Real Estate Community Forum

I am interested in house and from looking at the area, it seems as though the houses there are in the $100,000 range. However, since I am interested in this one particular house, I am willing to submit a bid, but I want to do some research on the house first. One of the first things I want to find out is; How much did the original owners pay for the house?

Also, I would like to find out the average assessed value for houses on that block and what is the selling price for houses in that area? Any suggestions on where to get these and any other important information on a house before submitting a bid?

To get information on a home, I usually go to city hall where they have tons records available to the public. I usually go to the assessors office and you can look at records that show the assessed value of the home, the value of the land, the amount of taxes, the name of the person who owns the home, a detailed description of the home such as the number of bath rooms, bedrooms, the dimensions of these rooms, etc. While you are there, you can take a look at all the houses on the same block to see the value of these homes. Its a great way to get free information and there are people in the office who can help you if you have any questions about the property and they can refer you to other offices that may provide more information for you.

The tax assessor's office the best place to find the owner information and price paid for the home. You can also do a title search and find any mortgages filed on the property.

As far as generally assessed value on a block, you can check out the partnership site of propertymaps which is eppraisal.com.

Another way to do it would be to go through the tax records online. Depending upon the state you are in you may be able to go by street address and they will be in numerical order.

Good Luck

I get all of my information on line. I usually start by doing a Google search by typing in the name of the suburb that the house is located in along with the name of the county, state and the words "property assessment" should also be included with the search. From there you should be able to find information on web sites that have information on the value of the home you are interested in. If you are lucky, the web site may have a picture of the home. Simply click on the house address to get a picture of the home to make sure you have the correct place.