Sifting through public record, are these trusts?

Question

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well! I have a quick question that I have researched but would just like to make sure that I understood it correctly.

SO, I am combing through public records on the MLS to target LLC’s to find the owners and network with them to cultivate a relationship. I use my state’s entity lookup website and very few of them come up as llc’s in the state of Massachusetts. Many of the owner names in the record are simply the address of the property, and do not come up in the lookup.

My thoughts for the cause of this were:

1.) The entity was created in another state.

Or

2.) After some research, they are trusts and keep anonymity so you won’t know who owns them.

Did I understand that correctly? Thank you!

-Kyle

Mary Cronin · Answer

Sounds likely. LLCs are registered entities and should show up (if local or foreign (out of state) and registered in your state) but trusts aren't registered anywhere. Some people fail to register their out of state LLCs or corps in the local state (especially here in CA) but if your state's tax authority is as efficient as CA's, they'll catch up to them sooner or later. Check the tax collector's listing for an out of state address.

You can name a trust anything you want. As far as hiding identity, naming a trust the "Joe Smith Family Trust" as many attorneys do totally defeats the point of anonymity - don't know why they do it. So "1234 Main St Trust" hides the owner (unless they live there). So would "Doberman Trust" assuming you were naming the trust after the dog breed and not someone's name.

Mary Cronin · Answer

"Do you go to the tax assessors site and it is there?"

Some counties (most?) are online. Yours may be different since I think some East coast states tax by town?

As a sample I'm familiar with, search on Google for San Joaquin County tax collector, and follow instructions for a search and here's a defaulted property APN for you to look at  ... 163-220-44 ... I found this on the recorder's grantee/grantor index searching for "Notice-Power to Sell" which shows APN and owner, Tax Collector omits name but gives you everything else ... look at the tax bill which shows assessments, taxes, miscellaneous bond payments (mostly schools) and the mailing address for owner. (Names are omitted per CA law but not from the Notice-Power to Sell.)

Don't ask me why Deutsche Bank has defaulted on the taxes. I think it's land.

Your jurisdiction may have similar search functions. If all else fails go to tax office (COVID permitting) and get the info in person (maybe by phone???).

Kyle Curtin · Answer

@Mary Cronin

Thank you so much Mary! I kinda thought it was something like that, that makes a ton of sense haha! How would I go about checking a tax collectors listing?  Do you go to the tax assessors site and it is there? Thank you!!