Are you interested in purchasing a property? Maybe you are a tenant who is curious to find out who owns the property you are occupying. If that’s the case, read on. Determining a property’s owner is relatively simple. You can easily know who owns a property by reading this article which teaches you where to look to find out if the property belongs to a private individual or if it is government-owned.
Details you may need to find out who owns a property include home address, phone number, email address, tax records, property deeds, and others. Make sure you follow these steps before making any property deals.
5 Ways to Learn Who Owns a Property
This article shares the various methods for finding and verifying owners of properties. Let’s dig in!
1. Property Tax Records
One simple way to look up property owners is to make inquiries at the property tax records office. Many of which are online and free.
Each property has an assessed value. As you might guess, this is set by the government. Once set, they use it to determine the property tax for this home. These property taxes are paid in the name of the owners of the properties, hence searching for the owner of the property from the records of payments becomes easy.
2. Real Estate Attorneys
Real estate attorneys are professionals skilled in property searches. After all, they do this for a living. They can help check the legal documents of the property and other information. They do this by doing searches in the registry of deeds. The Registry of Deeds is an official book containing information on property ownership.
3. Inquiries from Neighbors
You can embark on a property owner search by yourself. This entails going to the address of the property you are interested in and making inquiries from the neighbors. Upon reaching the address, go to the neighbors and politely introduce yourself, explain that you are interested in the neighboring property and you would like some information on it. This method is free, and in the event, you end up buying the property you have already met your neighbors.
4. County Clerk/County Recorder
Another method is using the county clerk or recorder. All the records of properties and their owners in the county can be found at the records office. The county clerk may provide you with information on the owner of a property, information like his or her address and phone number or email address. After getting the information, you can find a property owner by address. This service may be free or might result in a small fee.
5. Mailing List
A mailing list is a list that contains the names and addresses belonging to registered owners of properties. Marketers and real estate agents often use the mailing list. All you need to have is the address and location of the property you are interested in. Most mailing lists are not free so you’ll be required to pay a fee in order to access the list.
Conclusion
There are different ways in which to find the owner of a property. To sum up, here are the different ways to find out who owns a property before you sign any contracts.
- Check at the property tax office.
- We are employing the services of a real estate attorney.
- Inquiries from neighbors.
- Search the records through a county clerk or recorder.
- Use of a mailing list.
