Public property records are records that government offices keep. You can find history of a property, the property ownership listing or other home property information in this type of report. If you are in a business that deals with real estate, you can benefit from a property records search.
When making the most of property records search, look for free resources. You can find a free property record search, but it might not have all the information you need, which means you will need to use several different free resources to get all the information. Many companies charge a fee for you to access information that you can find on your own. Until you know which resources provide the information you need, you will need to invest time to locate the information you need.
1. Use a property records search to identify the current owner of a property.
2. Find comparable values for properties in the same area as the property that interests you.
3. Determine the after repair value (ARV) of an investment property to determine whether it is worth the risk involved in buying it.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Utilize a free property records search to identify the current owner of a property
Real estate agents and wholesale investors can use a property records search to identify the current owner of a property. Usually you want to target homes in an areas with potential for your type of work. For example, a wholesaler investor might want to purchase homes in a neighbor that is seeing a boom in scrapes and rebuilds. Real estate agents may want to contact owners in neighborhoods experiencing transition in the home ownership.
I recommend: SearchEngineZ.com provides links to several state and county property records.
Public Record Center.com helps you to find home property information. You can find out if an individual, corporation or a bank owns property, which can help you in your business acquisitions.
Compare prices with a home sale public record
Property records list the price a property sold for and the amount of tax that a property owner pays on an annual basis. With this information, you can tell how often properties change owners, learn whether the properties are increasing in value and identify potential sale prices based on the values of homes or properties in the area. You can also use the information to determine whether the owner has listed the property at a good price.
I recommend: PublicRecordFinder.com includes the sales history of a property, the current value, lot size and other property information. Expect just the basic information for free from this site. Download the
Property Records Search Tool 2.31 for a free trial or buy the licensed version to search for public records. With this tool, you enter the address for a property and the tool searches nationwide records.
Evaluate risk with a property history search
Restate investors can use a property history search to determine how much a property was worth in prime condition. This can help determine the after repair value for the property when you consider comparable values and the economic situation for the area.
I recommend: PublicRecordsIndex.com offers a free preliminary report on properties. Use it to find the sale price and current value of a property. For a fee,
PreHomeCheck.com will compile a transaction report tracing the amount paid and to whom. It lists the transactions by recording date.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Use property searches to determine whether an owner owns a property free and clear. If there are liens on the property, you could wind up in a lawsuit to try and keep the property.
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