5 Ways to Research the Property History of Your Home
Category : Need to Know
5 Ways to Research the Property History of Your Home
Researching the history of your property of property you are contemplating purchasing can add several benefits to the overall enjoyment of your purchase, investment and home.
Understanding your homes history can not only simply add the mystique and bring out the traditions of a home, it also can serve as a practical use in that you may learn important information that would be relevant and crucial to doing home repairs and possible add-ons.
1. Talk to the people who have known your property longer than you, your new neighbors
If some of your neighbors have lived in your area for a considerable amount of time, it is likely they will be more than willing to talk about what they know about your property. Memories can spark some relevant events and information in your new homes history. If you have access to the previous owners and their family members, that would be an excellent source as well.
2. Internet search, the library and local public records
Land records can yield information about previous and historical owners of your property as well as information about when it was built, original and previous owners. Much information can be found on the internet about your property simply from doing an address or neighborhood search. Go to your local library and search old periodicals or local historical periodicals and publications that may include events and information about your property. If you are in an established community, do not hesitate to talk to the librarian themselves as they may recall some information and where to locate same.
3. You Inspector may offer more information than you’d think
Talk to the man who has gone over your property with a fine tooth comb. This is the individual who can tell you what lies beneath the carpet, in the attic rafters and basement crooks and crannies. This individual may have inspected your home in years past on previous purchases. Whether you have original and valuable wood flooring under the carpet, hidden areas behind walls and tif there is or where the original foundation stone is located may add that extra special something to your home.
4. The Deed to your new home holds valuable information
If you want to know the legal description of your property and how it was recorded, the deed is the first place to check. Your home’s legal description, whether in a rural area or subdivision will tell you the official address, subdivision lot, section, township and range of your property.
You’ll want to go to your Register of Deeds at your local county courthouse for this information. Be prepared to use various ways to locate this information depending on the technological updated systems of your county courthouse. You may have to look up the information on physical documents, microfilm or a computer. Regardless, the courthouse staff should be able to assist you in finding exactly what you are looking for. It’s always easier to start with the most recent deed transactions and work your way backwards.
5. Thinking outside of the box
There are a few other ways to locate some historical information about your home. There is a Bureau of Land Managements General Land office that will reveal when and how the federal government first sold the land your home sits on and who that owner was that it was sold to. This would be a great historical piece of information for you home and area. Census data records as well as marriage and death records may reveal information about your home and property. A very good website to location a property and home’s historical information is www.porch.com. Here, you will find information such as past work permits and orders, statistics as well as who and what work has been done to your home.
Whatever method you choose and what ever your motivation is for checking on historical data and information about your home and property is, this is just a few methods you can begin to explore. Regardless of the information and method, have fun and happy hunting!
