Lists in MA: How to use the county website?

[Brian Ruland]

I live in Massachusetts, and the county website is extremely complicated to me.  I just want to generate, say, an absentee owner's list, or a inherit list, or a delinquent tax list, but I can't figure out how to do it on their website, http://www.masslandrecords.com/.  Does anyone have any experience with this site?  I could use Listsource or any of the others, but I'd rather not pay for something offered free. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Ann Bellamy]

Brian, you are using the word "county website" the way the gurus from other parts of the country do.   Because in other parts of the country, all the tax records are kept and billed by county.  In MA, the only county function is the registry of deeds.  I think you are looking for tax records, and tax records are by town.  So you would go to the town, go to the tax assessor page, and find a link for the online database.  It is usually one of a few companies that keep these records, such as Vision Appraisal or Patriot Properties. 

I still don't think you can generate what you want, the way you want to, but you can try, and if you succeed, then let us know.  Sometimes a call to the town will help, if it's a small town.  Or call Vision and see what they say.