Finding and contacting the owner of an abandoned property

[Paul Wakim]

So there is a property close to me in the east end of Pittsburgh that I have had my eye on for a while. It is abandoned but It is in an AMAZING location and I think it could potentially be a great deal for me. BUT when looking at the Allegheny tax website it shows the owner as the guy who died in the house. Then when looking at the owner mailing address it shows a different address than the home I'm interested in. 

I talked to the neighbor today who said she has been in her house for 4 years and it has been vacant the entire time she has lived there. She seems to think there is an insurance company or hospital with a lien against the house. The tax site also shows that the taxes have not been paid for the past 3 years. I cannot see beyond that. 

I can take that owner mailing address and search for it on the same site and get the owners first and last name.

Other than mailing that address and walking up to the front door what other ways could I contact the owner of the property? 

Does anyone know of a way to gather more info on this property? 

Thanks in advance!

[Sawyer Dina]

Hey Paul,

That's an excellent question, a tough one to figure out for sure. It sounds to me that either the county has not updated the owner's name properly...OR more than likely the property was passed down to his son with the same name as an inheritance. The mailing address usually is different from the owner's address if 1) it's currently vacant and the owner lives elsewhere or 2) the owner is an investor and has the property as a rental.

I'm actually a wholesaler in the Pittsburgh area and could hook you up to some great off market deals if you'd like to check them out. Of course they are mostly vacant properties that need work done to them but several are for sale under $20K. If you'd like to reach out to me, send me a private message through Bigger Pockets and we talk further over there.

Also, as a wholesaler, we use a number of online tools to find owners phone numbers, and email addresses. They come at a price but can be worth it, look into Spokeo & Intelius. They might help. 

Best,

Sawyer