Public record searches are a very easy thing for anyone to do, assuming that they have an internet connection. The amount of information that you can get by doing a public record search online is astonishing, and may even catch you by surprise. Before entering any kind of venture, even one as simple as a public record search, it’s worth knowing exactly what you can expect to get out of it. Public record laws are incredibly complex, and it’s always worth doing your research first so you can be sure that you’ll be getting exactly the kind of information you’re looking for.
Table of Contents
The Art of Public Record Searches
Finding public records isn’t too hard of a task, but it really depends on what you’re looking for. Many pieces of information can be found on databases online, which makes this search incredibly easy. On the other hand, some records require paperwork to be mailed into the proper channels, then you’ll likely need to pay a processing fee and wait for a response.
Fortunately, most of the information that you would need doesn’t require too many extra steps. In most cases, if you need to send in a request it would either be because it’s considered sensitive information or you’d be sending in a request for the government to declassify certain information. The people that are the most likely the have to send in a request to declassify documents are, as you may have guessed, news reporters.
As far as finding most public records, you’ll usually just need to find the proper government website for the department that’s in charge of the information you’re looking for. For instance, if you want warrant information you’d likely want to check with the local sheriff’s department, if you wanted to find out about business records for a publicly traded business you’d likely need to go through the SEC. The only real exception for this is if you need to find something like arrest records, but we can look more into that shortly.
How are Property Values Determined?
Property values are pretty much exactly what they sound like, how much a specific property is worth. But how exactly is this determined? There are a lot of factors that go into this, and it can be good to know exactly what they are, especially if you’re looking into purchasing a house. Here are a few examples of things that determine a property’s value:
- How much similar houses in the neighborhood have sold for recently, commonly referred to as “neighborhood comps” in shorthand.
- The location of the home. Things like a good school district, nearby shopping centers, and sometimes even freeway entrances can increase a property’s value, while the lack of these sorts of things can decrease it.
- How old the house is and how well maintained it is. Older homes are often plagued with lower property values because they have a higher chance of things going wrong, like the HVAC system giving up, for instance. Of course, houses that are well maintained usually get good appraisals.
- The state of the housing market in your area can also determine your property value. It’s basic supply and demand, if there are a lot of houses for sale in your area then there’s a good chance that your home may be valued slightly lower than it would be if there weren’t.
- The size of the home, the property the home sits on, and the amount of usable space in the home also have a big impact on the value of the property. Larger houses usually have higher property values.
- Homes that have had updates and upgrades over the years often have higher property values. The amenities available for homes are always changing, so making sure that your home is up-to-date with its features can raise your home’s property value.
Whether you’re looking to buy or sell a home, there’s a good chance that you’re going to want to be acutely aware of the property values in your area. You may not always be able to get in during a buyer’s or a seller’s market, but you should still be able to buy or sell your home with ease if you just know what you’re doing.
Are Property Values Considered Public Record?
Before figuring out if property values are public records, it’s first important to determine exactly what public records are. Every state has its own public record laws, just like the federal government. The legal definition of public records is any file in any format that isn’t considered classified by the government. That means pictures, physical documents, video recordings, audio recordings, computer files, anything you can think of can be considered public records.
Now, are property values considered to be public record? The short answer is that it depends on where you live. Some states do consider this type of information public record. For instance, in California, you can find property values, taxes, previous owners, and even the year the house was build if you go to the right website. Because every state makes its own public records laws, it can be a little hit or miss to try. It’s always worth looking into for your own state so you can be sure that you’re getting the information that you’re looking for.
Why Property Values Matter
The value of any property is going to give you a good idea of how much you’ll end up spending on it. If a property is valued at $1,000,000, then it’s very likely that you’ll be paying about that much. If you understand how the market works you might be able to plan ahead and buy a home during a time when homes are undervalued, or sell a home when homes are overvalued.
There are a lot of people that do exactly this kind of thing, and those people make a whole lot of money. On top of that, realtors can usually make a lot of money with commission alone no matter what kind of market it is. Buying a home is an investment, so knowing the signs of when you should buy or sell are important if you want to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your investment.
How to Know if it’s Time to Buy or Sell
Buying and selling properties can be complicated. After all, that’s why real estate agents exist. It’s easy enough to tell when it’s a good time to buy or sell if you know what you’re doing, but most people should still do a lot of research before they make their next move. Typically, all you’ll really need to do is try to find what property prices are in your area. If they’re low, it might be a good time to buy. If they’re high, it might be a good time to sell. It’s a little more complicated than that, but that’s the framework of how most types of investing work.
Another thing to keep in mind when deciding to buy a home especially is your new mortgage. You may also need to keep this in mind if you’re looking to sell your home, depending on the terms of your mortgage. Most mortgage loans have interest rates, and those can rise or fall depending on a lot of factors as well. You’ll likely want to make sure that you can grab a mortgage that fits your budget that has a low interest rate. Many people opt for 30-year loans so they have a smaller monthly payment, but sometimes that can lead to paying back more interest overall. Other people prefer to go with a fifteen-year loan because those are paid off faster, but you’ll be stuck with a higher monthly payment so be sure that this will fit into your budget before proceeding.
It’s also important to make sure that you read all of the conditions of your mortgage. Some mortgages penalize paying the loan off early, so you could end up losing a good deal of money if you decide to sell the property off before the mortgage is over. If you think you may end up flipping the property, be sure that you get a mortgage that won’t penalize you for doing so.
Do Your House Hunting Research With Confidence
Whether you’re looking to buy a home and want to get information about property values so you know what a fair price is for the area you’re looking in, or you’re looking to sell your home and want to make sure that you can get the most money possible for it, you deserve to find all the information you need easily. Fortunately, you can find a good deal of information through the public record, and anything that you need help with can easily be taken care of by a real estate agent.
***SpyFly provides consumers affordable, immediate access to public record information. Federal laws prohibit businesses from using SpyFly’s service to make decisions about employment, insurance, consumer credit, tenant screening, or for any other purpose subject to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 USC 1681 et seq.***