Transcript:
Hey there, it’s Casey Denman here from TaxSaleAcademy.com and thanks so much for joining me for our weekly tip. Today’s tip is going to be actually fairly quick and to the point.
The tip: Use Google.
Yes, I know that you probably already to this multiple times a day. But what I want you to do is leverage the power of Google for your tax sale research. One step that I’ll always take is a quick copy and paste into Google during the research phase and I do this twice: Once for the parcel number itself and once for the address.
And I do this for a number of reasons.
Let’s first discuss the parcel number. Most parcel numbers are lengthy and the sequence of numbers and/or letters are fairly unique. It’s not like it’s going to pull up someone’s phone number or something when you search for parcel numbers. Generally speaking if you copy and paste the parcel number, the primary sites that will get returned by Google are the ones that relate to that property. Now, a lot of times you might not get a single thing, but others times you will.
These can range from fairly uninteresting sites that might just have a list of county parcel numbers, to sites than generate their own third party records by pulling any info relating to that parcel ID to some of the more complex issues. These more compelx issues can includes things like parcel numbers that were referenced, and recorded, in the minutes of a county or city hearing. There have plenty plenty of times when a parcel ID I’ve searched has pulled up a document demonstrating to me that it was the sole subject of the last county commissioner’s hearing. And news flashs here: that’s not going to be a good thing. You might also come across code violations that weren’t posted elsewhere or other property history you didn’t know about. Another common issue is seeing the property appear on a previous tax sale auction list. So let’s say it’s 2020 and you search a parcel number and you pull up that parcel number, and subsequently the same exact property when you do a Google search that shows it as being sold in 2016 at a tax sale. So . . . it’s been there before. It’s a frequent flyer as we refer to those types of properties. Odds are that there is a reason it’s a frequent flyer. So keep that in mind.
Now, after you’ve searched the parcel number, it’s time to search the address. This will definitely bring back more results and it’ll be up to your to filter them out. Typically, you’ll come across a number of results that will actually be very useful right off the bat. Like Google maps, open it, street view and aerial view it, compare it to GIS, that kind of thing. Obviously, that helps. And so does all of the other real estate related sites. But once you get past the primary site geared towards search engines, scroll down or possibly even to the second or third page of your results and take a look. Just like searching the parcel number you might just come across some information that can have a substantial impact on how you view that investment. Maybe it’s code violations, maybe there’s an article about the property recentlyh catching fire, there are lots of odd things that will pop up. I’ve even searched an address and had about a dozen news stories about the house I was looking to buy being the house where a double homicide has taken place. That’s going to be a tough sell when you go searching for your buyer. Regardless, you might be surprised at what you’ll come across.
So, the next time your doing your research, don’t forget to use Google. Now, it’s important you don’t use Google as your only tool. That is NOT what I’m suggesting. Do all of your research like normal of course, and use Google as an add-on tool. This will probably take you less than maybe 20 seconds and that will be 20 seconds well invested.
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this week’s tax sale tip. If you do enjoy these tips, make sure you click on that thumbs up button to let me know and also don’t forget to click on the red button to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss out on future tax sale training videos.
If you’re looking to learn more, there are a whole bunch of links down below in today’s show notes, which includes many free resources. And if you enjoy our free training videos, you’ll love our much more detailed step by step training videos we offer inside The Tax Sale Academy. For more information on the academy, just head to TaxSaleAcademy.com.
Thanks so much for watching and make it a successful day!
Take care, see ya!