Need help finding public records

[Jeff Pracht]

Hello, I am looking for help as to where to access public records. I know there are different ways to go about this depending on state, county, ect... I am interested in a vacant house in my neighborhood and am having a hard time finding concrete information about it. is the only way to get that info by calling or visiting the courthouse/assessor's office?

Also has anyone used usrealtyrecords.com? I tried to do a search on a property on the website and it wanted payment of 1.25$ per search. I don't want to pay on a random website I don't know anything about but I'm willing to pay for useful information.

Thanks in advance