How to Find Out the Ownership of a Certain Land Property

Who owns that house?

Ownership of real property or land is public record. Many people do not realize this and can end up spending money on various websites to find information that is readily available and free. Whether you have good reason or are just curious about who owns that house on the corner, you can find out for free by knowing where to look.

Instructions

1. Find the address of the land or house that you are inquiring about. If for some reason you cannot find the address on the property you can inquire through a real estate broker or ask the county clerk to help you with your search.

2. Go to the county clerk or tax assessors office for the county in which the property is located. If the property that you are inquiring about is not local to you, you may have to call or email the office for information.

3. Find the information on the owner of the property that you are inquiring about. This can be done by asking the county clerk or tax assessor directly or looking it up in the county's public computer system. Some counties offer websites to collect information from so you can stay home and get the information off your own computer. Because all real property is taxable, with a few exceptions like nonprofit organizations, property ownership is recorded by the county in which the property is located and available as public record.

4. Record or print your findings to have for your personal use. Some offices will allow you to print out the information while others allow you to write down the information that you need.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are working with a real estate broker, he can usually find out the ownership of real property with a phone call or two. This can save you time, and most real estate brokers are happy to provide this service.

References

• How to Investigate: Public Records

Resources

• National Environmental Title Research: Public Records Online Directory