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There are many reasons why you would like to meet the owner of a property: if you are interested in buying it, if the disrepair of the house threatens the integrity of other properties, or even if you want to make a tempting offer to the owner. To solve all these cases, it is necessary to know the name of the owner in order to locate it in time and initiate the desired processes.
Finding the name of the owner of a property is a task with varying degrees of difficulty, but it can take you a long time if the government in your region does not have information services through the Internet.
What are the steps to follow to identify the owner of the property?
Determine what the property is
You cannot go to third parties empty-handed, before going crazy between directories and registry offices, you must be clear about the exact address of the property and even what its land area is.
Technology can help you locate a person. We recommend using your mobile phone’s GPS map service to locate the property’s lot within the city or suburban area. Digital maps reveal a lot of important information, such as surrounding street names, block or parcel number, and even help you define property lines.
If you don’t have access to this type of technology, just give yourself the task of a private investigator and visit the nearby neighbors. They can help you to know the exact address. With that information you can then send them correspondence, and in some cases, the letters would be redirected to the owners’ new location. Be discreet when introducing yourself and make your intentions known honestly, also don’t forget to leave your name and phone number, so contact can flow quickly.
Ask the neighbors
Neighbors can not only help you with directions, but chances are they may have known the property owner closely. They might have valuable information that allows you to contact who you are looking for, however, if someone approaches you while you are loitering on the property, do not feel shy and state your intentions regarding the site.
If the house is in a rural area, it will be more difficult for you to find nearby neighbors willing to provide you with information. On the other hand, if the neighborhood is abandoned and looks neglected, you should reconsider whether buying a property there is a good investment.
Consultation in directories
There are telephone assistance directories that vary depending on the company, and through them you can find an exact name and location, you can even get the telephone number of a property owner. On the other hand, there are also free and paid web directories, which offer relevant information such as the name of the street, the city, the names of those who live in the area.
Official websites can even reveal tax and assessment information, so you should definitely use the Internet before dusting off papers in the public archives.
Go to public archives
Depending on the country where you live, there are different instances that you can approach to find out the ownership of a property. Many of these offices charge fees to deliver copies of any document, and also have web pages where they inform about the hours of operation and the costs of their services.
One of them is the Property Registry office, there are employees who can help you get the exact Property record of the place you are investigating, and in this document you can get information about the current ownership and charges of the property, also offers additional data on mortgages and taxes. If you still have questions about the address of the property, the employees can help you with maps of the area, where you can identify the parcel or the lot number.
In most abandoned property cases, the owner is evading taxes and the state is looking for him as well. Public employees may be able to tell you how long to wait for the property to be foreclosed on by the city and sold at public auction.
You must go to the public registry. The recorders of deeds are responsible for all transfers and ownership of the land, so you will not only know who the current owner is, but also who previously bought it and if there are any liens on the property.
Hire professionals
Some Real Estate listings in the area could be of great help, real estate agents usually have extensive knowledge about the neighborhood where the property is located. In addition, that agent can put you in touch with title search companies that have more accurate information as they deal with deleting and recording property titles.
Although the services of a title search company are not free, you may want their advice, because they often provide complete histories on the properties. Keep in mind that the services of these companies rise when they get you to buy the house through them.
Another service you might want to consider is hiring a fugitive person tracker, known as a vigilante in the US These bounty hunters find missing people, and can be a big help if the homeowner is on the run from justice to avoid paying fines or if you continue to live there but are absent from the property for days.