Vacant Properties

Hi Carima09,

I'm just getting started in real estate investing, but looking up information on the internet has been a hobby of mine for years.

Where I've found very useful information is with local government and city websites. I too have found vacant properties and with just an address, was able to find the owner's information.

Many municipalities are going online to make paying property taxes easier for the homeowner. In some cases, you can go to the payment page, look up the address to determine how much is owed on the property tax. You can get the homeowner's name associated with the address you enter into the site.

I personally have used this method you will be surprised as to the amount of information you can find for free online.

Hope this helps.

Funny that this hit the forums the week after we followed the trail to see why we couldn't find the owner info online. CA prohibits showing the owner information of a property if the owner is an elected official or police. My assumption is that they can't pull just those individuals out of the database, so CA just doesn't show any owner information online. You might want to check into what your state regulations are instead of spending hours trying to find something that isn't there like I did. :^(

We are looking at skip-trace service providers as well. Would you mind sending me a PM with those that you felt weren't worth it? One of my partners heard TLO.com recommended on a podcast, but we haven't investigated what they offer yet.

We have access to Prop Trend and have used it as our source to get owner info.

Good luck!

Hello Carima09, I am replying to you on the subject of vacant properties, Each county has a County Recorder's office; it issues birth, marriage & death certificates. Inside this bldg, is also where the Assessor's office should be located to look up tax records on houses. You should be able to get some info with a particular address to look up. Also, try to find out if there are ANY liens on the property(saves steps during the rehab process)while you are there.
Don't be afraid to ask questions of the people at the desk. They are already getting paid, so they MIGHT AS WELL STAY BUSY- besides we don't want them to be BORED! Continued Success to you and ALL!!!

Oh Carima 09, just wanted to congratulate you on the INSPIRING quote!!! Our progress is predicated not just on KNOWLEDGE & ACTION but also on UPLIFTING words that keep us INSPIRED & MOTIVATED!! Keep looking UP:lift up your hands, with Thanks 'cause"UP" is where BLESSINGS come from! Continued Success to All!

Thanks everyone who replied to my post. I appreciate the support and the answers I've gotten thus far. I think in NJ you do have access to the owner information, however I'm trying to find valid addresses and phone numbers. I'd say about 75% of the time you can find someone's info on white pages for free without too much of a hassle, however when I do dials the phone rings out. I've never actually went to my local assessor's office but would they know if there are any liens on the properties? Also thank you for thank, without God nothing is possible. All the praise goes to Him at the end of the day because His mercy endures forever.