Tracking down a property owner from an estate
I’ve pulled county tax records on 40-50 properties before, and have an unlimited account on WhitePages to look up owner contact info, numbers, addresses, etc. I’ve done cold calls and sent a couple targeted letters. I picked up a triplex and a duplex by calling, never had success with the letters, but I’m not blasting them out like a wholesaler. Now I’ve found a property I’m very interested in, and I’ve hit a wall, was hoping for some insight.
There’s a multifamily property in my area that’s been sitting empty for several years. Built in 2004, the owner was an elderly woman that passed away in 2017. According to the neighbors, it was inherited by family, they came down several weeks ago to “do some fixing up” and it sounds like they were a little overwhelmed. Siding is falling off, paint is completely peeled, tons of deferred maintenance, and apparently a family of squirrels is living inside. So basically, it smells like money to me. Here’s where I’m stuck.
I pulled the 2020 tax records, it’s still showing as listed in the previous owner’s name, keep in mind she passed away in 2017. I pulled the obituary, all next of kin are previously deceased, no children listed. Her last known Address is Raleigh, and it sounds like that’s where the family that inherited it drove down from. I have a wholesaler friend in Raleigh that I’m hoping to get some insight from, but given what I’ve stated so far, what am I missing? How do you track down the owner of a property after it has gone through an inheritance, or if it’s owned by a trust for that matter?