- Official section
- National IX.A: Deeds and Transfer of Title
- Broker weight
- Part of 8% of the national portion
- Expected scored items
- The current PSI broker outline assigns about 8 of 100 scored national items to Transfer of Title
Deed exam concept
Real estate deed type comparison
Rank the promises, not the property. General warranty makes broad title covenants. Special warranty covers the grantor's own period and acts. Quitclaim makes no title promises. None of those labels tells you by itself whether the record is clean, the home is valuable, or the grantor actually owns what the deed describes.
Last updated: August 1, 2026
What is the difference at a glance?
Short answer: A general warranty deed gives broad covenants against title claims, including claims arising before the grantor owned the property. A special warranty deed limits protection to claims arising by, through, or under the grantor. A bargain and sale or grant deed carries whatever covenants state law attaches to its words. A quitclaim deed transfers the grantor's present interest, if any, without title covenants. Trustee, executor, sheriff, and tax deeds identify the authority or process behind the conveyance and often provide limited warranties. Deed type ranks promise scope, not actual title quality.
Deed names, implied covenants, after-acquired-title rules, execution, acknowledgment, homestead release, transfer-tax declarations, recording, and statutory-sale procedures vary by state. This guide gives national exam concepts and the current Illinois statutory forms. It is not a deed form, title opinion, estate plan, or recommendation of deed type. Parties should use an attorney and title professional. Sources were checked through August 1, 2026.
What changes from one term to the next?
- Terms
- General vs. special warranty deed
- Difference
- General warranty reaches lawful title claims regardless of when created. Special warranty is limited to claims arising by, through, or under the grantor.
- Question cue
- All chain periods versus grantor's period and acts.
- Terms
- Special warranty vs. quitclaim deed
- Difference
- Special warranty gives limited title covenants. Quitclaim transfers present interest without title covenants.
- Question cue
- Limited promises versus no promises.
- Terms
- Deed type vs. title quality
- Difference
- Deed type states the conveyance words and covenant package. Title quality depends on actual ownership, liens, encumbrances, claims, and record evidence.
- Question cue
- Promise strength versus what is actually owned.
- Terms
- Covenant vs. title insurance
- Difference
- A deed covenant is the grantor's contractual promise. Title insurance is the insurer's policy obligation to the named insured for covered loss.
- Question cue
- Claim against grantor versus claim under policy.
- Terms
- Present vs. future covenant
- Difference
- Present covenants are breached, if at all, at delivery. Future covenants are generally breached upon later disturbance by a superior claim.
- Question cue
- Defect exists now versus possession challenged later.
- Terms
- Quitclaim vs. correction deed
- Difference
- Quitclaim releases the grantor's interest without warranties. A correction deed is used to correct an appropriate error in an earlier conveyance.
- Question cue
- Release interest versus repair document error.
- Terms
- Trustee's deed vs. deed of trust
- Difference
- A trustee's deed is a conveyance signed by a trustee under authority. A deed of trust is a security instrument securing debt in jurisdictions that use it.
- Question cue
- Who conveys versus what secures the loan.
- Terms
- Executor's deed vs. sheriff's deed
- Difference
- An executor conveys under estate authority. A sheriff conveys through a judicial sale and court process.
- Question cue
- Probate fiduciary versus foreclosure officer.
- Terms
- Delivery vs. recording
- Difference
- Delivery with present intent can transfer the deed between parties. Recording supplies public notice and priority protection.
- Question cue
- Transfer versus third-party protection.
- Terms
- Acknowledgment vs. signature
- Difference
- The grantor signs to execute the conveyance. Acknowledgment verifies execution for recording and other statutory purposes.
- Question cue
- Make the deed versus make it recordable.
How does the distinction change the answer?
The old lien predates the special-warranty grantor
Scenario: A seller conveys by special warranty deed. A valid lien created by a prior owner later disturbs the buyer's title, and the seller neither created nor assumed it.
- The deed limits warranty to claims arising by, through, or under this grantor.
- The lien arose during a prior owner's period.
- Actual title may be defective even though this grantor did not breach the limited warranty.
Answer: The prior-owner lien generally falls outside the special warranty, subject to the exact deed and other obligations.
The grantor created the mortgage
Scenario: A grantor gives a special warranty deed but fails to release a mortgage the grantor signed two years earlier.
- The mortgage arose by the grantor during the grantor's ownership.
- It fits the period and source covered by a standard special warranty.
- Any deed exception, payoff, release, and damages still require analysis.
Answer: The grantor-created mortgage can breach the special warranty if it remains an unexcepted encumbrance.
Clean title travels by quitclaim
Scenario: A sole owner with no liens conveys a parcel to a family trust by properly executed quitclaim deed.
- The grantor actually owns the clean fee interest.
- Quitclaim transfers the present interest without warranties.
- Absence of covenants does not create a defect that was not otherwise there.
Answer: The quitclaim can transfer clean title, but the grantor does not promise that result through deed covenants.
The quitclaim grantor owns nothing
Scenario: A stranger signs a quitclaim deed for a downtown parcel the stranger does not own and later admits the lack of any interest.
- A quitclaim passes only the grantor's existing interest, if any.
- The deed cannot manufacture ownership in the stranger.
- Fraud and other claims are separate from title covenants.
Answer: The grantee receives no title from the quitclaim because the grantor had no interest to convey.
The beneficiary signs instead of the trustee
Scenario: An Illinois land trust holds legal title. The beneficiary signs an individual warranty deed without a trustee's conveyance or other valid exercise of authority.
- The beneficiary's economic interest and power of direction are not automatically legal title.
- The holder with lawful conveyancing authority must execute the transfer through the trust structure.
- Warranty words do not cure absence of title or authority.
Answer: The transaction has an authority problem even though the document is labeled warranty deed.
A typo needs a correction, not a new owner
Scenario: A recorded deed transposes two calls in the legal description. All original parties agree on the intended parcel and execute a correction instrument prepared through counsel.
- The problem is an appropriate document error in the prior conveyance.
- The correction should identify the original deed and accurately restate the intended description.
- Recording the correction clarifies the chain, while title review confirms its effect.
Answer: A properly authorized correction deed can address the description error without treating it as an unrelated new sale.
How do you solve a deed-type question?
- Identify the grantor, grantee, property, estate, and authority for the conveyance.
- Read the operative words and any statute that supplies implied covenants.
- Classify the deed as general warranty, limited warranty, no warranty, or capacity-based conveyance.
- Ask when and by whom the alleged lien, defect, or adverse claim arose.
- Match the claim to present or future covenants and any express exceptions.
- Check signature, capacity, legal description, delivery, acceptance, homestead, acknowledgment, and recording separately.
- Determine whether after-acquired title passes under the deed and jurisdiction.
- Keep deed covenants, actual title quality, title insurance, and recording priority in four separate boxes.
- Deed
- General warranty
- Warranty scope
- Broad chain-wide covenants
- Typical exam use
- Ordinary sale with strongest grantor promises
- Deed
- Special warranty
- Warranty scope
- Claims by, through, or under grantor
- Typical exam use
- Commercial, fiduciary, or limited-warranty sale
- Deed
- Bargain and sale
- Warranty scope
- State-specific implied covenants
- Typical exam use
- Foreclosure, tax, or local statutory conveyance
- Deed
- Grant deed
- Warranty scope
- State-specific limited implications
- Typical exam use
- Present conveyance under local form
- Deed
- Quitclaim
- Warranty scope
- No title covenants
- Typical exam use
- Release interest, clear cloud, family or entity transfer
- Deed
- Trustee or executor
- Warranty scope
- Usually authority and deed-language limited
- Typical exam use
- Trust or estate conveyance
- Deed
- Sheriff or tax
- Warranty scope
- Process-based, usually limited
- Typical exam use
- Judicial or tax sale
- Deed
- Correction
- Warranty scope
- Depends on corrected deed
- Typical exam use
- Fix appropriate prior deed error
Where do similar terms create traps?
- Trap
- General warranty means title is definitely perfect.
- Correction
- It supplies broad grantor promises and remedies; it does not prevent a defect from existing.
- Trap
- Quitclaim means title is definitely bad.
- Correction
- Quitclaim describes absence of warranties, not the actual quality of the grantor's interest.
- Trap
- Special warranty covers every prior owner.
- Correction
- It generally covers claims arising by, through, or under the grantor, not defects created earlier.
- Trap
- Bargain and sale deeds have identical covenants nationwide.
- Correction
- Implied covenants depend on state statute and exact operative words.
- Trap
- A deed can transfer more than the grantor owns because it contains warranties.
- Correction
- Warranties can create liability but do not manufacture present title in the grantor.
- Trap
- A trustee's deed means the trustee is the beneficial owner.
- Correction
- The trustee conveys under trust authority and capacity; beneficial ownership is a separate concept.
- Trap
- A deed of trust is the buyer's ownership deed.
- Correction
- A deed of trust is a loan security instrument in jurisdictions using that structure.
- Trap
- A sheriff personally warrants foreclosure title.
- Correction
- The sheriff conveys through court and statutory authority, not ordinary personal ownership and general seller warranties.
- Trap
- Recording is required before any transfer can occur.
- Correction
- Valid execution and delivery can transfer between parties; recording gives notice and priority protection.
- Trap
- Acknowledgment and delivery are the same event.
- Correction
- Acknowledgment supports recordability; delivery expresses present transfer intent to the grantee.
- Trap
- A correction deed can secretly add a new owner.
- Correction
- Correction instruments fix appropriate errors and require lawful authority; substantive ownership changes need a valid conveyance.
- Trap
- Deed warranties replace title insurance.
- Correction
- Grantor covenants and insurance coverage are separate protections with different obligors, risks, limits, and remedies.
Can you separate the terms in a new fact pattern?
These questions are original study items aligned to the published outline. They are not copied, recalled, or predicted PSI questions.
1. Which deed ordinarily gives the broadest grantor title covenants?
- General warranty deed
- Special warranty deed
- Quitclaim deed
- Correction deed
Show answer and explanation
Answer: General warranty deed
General warranty ordinarily reaches lawful title claims across the chain, subject to deed terms and exceptions.
2. A defect arose under a prior owner before the special-warranty grantor acquired title. Which statement is most accurate?
- The defect generally falls outside the special warranty
- The deed automatically becomes a general warranty deed
- The defect disappears upon recording
- The grantee becomes the grantor
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The defect generally falls outside the special warranty
Special warranty is generally limited to claims arising by, through, or under the grantor.
3. What does a quitclaim deed convey?
- The grantor's present interest, if any, without title covenants
- Guaranteed fee simple in every case
- A lender's mortgage only
- Perfect title certified by the recorder
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The grantor's present interest, if any, without title covenants
Quitclaim releases whatever legal or equitable interest the grantor has without promising ownership or freedom from encumbrances.
4. Under current Illinois Section 10, when does quitclaim pass after-acquired title?
- Only when added words express that intention
- Automatically in every deed
- Only after a home inspection
- Never under any wording
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Only when added words express that intention
The Illinois statutory quitclaim form does not extend to after-acquired title unless added words express the intention.
5. Which statement best separates deed type from title quality?
- Deed type sets warranty scope, while title quality depends on the actual estate and claims
- Quitclaim always proves defective title
- General warranty eliminates every lien automatically
- Recording guarantees property condition
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Deed type sets warranty scope, while title quality depends on the actual estate and claims
Covenant strength and the state of the title are related but distinct issues.
Where do these ideas appear on the outline?
- Topic
- Deed anatomy
- What to know
- Grantor, grantee, operative words, consideration recital, legal description, estate conveyed, reservations, exceptions, covenants, subject-to clause, signature, acknowledgment, delivery, acceptance, date, preparer, return address, and recording
- Best exam move
- Read the complete deed and governing statute rather than classifying from a heading alone.
- Topic
- General warranty deed
- What to know
- Conveys and warrants, seisin, right to convey, no encumbrances, quiet enjoyment, warranty, defense, further assurances where used, all lawful claims, prior owners, breach, damages, and exceptions
- Best exam move
- Choose general warranty for the broadest conventional grantor protection across the chain of title.
- Topic
- Special warranty deed
- What to know
- Limited warranty, grantor period, by grantor, through grantor, under grantor, grantor-created encumbrance, lawful ownership, power to convey, defend limited claims, prior-owner defect excluded, and stated exceptions
- Best exam move
- Ask who caused the title defect; earlier-owner claims generally fall outside the special covenant.
- Topic
- Bargain and sale deed
- What to know
- Grant, bargain, sell, convey, estate, consideration, implied ownership, state-specific covenant, grantor-created encumbrance, no universal warranty, foreclosure, tax sale, and statutory wording
- Best exam move
- Do not assign a universal covenant package; use the jurisdiction's statute and exact operative words.
- Topic
- Grant deed
- What to know
- Conveyance words, present transfer, implied covenants in some states, no prior conveyance, no grantor-created encumbrance, local statute, consideration, delivery, and title insurance
- Best exam move
- Treat grant deed as jurisdiction-specific rather than automatically equal to an Illinois general warranty deed.
- Topic
- Quitclaim deed
- What to know
- Convey and quit claim, release, present interest, legal interest, equitable interest, no covenant, no ownership promise, no encumbrance promise, boundary cleanup, divorce, trust, entity, cloud, and fraud exception
- Best exam move
- The grantee receives whatever interest the grantor has and bears the absence of title warranties.
- Topic
- After-acquired title
- What to know
- Grantor lacks present title, later acquisition, estoppel by deed, warranty deed, quitclaim, statutory rule, express words, same parcel, grantee, chain, and litigation
- Best exam move
- Apply the deed language and state statute; Illinois quitclaim does not extend to after-acquired title unless added words express that intent.
- Topic
- Trustee's deed
- What to know
- Trustee, trust agreement, land trust, power of direction, beneficiary, authority, trust property, no personal ownership, fiduciary capacity, limited covenant, signature capacity, certification, and title evidence
- Best exam move
- Confirm that the trustee, not merely the beneficiary, holds and exercises the legal power to convey.
- Topic
- Executor or administrator deed
- What to know
- Decedent, estate, will, letters of office, executor, administrator, probate court, sale power, approval, heirs, devisees, claims, fiduciary capacity, limited warranty, and distribution
- Best exam move
- Trace authority through the estate appointment, will, statute, and any required court order.
- Topic
- Sheriff's deed
- What to know
- Foreclosure, judicial sale, confirmation, redemption, sheriff, court order, purchaser, certificate of sale, statutory process, former owner, liens, no ordinary seller covenant, possession, and recording
- Best exam move
- Use the foreclosure proceeding and court authority rather than assuming the sheriff personally owned the property.
- Topic
- Tax deed
- What to know
- Delinquent taxes, tax sale, certificate, redemption period, notice, petition, court order, county clerk, merchantable title policy, statutory compliance, challenge, governmental process, and no private-owner warranty
- Best exam move
- Treat tax-deed validity as dependent on strict statutory process and court proceedings, not warranty vocabulary alone.
- Topic
- Correction deed
- What to know
- Scrivener error, legal description, name, marital status, parcel number, prior deed reference, confirmatory conveyance, same parties, no new bargain, authority, execution, delivery, recording, and title review
- Best exam move
- Use a correction instrument to fix an appropriate deed error, not to unilaterally change substantive ownership without authority.
- Topic
- Deed of trust distinction
- What to know
- Borrower trustor, lender beneficiary, neutral trustee, security instrument, debt, power of sale, foreclosure, mortgage alternative, not ordinary sale deed, title theory, lien theory, and jurisdiction
- Best exam move
- Do not confuse a security deed or deed of trust with the deed conveying seller ownership to a buyer.
- Topic
- Covenant of seisin and right to convey
- What to know
- Present covenant, grantor owns estate, legal capacity, power, authority, entity, trustee, spouse, breach at delivery, damages, and no title manufacture
- Best exam move
- Choose seisin or right to convey when the grantor lacks the ownership or authority promised at delivery.
- Topic
- Covenant against encumbrances
- What to know
- Lien, mortgage, easement, restriction, assessment, lease, tax, exception, disclosed matter, breach at delivery, monetary loss, and permitted burden
- Best exam move
- Check the deed's stated exceptions before treating a known encumbrance as a covenant breach.
- Topic
- Quiet enjoyment and warranty
- What to know
- Future covenant, superior claim, disturbance, eviction, defense, lawful claimant, notice to grantor, litigation, damages, successors, and limitation to grantor chain
- Best exam move
- Use future covenants when a superior title claim disturbs possession or requires defense after delivery.
- Topic
- Execution, acknowledgment, and homestead
- What to know
- Grantor signature, capacity, legal description, notary, acknowledgment, spouse, homestead release, joinder, entity authorization, delivery, acceptance, recordability, and Illinois form
- Best exam move
- Do not let the right deed type distract from missing execution, authority, homestead, description, or delivery requirements.
- Topic
- Recording and title insurance
- What to know
- County recorder, constructive notice, priority, unrecorded deed, commitment, owner policy, lender policy, requirements, exceptions, deed covenant, separate recovery, and closing
- Best exam move
- Separate grantor warranty rights, public-record priority, and insurer coverage because each protects through a different legal mechanism.
How do you make the distinction stick?
- Session
- Session 1
- Focus
- Rank deed covenants
- Proof you are ready
- Order general warranty, special warranty, and quitclaim by promise scope and explain why that is not a title-quality ranking.
- Session
- Session 2
- Focus
- Match defects to covenants
- Proof you are ready
- Solve ten seisin, encumbrance, quiet-enjoyment, and warranty scenarios by timing and claim source.
- Session
- Session 3
- Focus
- Master capacity deeds
- Proof you are ready
- Distinguish trustee, executor, administrator, sheriff, tax, and correction deeds in 12 authority questions.
- Session
- Session 4
- Focus
- Apply Illinois forms
- Proof you are ready
- Explain Sections 8, 9, and 10 and the Illinois quitclaim after-acquired-title rule without notes.
- Session
- Session 5
- Focus
- Check deed validity
- Proof you are ready
- Review grantor, grantee, description, estate, signature, capacity, homestead, delivery, acknowledgment, and recording in ten deeds.
- Session
- Session 6
- Focus
- Complete a mixed deed set
- Proof you are ready
- Score at least 90% and explain every answer by deed words, warranty scope, defect source, authority, delivery, and recording.
Do not count recognition as mastery. Close the notes and explain the rule, apply it to a new fact pattern, and identify why each distractor fails.
Turn the comparison into a test-day decision
From concept to decision
Drill this topic, then review the explanation
Pass Illinois gives you original national and Illinois questions, topic-by-topic study, clear explanations, timed practice, flashcards, progress tracking, and Math Coach. Start free, find the weak distinction, and focus the next session there.
Questions students ask about Real Estate Deed Type Comparison
What is a general warranty deed?
A general warranty deed conveys the grantor's interest with broad title covenants extending against lawful claims regardless of whether a defect arose before or during the grantor's ownership, subject to the deed's wording and stated exceptions. It gives strong contractual protection, not a guarantee that no defect exists.
What is a special warranty deed?
A special warranty deed limits the grantor's title warranties to claims arising by, through, or under the grantor. It generally does not make the grantor answer for defects created by earlier owners. Illinois Section 8 supplies a statutory special-warranty form and limited covenants.
What is a quitclaim deed?
A quitclaim deed transfers whatever present legal or equitable interest the grantor has, if any, without title covenants. It does not promise ownership or freedom from encumbrances. Under current Illinois Section 10, after-acquired title does not pass unless additional words express that intention.
What is a bargain and sale deed?
A bargain and sale deed generally conveys the grantor's estate through words such as grant, bargain, and sell. The implied covenants vary by state. In Illinois, Section 8 treats those words as limited covenants and provides a form sometimes called a special warranty deed.
Which deed gives the grantee the most protection?
For standard exam comparisons, a general warranty deed gives the broadest grantor covenants, special warranty is narrower, and quitclaim gives none. That ranking concerns contractual warranties, not the actual quality or value of the title conveyed.
Does a quitclaim deed mean title is defective?
No. It means the grantor makes no title warranties. A sole owner can convey clean title by quitclaim, while a general warranty deed can convey disputed title and expose the grantor to covenant liability. Always separate title quality from warranty scope.
What do trustee, executor, sheriff, and tax deeds have in common?
They are capacity or source-of-authority deeds. The signer conveys under a trust, estate, court, foreclosure, or tax-sale power rather than ordinary personal ownership. Their covenants and effect depend on statute, order, authority, deed language, procedure, and title held.
Is a deed valid only after recording?
No. A properly executed and delivered deed can transfer between grantor and grantee before recording. Recording supplies public notice and priority protection under recording law. Deed validity, delivery, and third-party priority are separate exam issues.
Can a deed transfer more title than the grantor owns?
Ordinarily a deed transfers only the interest the grantor can lawfully convey. Warranties can create liability when promised title is absent, but they do not manufacture ownership. After-acquired-title doctrines and deed wording can affect later interests, so apply the jurisdiction's rule.
Are these official PSI Illinois real estate exam questions?
No. They are original questions aligned to the national Transfer of Title outline effective June 24, 2026. The current Illinois Conveyances Act and official Illinois court opinions were reviewed through August 1, 2026.
Primary sources
- PSI Illinois Candidate Information Booklet dated June 24, 2026
- 765 ILCS 5, current Illinois Conveyances Act
- 765 ILCS 5/8, current Illinois special-warranty deed form and covenants
- 765 ILCS 5/9, current Illinois general-warranty deed form and covenants
- 765 ILCS 5/10, current Illinois quitclaim form and after-acquired-title rule
- 765 ILCS 5/20, current Illinois deed acknowledgment provisions
- 765 ILCS 5/30, current Illinois recording protection
- 765 ILCS 5/27, current Illinois homestead release and spouse-joinder rule
- Khan v. BDO Seidman, LLP, 2012 IL App (4th) 120351, official Illinois court comparison of general and special warranty deeds
- Bulger v. Chicago Transit Authority, 2014 IL App (1st) 120337, official Illinois court discussion of quitclaim deed effect
- RMS Residential Properties, LLC v. Naaze, 2018 IL App (2d) 161035, official Illinois court application of quitclaim legal-description rules
The current official outline controls the tested scope. Statutes, regulations, and official agency materials control when a general study rule and a jurisdiction-specific rule differ.
Editorial status
Checked against primary sources
The Pass Illinois editorial team last checked this guide on August 1, 2026. Every practice question is an original study item, and the source links above let you verify the rules that support the lesson.