How to Freely Discover Who Owns a Property

Beautiful luxury house outside with green grass and blue sky on a bright sunny day. A walkway, a covered porch, and grand gables and columns are among the features.

That unoccupied home down the street has been vandalised many times, and the owner has yet to respond. So, for the sake of the community’s safety, you’d want to know how to find out who owns a property for free. One reason you may need to know how to find out who owns a property is because you may wish to purchase it, and you’ll need to contact the owner in order to do so. Consider a third scenario: you’re looking to buy a home and you know the existing owner is having financial difficulties and hasn’t paid property taxes in many years.

Is that individual still the legal owner of the property?

Tracking for the current owner of a property is part of the due diligence that must precede the legal sale of a property since the seller may not be the legal owner owing to nonpayment of taxes or difficulties with the title history, voiding the transaction. When developing new roadways or public thoroughfares, municipal works agencies need to discover owners of empty lots, but when private persons require property information, it’s generally for future real estate sales. Because any form of transaction requires discovery before it can be planned, much alone initiated, it makes sense to know how to find out who owns a property for free so that money isn’t squandered.

How to Freely Discover Who Owns a Property

Property ownership is public information that may be found in a variety of public documents that are available for free searches. You used to have to travel to the county offices and ask a clerk for the information or check the records yourself, but nowadays, much of that information is accessible online. As a result, determining property ownership may be done digitally or in person.

Step 1: Go to the county assessor’s office.

You may go to the assessor’s office in person and acquire information from the clerk immediately, which is as simple as it gets. If you want to search online, start by typing the name of the county where the property is situated, then “assessor.” Some counties enable you to search by address, but in most situations, it’s quicker to obtain the assessor’s identity number (AIN), which you can usually get on the county’s website, though you’ll have to click to a different page to do so. Because there is minimal uniformity across counties when it comes to online tools, the website may or may not explain how to accomplish this. There are options if the approach is too perplexing.

Step 2: Go to the County Recorder’s Office.

The owner is the person or organisation listed on the property deed, and this information is kept on file at the county recorder’s offices as a matter of public record. Because the county recorder also keeps track of births, deaths, marriages, and other events, finding information on property ownership may be difficult, and it may not be free, particularly if you request printed paperwork.

Step 3: Pay a visit to the County Tax Collector’s office.

Someone has to be paying property taxes, and it’s probably definitely the owner. You’ll need the AIN, also known as the assessor’s property number (APN), the section-township-range-area-block-lot (STRABL), or the section, township, range, area, and parcel number, whether you check for the property online or in person (STRAP).

Step 4: Consult a real estate agent

It’s a Realtor’s duty to know about area properties, and a seasoned one may have a thorough understanding of the property’s history, including the name of the current owner and maybe even the contact information you want. The Realtor, on the other hand, may not have the information but may refer you to someone who does. A local real estate appraiser or title business may also know the property and have the information you want.

Step 5: Consult Your Neighbors

If you’re in the region, you may want to start here since it’s the most apparent method to learn about a property in the region. If your neighbours are unaware, they may know someone who is. Be cautious if this is your final resort after failing to locate the information in public records. The information might have been withheld for legal reasons, such as involvement in a witness protection programme, and your search might be deemed intrusive, resulting in legal action.

Paying for Information in a Few Different Ways

Past history, such as unofficial property transfers, corporate ownership, existing liens, and unpaid taxes, may sometimes obfuscate a property’s title. In such circumstances, hiring a title firm to do a title search, which normally costs approximately $200, is the most dependable approach to locate the owner. You may have to conduct some more detective work to obtain the owner’s contact information if the title search does not provide it.

You may utilise a service like PropertyShark, which keeps a countrywide database of property information, if you don’t detect any issues with the title and need the information faster than you can acquire it by checking public records. To use the service, you’ll usually need to join up and pay a one-time or monthly charge, but once you do, all you have to do is type in the property address and you’ll obtain the owner’s name and, if available, contact information.