I'm sure there are all sorts of reasons why not, but the above list of inefficiencies makes me start wondering about applying some code to one or more of the steps. How about starting to automate the 19 searches, and sell the service to the escribanos?
I visited Brazil in the early 90s and heard how everyone had to physically visit the bank and stand in a line to pay various utility bills. Mailing a check had not penetrated that economy at the time (too few people had checking accounts, whatever.) I wondered about a service that hired people to stand in line for them, but would have to overcome the problem of handling cash. Thankfully I have since heard that Brazil uses checks and other electronic payments methods now.
The thing is, most searches cannot be automated because the records are paper records, maintained by each local government.
There exist services (called "gestorías") where you hire someone to stand in line and do the paperwork for you where applicable.
Other records (like the record of ownership) have been computerized, but can ONLY be queried by someone with the notary ("Escribano") degree. I actually thought about tackling that one for data mining (it has the actual purchase prices for houses and cars and land), but there are personal data privacy issues too, and even if you get the degree, it can (and probably will) be revoked if you use it for stuff like that.
In Uruguay everyone had to stand in line to pay utilities, now we have services to pay them, and banks and credit cards offer internet payment tied to your bank account or credit card, there's even a startup that uses smartphones to scan the barcodes :) called Paganza http://www.paganza.com/ (that was started by some former coworkers of mine)
Escribanos feel EXTREMELY threatened by technology. When a digital signature bill passed, which gives legal equivalency to some forms of digital signatures to escribano witnessing (the only way to give legal legitimacy to some contracts in my country, absurd as it may seem), they protested strenuously.
I visited Brazil in the early 90s and heard how everyone had to physically visit the bank and stand in a line to pay various utility bills. Mailing a check had not penetrated that economy at the time (too few people had checking accounts, whatever.) I wondered about a service that hired people to stand in line for them, but would have to overcome the problem of handling cash. Thankfully I have since heard that Brazil uses checks and other electronic payments methods now.