There comes a time in the life of every successful real estate agent, attorney, and land professional that a property report search is necessary. The best professionals use property report searches regularly, staying up to date on the latest property information to be more efficient and informed about the pieces of land in which they are interested. However, many people don’t use property report searches to their fullest potential. Here are a few tips to make your property report search a success every time.
Understand How Public Records Source Data
To master a property report search, you must first understand how public databases gather their information. The data comes from public records, including property characteristics and tax information from tax assessors, and county recordings of mortgages and deeds. Depending upon your location, data will have different levels of availability. Some counties provide data collection daily, while others may allow access only on a monthly basis. Sometimes, information about a sale may be delayed by several months before reaching a database.
Recorder and assessor information is not available in every county. Some counties have only certain information available to researchers online, and you may need to visit your clerk’s office in person. Your county’s coverage can be determined by checking “Available Counties” in your database. In nondisclosure states, researchers will not have access to sales amounts. These states include Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.
Enter Addresses Accurately
In general, a researcher can perform a search using the property address or mailing address. You can narrow your search by selecting “exact results” or widen your scope with “exact and close” matches. Something as simple as a misspelled street name or city can result in a failed search. Public records databases are comprehensive, but that doesn’t mean they can decipher what you really mean by a misspelled address. Even a one-letter difference in a street name can ruin your your search.
Misspellings can also lead you to incorrect results, causing you to research the wrong property. Double-check your search entry for accuracy before pressing “search.” If you still can’t seem to find the information you’re looking for, check that your source has the right address. Make sure to fill in the address fields correctly, putting each portion in its assigned box (i.e., separating the street number and city). If the address has a unit number, be sure to include it. Most search databases do not accept the pound sign (#).
At the very least, you need the street number, street name, and zip code to find information about a property. Many researchers don’t realize that less is more. For example, “N” for street direction gives more accurate results than spelling out “North.” Abbreviate street suffixes: “Cir.” for Circle, “Dr.” for Drive, and “Blvd.” for Boulevard.
Master Name Entries
Online public records databases are more forgiving with the spelling of names, but spelling accuracy is still important. Don’t enter nicknames, such as Nick for Nicolas. Use full legal names, or formal names. If a person goes by Bill, find out if it’s short for William.
The first name is always optional in a search, but the last name is a necessity. You can search variations of names if you’re unsure of the spelling by using an asterisk. For example, searching “Cath*rine” will show results for Catharine and Catherine. You also can truncate a name using an exclamation point to search for different endings: “Jo!” will show results for Jon, Jonathan, Jonathon, and other names.
Public records searching gives you immediate access to a wealth of important industry information — if you know how to find it.
