What's the difference between a warranty deed and a quitclaim deed?

The difference comes down to what the seller is actually promising about the title they are transferring.

A warranty deed means the seller is guaranteeing that the title is clear and that they have the legal right to sell the property. If a title defect surfaces later, an old lien, a boundary problem, a claim from a prior owner, the seller who gave a warranty deed generally takes on liability for it. This is the stronger protection for a buyer.

A quitclaim deed, by contrast, transfers whatever interest the seller happens to have, with no guarantee that the interest is actually clear or even exists. If there is a problem with the title, a quitclaim deed offers the buyer no recourse against the seller for it.

For a typical arm's-length purchase, where the buyer and seller do not have a prior relationship and the deal is a straightforward sale, buyers generally want a warranty deed. Seeing a quitclaim deed offered instead is not automatically a dealbreaker, some legitimate situations use them, family transfers, resolving old title issues, but it is a signal to slow down and dig deeper into the title history before assuming everything is straightforward. A title search and a conversation with a real estate attorney are the right next steps if a quitclaim deed shows up unexpectedly in a deal.