How do i find out who owns a property?

[Kevin Moore]

Hi all!

There is a property in my small Seattle area town that has been vacant for years. The owner died in 2010 and the property looks like it has been ignored since then with no trespassing signs in the windows. I was able to look up the tax and sale information and found that the Sherriff was ordered to sell the property back in Dec 2012 to settle the remaining debt with the bank. There is absolutely no record of any sale happening. The taxes look like they were paid up until the end of 2017.

How can I figure out who owns this property?

Thanks for any help!

[Ned Carey]

A title search is the best. If you want to do it yourself, check the land records or tax assessors office. Then you also need to check court records to see if there was a foreclosure. 

Many times a bank will foreclose but not record their deed until they resell the property. The bank could have foreclosed and legally own the property but never recorded their deed or resold. They just decided to write it off. 

No foreclosure from the old owner or heirs. If their was a foreclosure, See if you can get the bank to talk to you. They own it now.