Lawyers.com > Understand Your Legal Issue > Real Estate > Searching for Real Estate Information on Your Own

There are several types of information about a given parcel of real estate that you might need or be interested in. There's legal information and records detailing a property's description, location, ownership, claims or liens against it or restrictions on its use. Depending on what your needs are, there are several ways to find real estate information.

Why Are You Looking?

You might want information on a parcel of real estate for a multitude of reasons, including:

• Curiosity
• Researching a purchase or sale
• Challenging a property tax assessment
• Planning improvements to property you own
• Historical research, either about the property, or as a part of genealogical research

The Internet and Real Estate Information

The Internet is a great resource for real estate information. You can find everything from tax and sales information to satellite pictures, including shots of your own home, down to your car in the driveway. Online resources can be commercial or governmental, and may be temporary or permanent. For example, the sales listing for a house contrasted with the property tax records maintained by a county assessor's Web site.

Commercial Resources

There are a number of commercial resources, and some of these are free. Enter terms into a search engine for "home valuation" or "real estate information" for an idea of the available resources. The features and data available will vary, but some have comprehensive information for many areas of the country. Free public sites may offer suggested market values, sales and property tax data, and information about the physical characteristics of a property, such as construction date and lot size. Pictures, both aerial and street-view angles, can be found on these sites.

Real estate sales Web sites can be a good source of information. Many people first shop for a property via the Internet. Some Web sites carry information from multiple listing services, so it's possible to view nationwide information. Individual real estate brokerages may also have information on current and past listings, with photos. You might want to use these resources as you plan and research a purchase or a sale.

Electronic appraisal services are available. If you're involved with a finance transaction, for example, refinancing a mortgage or getting a home equity loan, an electronic appraisal service may have been used for your loan, and you should be able to get a copy of the appraisal from your lender.

Your real estate broker or agent may also be a resource in searching for information on real estate. Your real estate professional may have access to information and private databases, and she's likely skilled at gathering and interpreting data about a particular property or area.

A newspaper's Web site can be a good place to look for real estate information. Some newspapers will offer various tools on its Web page, such as looking up recent sales, or data on a neighborhood, which isn't available in the print edition of a paper.

Government Resources Online

Government Web sites can be an excellent source for real estate information, and you can easily access information that was once available only at courthouses and government offices. The extent of the information available online will vary depending on your location. Online access tends to be better in larger metropolitan areas.

The Recorder's and Assessor's Offices

Regardless of what's available online, the county recorder's office is the best source of information about a property's ownership and legal issues affecting the property. The property's legal history is found here. The property will have an index or identification number, which is important for accessing records on a property. Don't have the number? The recorder's office or other government offices can get you the number if you have the street address. This number will also be found on documents related to the property, such as your property tax statements. There may or may not be fees for accessing these resources.

The county assessor's office is often good source of information, too. The information offered by your assessor's office may even include photos and floor plans for a given property in addition to tax and recent sales information. The property's street address or the identification number gets your search started.

City and Utility Resources

Your city hall or local utilities can provide information about a property as well. You may want to know about average utility costs or see information about the property such as flood plain maps. Local government offices are a good place to start when seeking zoning information on property as well.

Using Your Search Results

While there's a lot of information out there, you still might need help in analyzing it and putting it to use - your real estate attorney can provide that help. Your real estate attorney can help answer the questions about a property, or help you find a solution to your property issue, whether it's challenging a tax assessment or clearing up an ownership or land use issue.

Questions for Your Attorney

• I found a lot of information about the homes in my subdivision; what kinds of information can I use to challenge my latest property tax assessment?
• I researched the values of properties in my area and I disagree with the appraisal that was done for a home mortgage refinancing. I think the appraiser was just way off. Can this information be used in support of my loan application?
• I researched property tax assessments, home values and sales online. Will a home seller listen to me if I bring up this information in negotiating to buy a house?
• I looked online and found that the assessments for many homes in my 20-year-old subdivision don't reflect the fact that the basements are currently finished. My finished basement is included in my assessment, and I'm taxed on that added value - that isn't fair. Can I call the assessor's office and have them inspect my neighbors' homes and update their assessments for these improvements?

Related Resources on Lawyers.com^sm

- Home Evaluation Worksheet
- Home Shopping and Offer to Purchase FAQ
- Selling a Home FAQ
- Find a Real Estate lawyer in your area
- Visit the Real Estate message boards for more help