Tools and tricks of the trade

Most of what you need to research a property is public and free: county records, federal maps and data, and state license lookups. Here are the tools investors use, and a routine for checking any property.

What you’ll learn

Which county offices hold ownership, tax and recorded-document records.
Free federal tools for rents, flood risk, neighborhood data and environmental records.
How to check a contractor, agent or lender before you hire them.
How to spot a bankruptcy that can stop a sale.
A research routine you can use on every property.

Compare two areas before choosing

Choose two areas and the same property type and strategy in each. Make a comparison using recent sales, rents from comparable leased homes, competing inventory and time on market.

Use Census QuickFacts for housing and population context. Check local employment trends, rental restrictions, zoning, taxes, insurance quotes and hazards. Record the source and date for each observation; broad area data does not establish a particular property’s rent or value.

Ask a local agent and property manager what your comparison misses. Write your choice, reasons and unanswered questions in your buy-box notes. If the evidence is too thin, keep researching rather than treating a low price as proof of a good investment.

The three county offices

Assessor: the parcel number, owner of record, lot size, building details and assessed value, usually with a parcel map.
Recorder: recorded documents such as deeds, deeds of trust, liens, notices of default and releases. This is where a title search starts.
Treasurer or tax collector: the tax bill, whether taxes are unpaid, and the county’s tax sale.

In Texas, the county appraisal district does the assessor’s job, the county clerk records documents, and the county tax assessor-collector or appraisal district collects taxes.

Start with the parcel number from the assessor, since the other offices use it too. Here are the largest counties:

Clark County (NV) Assessor: Search property records by address.
Clark County (NV) Recorder: Search recorded documents.
Clark County (NV) Treasurer: Search property tax accounts by parcel, owner or address.
Washoe County (NV) Assessor: Search real property assessment data.
Washoe County (NV) Recorder: Search documents and order copies; accept the county’s disclaimer first.
Washoe County (NV) Treasurer: Search property tax accounts.
Los Angeles County (CA) Assessor: Search parcel information in the Assessor Portal.
Los Angeles County (CA) Treasurer and Tax Collector: View property tax bills.
San Diego County (CA) Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk: Search official recorded documents.
San Diego County (CA) Treasurer-Tax Collector: Current property tax sale information and notices.
Maricopa County (AZ) Assessor: Parcel viewer and GIS maps.
Maricopa County (AZ) Treasurer: Parcel tax information and payments.
Pima County (AZ) Treasurer: Search property tax accounts.
Salt Lake County (UT) Assessor: Parcel map and parcel data.
Salt Lake County (UT) Recorder: Free recorded-document search; accept the county’s terms first.
Utah County (UT) Recorder: Search recorded document images.
Harris Central Appraisal District (TX): Harris County property values and records (the assessor’s job in Texas).
Harris County (TX) Clerk: real property records: Recorded deeds and liens.
Harris County (TX) Tax Office: Search tax bills, statements and receipts.
Dallas Central Appraisal District (TX): Search property values and records by owner name. Other search options are available in the tool.
Dallas County (TX) Clerk: recording: Recorded documents.
Dallas County (TX) Tax Office: Property tax bills and payments.

For any other county, open Find deals: it links the official offices for every county in your selected state. If you search instead, make sure the site ends in .gov or is linked from the county’s official website.

Find deals: Official county offices for every county in the five states we cover.

Free federal tools

HUD Fair Market Rents: HUD’s yearly rent estimates by area and bedroom count: a check on what a rental might bring. Small Area FMRs go down to ZIP codes.
Census QuickFacts: Population, income, housing and business figures for states, counties, and cities over 5,000 people.
Census Geocoder: Finds the census tract and area for an address, so you can look up its data.
FEMA Flood Map Service Center: The official flood maps. Search by address.
FEMA RAPT (National Risk Index data): Community risk for 18 natural hazards, such as wildfire, earthquake and heat.
EPA Envirofacts: EPA records on nearby waste, water, air and toxics sites. Search by address or ZIP code.

Check who you hire

Nevada State Contractors Board: license search: Nevada contractors.
California CSLB: check a license: California contractors, by license number, business or name.
Arizona Registrar of Contractors: contractor search: Arizona contractors.
Utah license lookup: Utah contractors and other licensed professions.
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: license search: Texas electricians and air conditioning contractors. Texas has no statewide license for general contractors or remodelers.
Nevada Real Estate Division: license lookup: Nevada agents, brokers and property managers.
California DRE: public license lookup: California agents and brokers.
Arizona Department of Real Estate: public database: Arizona agents and brokers.
Texas Real Estate Commission: license holder search: Texas agents, brokers and inspectors.
NMLS Consumer Access: Mortgage lenders, brokers and loan officers in every state.
California Secretary of State: business search: Who is behind a California company or LLC.
Arizona Corporation Commission: entity search: Who is behind an Arizona company or LLC.
Texas Secretary of State: SOSPortal business search: Who is behind a Texas company or LLC, for $1 per search.

Your Team: What each professional does and how to find one.

Court records and bankruptcy

When an owner files for bankruptcy, federal law usually stops anyone from enforcing a lien against their property, which can halt a foreclosure or tax sale. There are exceptions, especially for repeat filers, so ask the trustee or your title company whether a sale is on hold. Federal court records, including bankruptcy cases, are on PACER. Documents cost 10 cents a page, capped at $3 each; search results and transcripts have no cap. Fees are waived if you spend $30 or less in a quarter. State court cases are on each state’s or county’s court website.

PACER: Federal court and bankruptcy records.
PACER Case Locator: Search for a person’s or company’s federal cases nationwide.

A research routine for any property

Get the parcel number and owner of record from the assessor, and look at the parcel map.
Read the recorded documents: the last deed, open deeds of trust, liens and any notices.
Check the tax bill and any unpaid taxes with the treasurer.
Check flood, hazard and environmental records.
Look at the street and neighborhood, in person if you can.
Estimate value from sold prices, and rent from homes like this one that actually rented nearby. HUD’s Fair Market Rent is a rough area benchmark that includes utilities, not proof of what this unit will rent for.
Check for a bankruptcy if a sale is coming up.
Order a title search from a title company before you commit money.

Keep notes and copies in one place.

My deals: Track your notes, copies and sources for each property.

Put it into practice

Look up one property’s parcel, tax bill, recorded documents and flood zone. Record the source and the date for each.

Key terms

Parcel number (APN): The county’s ID number for a piece of land; used on tax bills and maps.
Owner of record: The owner shown in county records.
Recorded document: A deed, loan, lien or notice filed with the county recorder, open to the public.
Automatic stay: The legal pause on collection, including foreclosure, when someone files for bankruptcy.
Fair Market Rent (FMR): HUD’s estimate of typical rent, including most utilities, for an area and unit size.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-10-09.