This Midwest family almost lost their home over a little-known 'quiet title' law

[Cairycat]

1. You beat me to it

sounds like a situation ripe for exploitation. Here is another quote, "People may file quiet title actions to resolve boundary disputes or to resolve who owns property after someone dies. But some worry that problems in the law can result in the exploitation of homeowners, particularly in communities like Marshalltown where many residents are immigrants or don’t speak fluent English.

Experts tell the Midwest Newsroom that shortcomings in the way Iowa’s quiet title law is written include vague language that defines how someone can argue that the property belongs to them. Another is the way people are notified – or, as in Natalia’s case, are not notified – that there’s a dispute involving ownership of their property.

“We would never have found out the house was sold,” Maria says, shaking her head. “My mother would have come back to Iowa in the summer and she would have [found] out she doesn’t have a house.”

Marshalltown, my hometown, does have a large immigrant population, so there's a huge potential for abuse there, as well as many other places.