Title held by someone who bought property from a seller before the seller received title to the property and who automatically obtained title upon the seller’s receipt of title.
An example involving acquiring after-acquired title would be if an individual named John signed, acknowledged, and recorded a deed of his late father's ranch to another individual, Sam, even though John had not yet received title from his father's estate. Once John received the title from his father's estate and recorded it, the after-acquired title would automatically pass on to Sam.
The after-acquired title doctrine generally does not apply when a seller receives title by quitclaim deed. A deed conveying property must explicitly state an intention to vest title in the seller in order for it to be automatically transferrable.
[Last updated in June of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]