I'm thinking of purchasing a property that has an easement from a long time ago. Some of the language in the easement is concerning. I'd like to do some research to verify who has inherited the easement and controls it today.
The easement is from over a hundred years ago. It includes access of a portion of the property (ok) and also includes language about the title being revoked if certain conditions are met. One of them is if the house is used for non-residential purposes. It seems broad enough that running an etsy shop from the home might be reason to lose the title, or working from home with a dedicated office space. There are other reasons listed as well, but those are the most concerning.
I want to make sure that I know who owns and controls the easement today, and I want to be able to verify with certainty that the language about losing title to the house is no longer enforceable.
I am probably going to talk to a real estate lawyer, but I want to also be proactive in researching this myself. Where do I look for this information?