I get the information from my local county assessor (tax assessments), auditor (plat maps), and recorder (title search). The recorders office has things such as deeds, mortgages, judgements, etc filed for public record.
I can get most of the information I need online through their own public web sites. The assessor and auditor, for example, have much more detailed information that I can get via telephone, fax, or in person. So far they have been more than helpful!
Hope this points you in the right direction.
If you are curious how this works here are the websites for Story County, Iowa.
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just be sure to check the recorder of deeds for deeds, open mortgages, assignments (and more depending on what you're looking for). then go to the prothonotary and check for water sewer and taxes (all kinds of taxes), federal and state liens (again and others, depending). find a title company that lets in visitors (usually who works directly with the county) and they'll have plat maps that you can print out by parcel number.
it's getting late and i'm sure i'm forgetting something, but if i'm not explaining something enough, please ask me to explain further.
with all of the possible nuances of title, chain of title, liens, late filings, etc, why would you risk missing something IMPORTANT by doing it yourself.
Wouldn't you be better off paying a small fee for a "quick" title search to ensure that there is nothing scary about the property before you buy it.
It seems to me that some things should just be left to the experts - this is one of them. You could cut corners by doing it yourself but think about the REAL COST if you miss something important and have to deal with it later. The money you think you are saving today won't be worth it if you run into a real serious problem.
Think about it. Spend your time finding more deals and leave this task to someone that knows what they are doing. It is a better use of your time - if you are serious about investing in property.
How much, on average, should one expect to pay for a "quick" title search? Also, how liable are title companies if you get a full title search and they miss something?
I use my county's GIS (geographical information systems) web site to find tax map numbers, acreage, etc then use the county's online tax website.
I get the information from my local county assessor (tax assessments), auditor (plat maps), and recorder (title search). The recorders office has things such as deeds, mortgages, judgements, etc filed for public record.
I can get most of the information I need online through their own public web sites. The assessor and auditor, for example, have much more detailed information that I can get via telephone, fax, or in person. So far they have been more than helpful!
Hope this points you in the right direction.
If you are curious how this works here are the websites for Story County, Iowa.
****Must Reach Senior Investor status before posting URL's***
****Must Reach Senior Investor status before posting URL's***
Thanks for all your help. Ill check it out.
Dennis
just be sure to check the recorder of deeds for deeds, open mortgages, assignments (and more depending on what you're looking for). then go to the prothonotary and check for water sewer and taxes (all kinds of taxes), federal and state liens (again and others, depending). find a title company that lets in visitors (usually who works directly with the county) and they'll have plat maps that you can print out by parcel number.
it's getting late and i'm sure i'm forgetting something, but if i'm not explaining something enough, please ask me to explain further.
have a great day!
NJyoungvet,
with all of the possible nuances of title, chain of title, liens, late filings, etc, why would you risk missing something IMPORTANT by doing it yourself.
Wouldn't you be better off paying a small fee for a "quick" title search to ensure that there is nothing scary about the property before you buy it.
It seems to me that some things should just be left to the experts - this is one of them. You could cut corners by doing it yourself but think about the REAL COST if you miss something important and have to deal with it later. The money you think you are saving today won't be worth it if you run into a real serious problem.
Think about it. Spend your time finding more deals and leave this task to someone that knows what they are doing. It is a better use of your time - if you are serious about investing in property.
That service/source do you use to get the info?
Thanks
Dennis
--ligem--
How much, on average, should one expect to pay for a "quick" title search? Also, how liable are title companies if you get a full title search and they miss something?
I use my county's GIS (geographical information systems) web site to find tax map numbers, acreage, etc then use the county's online tax website.