trying to find information about an abandoned property

[Doc]

Has anyone on this forum bought a home in foreclosure? Our neighbors abandoned their property over six months' ago, and we're interested in buying it (only 2 acres but it is next to our farm, and used to be part of it many years ago). I have asked the mortgage company about it; county tax office, clerk of court, and a real estate agent. No one can give me information prior to it becoming a foreclosure and posted on the bulletin board at COC's office. It is extremely frustrating, and I figure if we knew the right people or avenues to follow, possibly we could get some concrete data.

Since there is money involved, you'd think someone would be eager to talk with us.

Nope, have no idea where the previous (current) owners are now.

Any advice/links/resources would be appreciated (we've searched the web).

[Old Vet]

They may have abandoned the land or not. Is it in foreclosure now? If not then you will not have any luck on finding anything else.

[Danaus29]

Knowing the state in which you are located would help.

As for abandonded homes in Ohio, that I know. They first go through a foreclosure process which takes about a year, during which time the property goes into a sheriff's auction. At the sheriff's auction you can buy the property with so much % cashier's check delivered on the date of the sale and x number of days to pay the rest of it. The way to get the sheriff list of foreclosures is to subscribe to a local business paper or go directly to the courthouse each week.

I would check with your county auditor, but don't ask for specifics regarding this property. Just ask in general what happens in the foreclosure process.

[MN Gardener]

Was it a local bank or national bank (ie: Countrywide, Washington Mutual, etc)? If it was a local bank, call the collection dept. The notice of foreclosure should have been in the paper filed by an attorney. I would try to find that in an old paper and call the attorney that handled the foreclosure. The lenders are very busy with foreclosures right now, it takes them forever to do the paperwork, etc. I am sure a real estate agent will be putting a sign up soon. In our state the owners have 6 mos (12 mos on agriculutural land) to redeem themselves and after that the bank takes over. You are probably going to have to wait it out until a real estate agent puts it on the market.

[Kathy in MD]

I have never bought a house in foreclosure…but I do have a few thoughts for you…
You can find out if the taxes are paid and up-to-date thru the Real Property records…
I believe you can find out who owns the mortgage thru the Clerk of the Court…
Check with the Post Office.. if the owners left a forwarding address., try contacting them directly…

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by Kathy in MD

Check with the Post Office.. if the owners left a forwarding address., try contacting them directly…

I tend to agree but of course the post office is not allowed to disclose such information---unless you work the system which means you simply can't go in and ask for the forwarding address.

Find out the owner of record from the county records. Send a letter to the owner via the current address listed with the county for tax statements. Mark on the front of the letter one of the following terms, either "address correction requested" or "address correction requested do not forward".

Using the first term IF the post office has a forwarding address on file the letter will be forwarded and you will be sent a card with the correct address on it. Using the second term your letter will be returned to you with the forwarding address provided on it. I believe there is a charge for this service.

How do you know that the property is abandoned and that the people just didn't move and have not returned yet?

In my opinion property is never abandoned property as someone always owns it whether it be the county, an owner, a finance company, heirs, etc.
That's actually a pet peeve of mine, especially when people steal things from so called abandoned property. DON'T STEAL! Sorry, that was off topic and not something you even spoke of doing. The timing just seemed right since the term was used.

[geo in mi]

Check Google to see if your county has 'Ortho Aerial" maps. My county shows my property in photodetail with lot lines, etc. Also will give you option of getting the parcel number that is registered in the county courthouse. With the lot or parcel number, you can get the owner and address, property description, tax assessment, and more. You might go to the Register of Deeds at the courthouse and get this info by asking. Deeds and tax assessmants are public records. Should be listed by parcel number and address. Should also be the property survey available, of which you can get a copy.

With the parcel and description, you can check the newspaper back issues to see if any notice of foreclosure has been issued. Usually this has to be published at least a couple of times, then there are waiting periods, etc before the actual foreclosure goes to the court. After the court judgement, if it is foreclosed for failure to pay property taxes, there will be a public noptice--again--a couple of times for a Sherrif's sale, usually held on the steps of the courthouse at a certain date and time. Everyone will have a chance to bid........

If the foreclosure is for nonpayment of of the mortgage, then the mortgager(bank or mortgage company) will go through the legal process and notification as spelled out in the promissary note and in accordance with the laws. Again, a court hearing will be held.

Probably you are seeing just the beginning of the lengthy legal process, of which there are no court judgements yet--and that is why no one can tell you specifically anything about the property.

You might also mail your neighbors a letter. If they left a forwarding address, the letter may get to them; if not, it will be returned to you. At that point I would pay a friendly visit to my neighbor's house. You might see a notice on the door or elsewhere on the property. Usually the mortgage company has to post notice to the mortagee if they can't be located by registered letter.

Good luck and happy sleuthing--I am not a lawyer, so these are just some of the things I would try if I were interested.

[Jay]

We moved away for several years (for a job), but kept our property. Kept the taxes paid up, and had folks check on it for us and mow it (not as often as they should have--so indeed it did 'look' abandoned). Just because no one is 'there' doesn't mean its abandoned.

Had lots of rumors floating around (funny ones, too!) and then eventually a couple of people contacted us and wanted to buy it. I told them it wasn't for sale....we moved back, live here, and people still ask us if/when we are going to sell it.

[Doc]

Thanks for all the great information and advice. I don't think I made myself very clear in reading somem of your responses. Things we have done already:

1. Clerk of Court -- they post foreclosures DAILY -- not weekly. They won't put them online, so you have to make time to go there. It isn't close by. They will not give out any information.

2. Mortgage Co -- Beneficial. They are bound by law not to give out information, whether it is in foreclosure or not.

3. Register of Deeds/Tax Office. Owners are in arrears. The tax agent was the most helpful so far.

4. Owners' current address: listed as the abandoned property. No forwarding address. Acc: to next-door neighbor, they come in during the night, grab their mail from the mailbox (jammed to the brim) and leave.

5. They left all their trash outside the house. From the windows, the inside is filled with junk.

The question and puzzle to me is why no one can or is willing to provide information when there is a buyer? Partly it is protecting identity, but in this day and age??? You'd think I could find some little tidbit. Would a real-estate agent have an inside track?

[Doc]

Thanks for all the good information. I don't think I made myself clear on a couple of points from reading the responses. Here is what we have done (and continue to do):

1. Mortgage Co: Beneficial (who has closed all local offices). Spokesperson says they are bound by law and cannot reveal if property is in foreclosure.

2. Clerk of Court -- a real nightmare. They don't post anything online; therefore, you have to make time to go to the bulletin board outside their office where they post foreclosures DAILY, not weekly. This is a 20 mile trip for us and can't be done daily. COC -- not at all helpful in answering questions.

3. Register of Deeds/Tax office: agent said they are currently trying to collect property tax that has been in arrears for six months. She referred me COC.

4. Owners' address -- listed as current property. Next-door neighbor said they come in during the night, grab their mail (overflowing their mailbox) and then leave. Moved to the coast with no forwarding address, obviously.

5. House is a mess, inside and out (trash left out back).

I guess I'm just surprised that no one can be or will be forthcoming on any information about the process. Especially in this day and age. You'd think "buyer" would get someone's attention. We didn't want to have to wait until the sign was posted in the yard. Would a real-estate agent have an inside track to the process?

[Common Tator]

Write a letter addressed to the property. If the owners come get the mail regularly, make sure they understand you are willing and able to buy. They may jump at the chance if it keeps the property from being foreclosed.

If they owe more than the house is worth, it may be better to wait for the foreclosure and deal with the bank. Before the foreclosure you may be able to arrange a short sale.

The recorders office should have a deed of trust on file. It should list the mortgage information. Contact the bank or mortgage company to inquire about a short sale if the mortgage is in arrears.

I have bought a short sale from a bank before, but they had already arranged it with the former owners. This was for a house that we used as a rental for several years after fixing it up nicely. We later sold this property to use the equity to buy our ranch.

Our ranch had sat vacant for 10 years before we bought it. I found the owners through documents on file at the county recorder. It was difficult getting in touch, because the actual owners were in Hong Kong and had hired several representatives in the U S to handle their affairs. They used the representatives addresses for correspondence, but then quit paying the reps, who then wanted nothing to do with them any more and wouldn't cooperate with my efforts. I finally did appeal to (read: 'pester') the final rep to the point where he gave me an address.

Best of luck to you!

[Gary in ohio]

There is no such thing as abandoned property. It may not have anyone using it, but someone owns it. You need to start your search at the clerk of courts and see who has legal rights to it. At a minimum it will have the previous owner and most likley a financial institution. Call the financial company and see what you can work out. Depending on the property state they might be willing to get rid of it quick and cheap.

[o&itw]

Originally Posted by Windy in Kansas

I tend to agree but of course the post office is not allowed to disclose such information---unless you work the system which means you simply can't go in and ask for the forwarding address.

If they left a forwarding address, you could write them at the old address.

[agmantoo]

The tax office will have the address of the last person that the tax bill was sent to. This is public information. Start searching from there.

[foxtrapper]

Go to the office where the deed is recorded. Start there. Then over to taxation.

Don't expect anyone to want to cause a car on the train to jump the track. They have a process they go though, and you want them to deviate from it.

There is a big difference between buying an abandoned property and forclosure. Has to do with legal rights of the former owner, and it varies tremendously among the states. Make sure you understand what you're getting into before you get into it.

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by o&itw

If they left a forwarding address, you could write them at the old address.

Yes, my next paragraph addressed just that and how to get a new one if there is one.

[Old Vet]

Originally Posted by Doc

I guess I'm just surprised that no one can be or will be forthcoming on any information about the process. Especially in this day and age. You'd think "buyer" would get someone's attention. We didn't want to have to wait until the sign was posted in the yard. Would a real-estate agent have an inside track to the process?

It is called privacy laws. Why would you like me to find out about your business from somebody else?

[Doc]

I certainly would if I had a home about to go in to foreclosure. You can track me down.

[Spinner]

If the owners put in a forwarding address when they left you can get it by sending a postcard to their old address and for a few cents request their forwarding addy. The post office will forward the card to them, and send you a card with the new addy.

If the property is in foreclosure, it might not be too late for them to pay it out. If that's the case, they might contract with you to purchase it by paying it off to save their credit rating. It might be worth a try.

At the very least they might be able to tell you the name of the bank foreclosing and you may be able to buy it from the bank to save them headaches. Many banks will sell for less than payoff, just to clear the books.

[Narshalla]

Originally Posted by Doc

Thanks for all the good information. I don't think I made myself clear on a couple of points from reading the responses. Here is what we have done (and continue to do):

1. Mortgage Co: Beneficial (who has closed all local offices). Spokesperson says they are bound by law and cannot reveal if property is in foreclosure.

2. Clerk of Court -- a real nightmare. They don't post anything online; therefore, you have to make time to go to the bulletin board outside their office where they post foreclosures DAILY, not weekly. This is a 20 mile trip for us and can't be done daily. COC -- not at all helpful in answering questions.

3. Register of Deeds/Tax office: agent said they are currently trying to collect property tax that has been in arrears for six months. She referred me COC.

4. Owners' address -- listed as current property. Next-door neighbor said they come in during the night, grab their mail (overflowing their mailbox) and then leave. Moved to the coast with no forwarding address, obviously.

5. House is a mess, inside and out (trash left out back).

I guess I'm just surprised that no one can be or will be forthcoming on any information about the process. Especially in this day and age. You'd think "buyer" would get someone's attention. We didn't want to have to wait until the sign was posted in the yard. Would a real-estate agent have an inside track to the process?

Given this, it sounds like it is the process of being foreclosed upon. In that situation, the owners have to agree to the sale, and if they won't talk . . . .

Sounds like you will have to wait until the foreclosure process is finished, and then buy it.

Your only other option is to buy the mortgage from the company that owns the mortgage, and them continue the foreclosure process yourself, at which point you will own the property. If you are buying the mortgage, rather than the property, the bank will talk to you.

However, before you do that, I recommend that you invest $500 or so and have a title search done on the property, which will give you a good idea how many loans are secured by this property, and what type. If they have enough liens against the property, weather it is tradesman's liens, back taxes, judgment against them for a car wreck that was their fault (just an example), they could owe significantly more than the property is worth, all of which will have to be paid either from the sale of the property or by you afterwards so that you can get clear title.