How to Find Out If an Address Is Residential or Business?
The easiest means to determine whether an address is a residence or a business is by the internet. Using a couple of easily accessible databases it should be easy to tell what the address is, or is not. And failing those databases, it is now possible, in most cases, to look at a picture of the address itself with yet another website to see what the structure at the address looks like.
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Instructions
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Search the term Reverse Address in your web browser. You will get a number of websites that will offer the ability to search by reversing the address to tell you who is at that address. Simply pick one (or more if you like) of the sites and select the Reverse Address tab when the page loads. Once the search is complete the information will appear with a house symbol or an "H," or with a "W" for work. In some cases home-based businesses will show up in apartment buildings, as the listing will show a total count of listings at the location, for example, 48 homes and 5 work numbers.
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Click on the "map" tab beside the listing, and, again in most cases, you will have a satellite picture of the address load that will show you if the address is a home, apartment building or business structure. In some cases the page will link to one map company instead of another, so the picture quality and options for viewing the map will differ from one site to another.
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Go to Mapquest and search the address by clicking the Get Directions tab. Once the map has loaded, click on Satellite and get a satellite picture of the address and surrounding neighborhood. From this you can usually if tell if the address is a residence or a business.
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Go to Google Maps and enter the address by using their Get Directions tab. Once the map appears, a small green man will appear beside the map. Click and drag him to the spot on the map the address is showing, and you will see a street-level photograph of the address, which will let you know if you are looking at a residence (apartment, home) or a business (factory, office building, mall).
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Go to the United States Postal Service (USPS) website and put in the address, minus the zip code, and search. The address will come up with how many units are at the address. This can indicate an office building or apartments, if there are multiples units, but the USPS site will not show this. They have a link to White Pages/Yellow Pages to do a search for this information.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also do a Neighbor search in any of the Reverse Address sites and see who a neighbor is of the address you are trying to confirm. You can then call the neighbor(s) and see if they can tell you if the address is a business or residential.
This article is for legal business uses only and should not be used for any other purpose.
If you require legal advice, please seek out a qualified lawyer.
