C.E. Larusso is a writer, editor and environmental activist based in Los Angeles. She has written about education and climate change pedagogy for Noodle, beauty and sustainability for Mimi, as well as housing and lifestyle for xoJane.
Joseph Gordon , Editor Joseph Gordon EditorJoseph Gordon is an Editor with HomeLight. He has several years of experience reporting on the commercial real estate and insurance industries.
A house can hold a lot of history. As a homebuyer, you probably want to know everything there is to know about the property you’re about to purchase.
You might not know where to begin if you’ve never searched public records. Here’s how to search property records and navigate the online and offline documentation — including what you might want to investigate.
Find an Agent to Help You Navigate the Paperwork
Buying and selling real estate is a complex task. A top real estate agent can serve as an invaluable transaction coordinator during steps like the title search and deed transfer.
There are several things you can learn from property records.
Any time a major change to the house impacts the ownership, it’s recorded with the county or city. “Major changes” can include sales or transfers of ownership, tax liens, and changes to the home’s square footage if there have been additions to the property.
A property record search can also reveal information about the previous owners, property deeds — and even some personal information about the seller regarding divorce and bankruptcy.
A more extensive search could tell you whether the land where the property sits has any restrictions and who originally built the home; you might even dig up old photos of the home. For instance, the Los Angeles Public Library has a Housing Authority historic photo collection for Los Angeles County.
Sales history is typically easily available — often discoverable on any of the various online home sales search platforms or in person, usually at the office of the recorder of deeds. The recorder’s office will likely have electronic and paper files for you to search.
The records should indicate who previously owned the home, how much they paid when they purchased it, and the current owner’s remaining mortgage bill (if applicable). Lenders sometimes use this information to target owners for refinancing.
Tax records are kept on properties to confirm that taxes have been paid and that the amount paid was correct for the assessed value. When a house is sold, the assessed value is recorded again based on the new appraisal (which should be higher than the previously recorded value; otherwise, your house will have depreciated).
A tax history search will tell you the property’s value at the time of assessment, past taxes paid, whether any taxes are due, and if there are any liens on the property. A lien is placed on a home when the owner owes money to a lender, the IRS, or possibly even a contractor who did remodeling work. Even homeowners associations (HOAs) can place property liens for unpaid dues or assessments.
Direct assessments are also something to watch out for, as they can add thousands of dollars in ownership costs each year, according to Daniel Del Real, a top real estate agent in Modesto, California, who sells homes 66% faster than the average agent in the region.
“Direct assessments — buy a property in a certain location, and there could be Mello Roos [infrastructure taxes] and bonds that directly get put on the homeowners, which could be anywhere between $2,500 to $5,000 a year in additional expenses.”
If there are liens, your lender might not approve a mortgage loan for the property; you’ll need to work out the issue with the seller as soon as possible — you don’t want to assume their debt!
Depending on the age of the home and how far back the tax records go, you might not be able to find everything you want online. In the case, it may be worth a research trip to the assessor’s office.
One thing to remember as you search: sometimes, names are entered incorrectly into the database, so try alternate spellings. For instance, if the name you want to look up is hyphenated or has a plural designation, such as “Samantha Rivers-Smith,” you might try the following variations:
Typically, a deed search will start with your county clerk, recorder, auditor, or state registry of deeds; these offices might allow you to search online, but for a complete history, you should visit the office in person and request any physical records available.
You’ll want to look for recorded encumbrances, particularly liens or easements. An easement is the right for a party or entity to use someone else’s land. Subdivisions often have defined easements for utilities: you allow the utility service to exist on your property. Another example would be if the house straddles a public road — the portion of your property available for the public to use on the road is the easement.
A lien is a claim someone else has on the property; for instance, the lender of the home loan holds a lien against your property until you make all your mortgage payments in full, and if you don’t, it has the right to repossess or foreclose on the property.
Here’s what else you can learn searching through the deed history:
Copies of records of marriage, divorce, births, and deaths are typically available from your recorder or county clerk. Some of these records might illuminate why a seller wants to leave; if you learn, for instance, that your sellers are getting divorced, they may want to sell fast to move on with their lives.
However, be careful when using this personal information during negotiations; it could backfire. An experienced buyer’s agent can help you navigate the negotiation process.
“Once you find out the seller’s motivation, you, in a way, could use that in negotiations,” says Real.
“If they’re [seller] in default, if there’s a lien on it, if they’re in foreclosure or in the middle of a bankruptcy or divorce — all of that helps in a negotiation in a traditional market.”
Searching through property records is a process. You’ll want to call on your inner librarian and get focused for an afternoon — especially if you want to do the most comprehensive search, which will require looking both online and in person.
To start, you should figure out who manages the property records where the house is located.
A few places or entities that keep county records:
You won’t have to travel far, and most agencies house their records online. Some counties only house a few decades of records online.
You can search here to figure out which office has the records.
You’ll need the property’s address (or lot number) and the current seller’s name to search. And, as with any research project, you should determine what information you want to know! Here are a few potential ideas:
Phoenix-based real estate agent Mike Mendoza has almost four decades of experience and notes that square footage is the property record discrepancy most often cited by potential buyers.
“The tax records may have a certain square footage listed, and the listing agent may have a totally different square footage listed. So the buyer might want to know, why is that?”
It’s usually because an owner, at some point, paid for an addition to the property but didn’t get the permits to do so or didn’t formally report it.
You will likely be able to find most of what you need online unless you’re buying in a rural area where records aren’t hosted online. If that’s the case, visit either the assessor or the recorder and let them know you want to look at the home’s tax history or deed history or that you have a vital records request for birth, marriage, divorce, or death information.
For example, the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office website allows access to multiple reports without visiting other government agency sites. Simply enter the property address or parcel number:
From there, you can review the search results. Each field is a hyperlink that provides additional information. In this case, the APN or parcel number link can provide the most detail about the property. (Personal information has been removed for privacy purposes.)
The property detail view is organized into helpful categories, including tax information, deeds, and maps.
There are fees (usually nominal) for getting copies of records from city and county facilities; these will be listed online.
For example, Los Angeles County real estate records may be searched online for a fee through an independent, privately operated information provider such as LexisNexis. An additional fee of $18.50 is charged for expedited delivery. This research isn’t going to empty your wallet and will be far from your biggest expense in your homebuying process.
If the records aren’t available online, call the assessor or recorder before you visit them and ask how much they charge for copies (as well as acceptable forms of payment) so you’ll be prepared.
Some cities might have a database of historical maps, which sometimes include historical photos of homes. And if nothing comes up there, you can also look up the house using Google Street View history: search for the address in Google Maps, click the photos of the house to switch to Street View, and then see if there’s a timeline, if available — should go back to 2007.
And for a macabre search: you can use DiedinHouse.com to learn if anyone has passed away in the property in question (or if there were any fire incidents).
Neighbors are also a great resource if you want to know more about the home’s history and the previous owners. Neighbors, especially those who’ve lived on the street for many years, can be fantastic sources of information you can’t find anywhere else!
A quick (and free) way to check your home value
Get a preliminary home value estimate in as little as two minutes. Our tool uses information from multiple sources to give you a range of value based on current market trends.
When is a property search done when purchasing a home?
A title company normally conducts a title search during the escrow process.
Do I need to be in escrow on a property to research its history?
No. Property information is public record and can be accessed by anyone at any time, as long as you’re willing to invest the time and pay the necessary fees.
What’s the difference between a title and a deed?
A property’s title refers to a person’s or entity’s legal right of ownership over a specific property. A deed is a legal document that transfers ownership from seller to buyer.
What else should I research beyond property records?
You can get a read on the neighborhood’s safety by thoroughly reviewing crime reports in the area. If you’re concerned about potential flood and water damage, determine if the property’s in a FEMA-designated flood zone and contact your insurance provider to run a C.L.U.E. report for specific flood claim history.
What happens if I don’t like what I find?
If you’re researching on your own before making an offer, simply walk away. If you’ve discovered the issues during escrow, discuss with your agent the details of what’s involved with obtaining a clear title from the seller (examples: financial or legal outcomes, length of time to resolve) to determine whether you want to proceed with the purchase.
Title and property records searches can be time-consuming and confusing. If you don’t want to do all the work alone, ask your real estate agent to recommend a great title company to help you out.
Header Image Source: (Kolar.io / Unsplash)
