If you’ve found a home or a plot of land that you’re interested in purchasing, there are several different ways you can go about trying to find who owns it. Let’s go over nine methods you can try to track down the owner of a property. If you’re scouting out a property, one of the first places you can try for owner information is your local tax assessor’s office. You may be able to look up a property there and find out not only who owns it, but how much they pay in property taxes – which is useful to know if you’re interested in buying the house or another property in the same area. Keep in mind that you may have to pay to access documents.1. Visit The Local Assessor’s Office
2. Check With The County Recorder
Another place you may be able to check is the county recorder or clerk’s office. A county recorder keeps track of lots of information, from records of births and deaths to deeds and other property ownership records. Property information is public record, so you may be able to find out not just who owns the property in question, but also some of the history of the home or land and who owned it prior.
3. Ask A Title Company
You could also check with a title company to inquire about the current ownership of a property. Title companies have the power to perform title searches, which can allow them to learn more information about the property than just the owner, such as whether there are liens on the property or other issues. A title search is not free and will generally cost you $75 – $200+ depending on your area. These searches are generally done as part of the process of closing a home loan to ensure the home’s title is clear of issues, but you could also use a title search to learn the true owner of a home and whether the property has any liens against it.
4. Talk With A Real Estate Agent
A real estate agent can also potentially help you find a property’s owner. Real estate agents have access to not only public property data that you could access yourself but also a database called the multiple listing service (MLS). Through the MLS, your agent might be able to find out if the home you’re interested in is for sale (or has been recently). Should the property be available, a real estate agent will also be useful in walking you through the home buying process.
5. Contact A Real Estate Attorney
If none of the above options have yielded results for you, you could also consider contacting a real estate attorney. An attorney may not have the records you need, but they could have ideas or information on how to find a property owner.
6. Search The Internet
If you don’t want to contact an attorney, agent or government official, you could also attempt to simply search the internet to find a property owner. There are plenty of websites that may share public property information if available, but keep in mind that this won’t always be accurate. Internet search results could be outdated or unreliable compared to some of the other methods of obtaining information in this list.
7. Visit Your Local Library
If your local library has public records or archives of local information, you could also search there for property ownership information. You may also be able to access your state or county’s property or land records online at a library.
8. Knock On The Door
If you don’t want to go digging around for records, there is one very simple solution that you could be overlooking – you can just go knock on the door. If there’s a house on the property, you might be able to get in contact with the owner if they’re home. Keep in mind that many property owners may not enjoy a stranger approaching their home, so an alternate method of making contact may be necessary. Consider leaving the homeowner a note or letter explaining your situation and any potential offer you’d like to make, along with your contact information.
9. Ask The Neighbors
If you want to contact a property owner and they’re not home (or they’re out of state or away for some other circ*mstance) you will have to find another way to get in touch. One way to do so is by contacting the neighbors. They may have a way for you to contact the owner – or, if you don’t want to speak to the owner, they might just have useful information about the property in general. Remember that, like contacting the homeowner, neighbors may not be thrilled about a stranger at their door either, so be courteous and leave a note if necessary.
