Drove for dollars, found a home, finding the owner?

Question

Hello, I have been driving for dollars and found a home that is in distress. After going to the local county assessor to look up the information, I have found out the owner's name but they have passed away YEARS ago. I checked the tax on the property and someone has been paying for the property's taxes for a few years but stopped recently. What do I do now? What do I need to do to find out who is in control of the property and how could I make an offer? This is in San Jose, CA.

Tags: California. Northern California. Norcal. SJ. Santa Clara.

Tags: California. Northern California. Norcal. SJ. Santa Clara.

Account Closed · Answer

@Allen Saeteurn,

I hope this is not the property at the corner of S 5th St and William.  I'm going after this one.  I know where the son lives.  :>)

If you can gain access from a title company, you can dig up a lot of things.  A good realtor can help you track down this info too, or you can subscribe to corelogic or an equivalent website and dig up info there.  Seems like dataquick got bought out by corelogic.   When I used dataquick back in the days, they had a lot more pertinent info on each property.  Since the acquisition, it was no longer the same so I stopped using them/corelogic.  The county recorder's office is another place you can go and do your search for free.

Best of luck.

Ryan Landis · Answer

@Allen Saeteurn good old door knocking might be your best bet ;)

If it is vacant, then as @Chris Townley mentioned neighbors are a great resource.

Chris Townley · Answer

Do you know who was paying the taxes? Two things I would try is actually talking to a person in the tax assesor's office (if you haven't already) and trying to get a name of who is responsible to pay the taxes, or try talking to the neighbors, maybe they have a contact for a family member of the previous owner.

Tina Pollard · Answer

yes, it should take you to response website. http://www.response.com/login

Let  know how it helps! @QuarnCorley

Allen Saeteurn · Answer

@Ryan Landis Thanks for the advice, Ryan, I connected with someone to help me get started.

Ryan Landis · Answer

@Allen Saeteurn sounds like a good find! If that is the case, you honestly might have some luck asking the neighbors whats going on. Most cities will also have someone down at the office that is aware of what is going on if it is truly boarded up.

Allen Saeteurn · Answer

@Ryan Landis Yeah, it's definitely vacant. It is really boarded up and looks as if it's suffered light burn. The front yard is also fenced off.

Allen Saeteurn · Answer

@Chris Townley I do not know who is paying the taxes. Thanks for the solid advice! It'll be on my checklist for tomorrow! @Tina Pollard Thanks, I'll look into a local title company if I have to.

Tina Pollard · Answer

Oh ok, well maybe try that site or sometimes a local title company can be of help and even a realtor near by that has access to MLS. @Allen Saeteurm

Drove for dollars, found a home, finding the owner?

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