Get in your car and go over to your county recorder's office and ask them to pull the records on the property: they will show what liens/mortgages, etc. have been recorded against the property.
Easier (but slightly less accurate): if your county recorder is online, sign up (may have to pay) and get the same info that way. If you do it this way, I recommend you search the same property in 3 ways, just to be sure: by address, by APN/PIN (the permanent property index number), and by owner's name (which may show liens against them personally).
Even easier (but maybe more expensive): look for somebody at your county recorder's office who is working away with a laptop. Talk nicely with him (or her): if it turns out he's a title searcher for a company, you could $ask$ him $nicely$ if he'd be willing to do title searches for you on the $side for $ome incentive (you get where I'm going here...).
Easiest (and most expensive): order a full-blown title search by an attorney or title company. Not sure if you have to have some kind of contract in place for you to do this, though... can anyone else comment on this route?
As a first pass you can get a preliminary title report from a title company. It is not deemed to be completely accurate as recent things that effect the property's title might not show. It will give you a starting point and can be used if you wanted to go to the recorder's office.
I generally make my offers 'subject to' title and do not worry about have a perfectly current title report. If I get an acceptance then I know it is worth the time or the money to completely check out the title.
This process will not work if you are buying a foreclosure at auction.
I was trying to do an online search with Recorder of Deeds office. The say to search documents you need one of the following.
Document Number Property Identification Number (PIN)
Grantor Name
Grantee Name
Trust Number
Legal Description
Serial Number
Where do I get that info, or should I just go to the office personally??
According to your first post you already have leads on 2 properties. I presume the very list you have is property address.
By taking property address and looking for the Tax Owner name you can find current person who pays taxes on the property. Most likely this will be a homeowner.
Heres a good ideal for you.. Just call down to the recorders office (probate), see if there is an "abstractor" down there that you can speak with. There is usually somebody down there depending on the size of the county / perish, if not ask if they know of a good one off hand. Ask the "abstractor" if they will check the property for you. Build up a good relationship with him/her$$$$$. A good one will save you lots of pain & heartache.
Side note, title companies / attorneys use abstractors to do their work, then price hike it, and past the cost to YOU. :-o
If your limited on time, and wish to research your tax info.and other items,( by computer) look at a site called: www.netronline.com it's a great resource at a cheap price for info most
states. Hope it helps you.
How do you mean easy?
Get in your car and go over to your county recorder's office and ask them to pull the records on the property: they will show what liens/mortgages, etc. have been recorded against the property.
Easier (but slightly less accurate): if your county recorder is online, sign up (may have to pay) and get the same info that way. If you do it this way, I recommend you search the same property in 3 ways, just to be sure: by address, by APN/PIN (the permanent property index number), and by owner's name (which may show liens against them personally).
Even easier (but maybe more expensive): look for somebody at your county recorder's office who is working away with a laptop. Talk nicely with him (or her): if it turns out he's a title searcher for a company, you could $ask$ him $nicely$ if he'd be willing to do title searches for you on the $side for $ome incentive (you get where I'm going here...).
Easiest (and most expensive): order a full-blown title search by an attorney or title company. Not sure if you have to have some kind of contract in place for you to do this, though... can anyone else comment on this route?
Andy[ Edited by arytkatz on Date 06/04/2004 ]
taxes due , but may not be liens yet are reported at the tax assessor/collectors.
That's a nice summary, esp. the 3-way search.
Thanks
As a first pass you can get a preliminary title report from a title company. It is not deemed to be completely accurate as recent things that effect the property's title might not show. It will give you a starting point and can be used if you wanted to go to the recorder's office.
I generally make my offers 'subject to' title and do not worry about have a perfectly current title report. If I get an acceptance then I know it is worth the time or the money to completely check out the title.
This process will not work if you are buying a foreclosure at auction.
John
[addsig]
I was trying to do an online search with Recorder of Deeds office. The say to search documents you need one of the following.
Document Number
Property Identification Number (PIN)
Grantor Name
Grantee Name
Trust Number
Legal Description
Serial Number
Where do I get that info, or should I just go to the office personally??
According to your first post you already have leads on 2 properties. I presume the very list you have is property address.
By taking property address and looking for the Tax Owner name you can find current person who pays taxes on the property. Most likely this will be a homeowner.
You have the picture….. Take it from here.
Dmitry.
Heres a good ideal for you.. Just call down to the recorders office (probate), see if there is an "abstractor" down there that you can speak with. There is usually somebody down there depending on the size of the county / perish, if not ask if they know of a good one off hand. Ask the "abstractor" if they will check the property for you. Build up a good relationship with him/her$$$$$. A good one will save you lots of pain & heartache.
Side note, title companies / attorneys use abstractors to do their work, then price hike it, and past the cost to YOU. :-o
If your limited on time, and wish to research your tax info.and other items,( by computer) look at a site called: www.netronline.com it's a great resource at a cheap price for info most
states. Hope it helps you.
mark