i don't know... if you see this as an oddity, it kinda means you're not fully attuned to the culture at all.
i'm not saying you should ever consider buying a piece of land that doesn't have a clear/clean deed, but the fact that you use the word "oddity" to describe a very common practice throughout the caribbean leads me to think you're going to be in for a LOT of surprises once your deal comes through.