and identify previous transfers.
- Grantors and grantees aren't always sellers and buyers. Property can also be transferred through gifts, inheritance-related transactions and changes in ownership arrangements. Transferring property ownership doesn't automatically transfer mortgage debt.
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In the grantor vs. grantee relationship, the grantor is the person transferring property, and the grantee is the person receiving it. In a typical real estate sale, the seller is the grantor and the buyer is the grantee.
You'll see these terms on deeds, closing documents and public land records. They also apply when property changes hands without a sale, such as a family transfer.
Grantor vs. Grantee Basics
| Feature | Grantor | Grantee |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The person or entity transferring a property interest | The person or entity receiving a property interest |
| Typical Role in a Home Sale | Seller | Buyer |
| Role on a Deed | Conveys the ownership interest | Receives the ownership interest |
| Who Signs the Deed? | Must sign to execute the transfer | Usually doesn't sign the deed itself |
| Public Records | Listed in the grantor index | Listed in the grantee index |
| Other Common Transactions | Gifting property or transferring an interest to another owner | Receiving gifted property or an ownership interest |
The terms describe roles in one specific transfer. Today's grantee becomes the grantor when they later sell.
What Is a Grantor in Real Estate?
A grantor is a person or entity that transfers an interest in real estate to another party. In most home sales, that's the seller.
Say you sell your home for $350,000. At closing, you sign the deed transferring ownership to the buyer, which makes you the grantor.
A grantor doesn't always receive money. The term also covers gifts, trust transfers and family ownership changes.
What Are a Grantor's Responsibilities?
The grantor must execute the deed according to state law and the terms of the deal. Those duties include:
- Providing the correct legal name and identifying information.
- Ensuring the deed accurately describes the property and the interest being transferred.
- Signing the deed and completing any required acknowledgment or witnessing.
- Meeting obligations under the purchase agreement.
- Addressing liens or title defects that must be resolved before closing.
- Providing warranties or assurances required by the type of deed.
The grantor's legal promises depend on the deed. A general warranty deed includes broad title warranties, while a quitclaim deed includes none.
Being named the grantor doesn't prove the person owns the property or can deliver clear title.
What Is a Grantee in Real Estate?
A grantee is the person or entity receiving an ownership interest through a deed or other legal conveyance. In a typical home purchase, the grantee is the buyer.
Say you buy a house from someone who has owned it for 15 years. The seller signs a deed transferring it to you, which makes you the grantee.
A grantee can be one person, several people or a business entity. Spouses buying together are both named as grantees.
How co-grantees share ownership depends on the form of title, such as tenants in common or joint tenancy.
What Rights Does a Grantee Receive?
A grantee receives what the grantor conveys under the deed's language. With full ownership comes the right to possess, use and transfer the property.
The property stays subject to existing interests, such as:
- Mortgage liens and other secured claims.
- Easements allowing others to use part of the property.
- Recorded restrictive covenants.
- Property tax obligations and certain tax liens.
- Shared ownership interests held by other parties.
An easement on the property, for example, survives the sale.
A deed can also convey less than full ownership. If one co-owner transfers only their share, the grantee gets that share, not sole ownership.
Grantor and Grantee Example on a Property Deed
A deed names the parties and describes the real estate conveyed. Suppose Sarah Martinez sells her house to James Wilson for $375,000:
| Deed Information | Example |
|---|---|
| Grantor | Sarah Martinez |
| Grantee | James Wilson |
| Property | A residential property identified by its legal description |
| Purchase Price | $375,000 |
| Transaction | Transfer of the seller's ownership interest to the buyer |
Sarah is the grantor because she's transferring the property. James is the grantee because he's receiving it.
Not every recorded deed states the full purchase price. After closing, the deed is recorded locally, and James appears in the ownership history as the grantee.
If he sells years later, he becomes the grantor on the new deed.
Where Do Grantor and Grantee Names Appear?
You'll find grantor and grantee names mainly on deeds and in public property records.
Property Deeds
A valid deed must identify the parties, describe the property, include words of conveyance and be properly executed.
Requirements vary by state, so check your state's rules.
The Legal Information Institute's definition of a deed explains the document's role in transferring real estate ownership and the importance of identifying the grantor and grantee.
County Property Records
Recorded deeds become part of the public land records kept by a county recording office. Most offices index them by grantor and grantee names.
The grantee index shows how an owner acquired a property. The grantor index shows that person's later transfers.
Ohio law requires county recorders to enter grantors in the direct index and grantees in the reverse index under Ohio Revised Code Section 317.18.
California gives recorders a choice. Under California Government Code Section 27257, they can keep separate general indexes of grantors and grantees. Or they can combine both into one grantor-grantee index that marks which names are grantors.
Other states use similar systems with their own terms.
Title Searches
These records also build a property's chain of title, the documented history of ownership transfers. During a purchase, a title company or attorney reviews them to confirm the seller owns the property.
A title search can uncover an earlier deed naming a different grantee or an unreleased mortgage. Those issues get resolved before you reach clear to close.
Recording a deed gives public notice of a transfer. It doesn't guarantee the deed is valid or the title is clean.
Grantor vs. Grantee on Different Types of Deeds
The roles stay the same across deed types. What changes is how much title protection the grantor provides.
| Deed Type | Grantor's Role | What the Grantee Receives |
|---|---|---|
| General Warranty Deed | Transfers an ownership interest with broad title warranties | The conveyed interest with warranties extending beyond the grantor's ownership period |
| Special Warranty Deed | Transfers an interest with warranties limited to the grantor's ownership period | The conveyed interest with more limited title assurances |
| Quitclaim Deed | Transfers whatever interest the grantor has, if any | That interest without warranties of title |
The available deed types and their legal effect vary by state.
Grantor and Grantee on a Warranty Deed
A warranty deed transfers ownership with promises about title. A general warranty deed covers defects even from before the grantor owned the property. A special warranty deed covers only defects from the grantor's ownership.
If the grantor breaches these warranties, the grantee has legal remedies.
Grantor and Grantee on a Quitclaim Deed
A quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor holds, if any, with no title guarantee. Say one of two sibling co-owners quitclaims their share to the other.
The sibling giving it up is the grantor, and the one receiving it is the grantee.
Quitclaim deeds are common between relatives, in divorces and with trusts. They're a poor fit when the property has a mortgage or unresolved title questions.
Who Is the Grantor and Grantee When Property Is Gifted?
The roles apply without a sale, too. Suppose a parent deeds a house worth $250,000 to an adult child:
- The parent is the grantor because they're transferring the ownership interest.
- The adult child is the grantee because they're receiving it.
- The transfer can occur without the child paying the home's market value.
Transferring property for less than fair market value can trigger a gift tax reporting obligation. If the home is mortgaged, the transfer can also trigger the loan's due-on-sale clause.
Federal law shields some family transfers from due-on-sale enforcement, but only when specific conditions are met. The same issues come up when buying a house from a family member, especially with a gift of equity or a below-market price.
Grantor vs. Grantee in a Mortgage or Deed of Trust
A deed that transfers ownership is different from a document that gives a lender a security interest. Related terms show up in both.
Grantor and Grantee in a Mortgage Transaction
Buying with a mortgage involves two transactions. First, the seller deeds the property to you, making the seller the grantor and you the grantee.
Second, you sign loan documents that secure the loan with the property.
A traditional mortgage uses different labels for the parties, explained in more detail in mortgagee vs. mortgagor:
- Mortgagor: The borrower who grants a security interest in the property.
- Mortgagee: The lender or party holding the lender's mortgage interest.
You're the grantee on the deed and the mortgagor on the mortgage. The terms aren't interchangeable.
What About a Deed of Trust?
Some states use deeds of trust instead of traditional mortgages, and a deed of trust involves three parties:
- Trustor: The borrower providing a property interest as security for the debt.
- Trustee: A third party holding the interest or performing specified functions under the deed of trust.
- Beneficiary: The lender or party benefiting from the security arrangement.
In some states, a deed of trust conveys legal title to the trustee as security. In others, it works like a lien.
Some security instruments call the borrower the grantor. That doesn't mean the borrower is selling the home to the lender. The document only secures the debt.
Who Is the Grantor and Grantee When You Refinance?
A refinance replaces your mortgage without changing who owns the property. Say you were named the grantee when you bought five years ago.
Refinance today with the same ownership, and no new deed is needed.
You'll sign a new mortgage or deed of trust for the replacement loan. Changing ownership at the same time, such as removing a former spouse, requires a separate deed.
Does Being a Grantor or Grantee Affect Your Mortgage?
Your role on a deed doesn't decide who repays a mortgage; the promissory note does.
Suppose two spouses co-own a home and are both borrowers. In a divorce, one deeds their interest to the other.
The departing spouse is the grantor, and the spouse keeping the home is the grantee.
The departing spouse stays on the debt until the loan is paid off, refinanced or assumed with a release of liability. That split between ownership and loan responsibility matters when refinancing a mortgage after divorce.
Can You Be a Grantee Without Being on the Mortgage?
Yes. A spouse can take title by deed even when the other spouse is the only borrower.
The property stays subject to the mortgage lien, and the lender may require the nonborrowing owner to sign security documents. Adding someone to a deed can also trigger the loan's transfer restrictions unless an exception applies.
Does a Grantor Remain Responsible for a Mortgage?
Yes, if the grantor signed the note. Unless the debt is paid off or the lender approves a release, the original borrower stays liable.
Handle the ownership transfer and the mortgage liability as separate steps.
How to Find a Grantor or Grantee in Property Records
Look in the public land records. The office may be called the county recorder, register of deeds or county clerk, and many offer online searches.
- Identify the recording jurisdiction. Find the county or local office where the property is located.
- Locate the land records search. Look for recorded documents, deed records or grantor-grantee indexes.
- Search the names. Enter the seller's or owner's name in the appropriate grantor or grantee search field.
- Review the matching documents. Check the document type, recording date and property details.
- Open the recorded deed. Confirm which party transferred the property and which party received it.
Some offices also let you search by parcel or document number. To find the current owner, look for the most recent valid conveyance.
A name in the grantee index doesn't prove that person holds clear title today.
What Is a Grantor-Grantee Index?
A grantor-grantee index organizes recorded documents by party name. The grantor index lists parties transferring interests, and the grantee index lists those receiving them.
Title examiners use it to trace ownership. It's a research tool, not proof of ownership.
The Bottom Line
The grantor transfers a property interest, and the grantee receives it, so in a typical home sale the seller is the grantor and the buyer is the grantee. The deed type determines what title warranties, if any, the grantor gives. If the property has a mortgage, changing the deed doesn't change who owes the loan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is a Grantor in Real Estate?
A grantor is the person or entity transferring an interest in real estate, which in a typical home sale is the seller.
What Is a Grantee in Real Estate?
A grantee is the person or entity receiving an ownership interest in real estate, which in a typical home sale is the buyer.
What Is the Difference Between a Grantor and Grantee?
The grantor transfers a property interest, and the grantee receives it. If Sarah sells her home to James, Sarah is the grantor and James is the grantee.
Is the Grantor the Buyer or Seller?
The grantor is the seller in a typical sale. A grantor can also be someone giving property away or transferring it within a family.
Is the Grantee the Buyer or Seller?
The grantee is the buyer in a typical sale, and more broadly anyone receiving a property interest by deed.
Can the Grantor and Grantee Be the Same Person?
Yes, in some cases, such as when an owner deeds property to themselves to change how title is held. Whether that works depends on state law and how the deed is structured.
Can There Be More Than One Grantee on a Deed?
Yes. Two people buying a home together are both listed as grantees, and the form of title sets their ownership rights.
Does the Grantor Have to Sign the Deed?
Yes. The grantor must sign the deed, and notarization or witness rules vary by state. The grantee usually doesn't sign the deed.
Is the Grantee the Legal Owner of the Property?
The grantee owns whatever interest a valid deed conveys. That interest can still be limited by liens, easements or competing claims.
Is a Grantee Responsible for the Mortgage?
Not automatically. Repayment duty comes from the loan documents or an approved assumption.
The property itself stays subject to the existing lien.
What Does Grantor Mean on a Deed of Trust?
Some deeds of trust call the borrower the grantor because the borrower grants an interest that secures the loan. The same document also uses the terms trustor, trustee and beneficiary.
How Do You Find the Grantor and Grantee of a Property?
Search the land records at the recording office for the property's county. Use the grantor and grantee indexes, then read the deed itself to confirm who transferred and received the property.
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