A deed is the legal document that transfers ownership of real property.
It is a written instrument used to convey an interest in land or a building from a grantor, the transferring party, to a grantee, the recipient. A deed normally identifies the parties and property, states the conveyance and includes the grantor’s signature; local law determines additional requirements such as witnessing, notarization or recording.
Different deeds provide different levels of protection. A general warranty deed typically gives the buyer broad promises about the seller’s title, while a quitclaim deed transfers whatever interest the grantor has without making the same title warranties. Other forms, including special warranty deeds, sit between those extremes.
“Title” is a common distractor because it means the legal ownership interest or the evidence of ownership, not usually the transfer document itself. A lease grants possession or use for a period, and a contract may create obligations to sell, but the deed is the instrument that formally conveys the property interest.