Abandoned properties.

[badmomma]

I have a question about abandoned properties. It appears to me that there are quite a few of them out there. I call them abandoned because
the properties are over grown and the houses are either boarded up or
in shambles.

I have had my eye on a property for some time. The issue here is how
do you find out who owns the property. There is no address on the box
and there is never anyone around.

The house appears to be run down and in need of a lot of work. The
property itself hasn't been mowed in years. There are several acres
here and it runs along a U.S highway.

I have seen many deer and think that this would be a great place to build
a new home. I need to know how to find out its history and who owns it
so that I can make a purchase offer. Any suggestions?

[patricia]

I am just guessing here, but maybe the Tax Collectors Office in that town would have a record of this property, because it must be owed some tax money?

Good Luck.

[Chas in CA]

Start with the County Hall of Records in the county the property is located in. Someone there ought to be able to show you a plat map for the area the house is located in, and from that you should be able to obtain a legal description of the property (hopefully a tract and lot number rather than a metes and bounds or a description taken off a baseline and meridian). With that you can contact a title company or real estate broker and order a property profile showing ownership of the property and the liens, if any, that are on it.

Or, as someone else suggested, you can try the county tax collector's office. They may be able to give you an Assessor's Parcel Number (APN) and then you can go to the title company and figure out what is going on with the property.

However, going to the hall of records first should let you determine just how large the property is.

Chas

[badmomma]

Thank you for the help in this matter. The only real information I have about the property is the crossroad and main road that it borders. Do you think that it will be enough information to help me get the information that I need?

[coach]

Years ago I went to a real estate convention. When you walked in they had vendors. One vendor was a real estate skip tracer. They would find who owned the home at that point and give you a current address.

[badmomma]

How would I find a person that does that? I figure that they are listed somewhere but I am not sure where to look.

Can you help me? This service would really come in handy in my area as there are several of these types of homes scattered all over.

[realestatehound]

I would start by knocking on the neighbors doors. One of them can probably tell you who owns it or tell you someone who can. Then I would go to the court house and pull the deed. Then I would go to the tax office and see where they are mailing the tax bill to and who they are mailing it to. This is all public record and you may even be able to go on line for your county PVA web site and get it all there. If their is a small country store around close and the neighbors can't help you go to the store and watch for some old timers to come in and I bet they can tell you who owns it. I hope this help as it is what I do and it usually works. Good luck.