Tips wanted to research property history

[Chris Deckert]

A very brief background, I'm new to real estate investing. I've been doing a lot of reading on here, as well as books I've picked up. So, I'm gaining the book knowledge but lack all of the experience. 

So, I walk through my neighborhood often and there is an empty lot that has caught my eye. This time last year, there was pre-construction happening and the grading for a house was done. All of a sudden, it came to a halt. A for sale sign went up and then came down. It sat for a long time and about 100 days ago a for sale sign went back up. The asking price is almost 4 times what the land is appraised for on the county tax assessor site and I can't find out why. The owner is listed as an LLC, but there is no previous sale history and all of the listings I find have zero useful information. My assumption is someone's deal fell through which caused the property to go up for sale, but I just don't know. The neighborhood is great and I can really see potential here if it can be had for a good deal.

So, my question is, what are some resources to dig further into the history of the property? Should I reach out to a realtor? Are there any county websites I can visit? Any tips would be helpful! Thank you!

- Chris

[Leah Stuever]

Tax records are the first. Second, if you are working with a real estate agent (and you should) they may be able to give you more info. 

Taxes do not generally reflect what a property is worth/will sell for. You need to run comps.