Where can I go to find out everything about a property?

[Jin Soo]

Where can I go to find out everything about a property?
Such as:
-The owner
-Previous sales
-If there is anything wrong with the property
-Loan balance
-Comps
-Hidden fees, liens, back payments
-etc

I know title companies have this information, but is there a way I can research on my own for little to no money? I know zillow has some information, but it is not enough info to "crunch the numbers" and find out if it's a good deal or not. Any advice?

[Jon Holdman]

-The owner

Public records - from the county recorder's web site or a title company.

-Previous sales

Public records or the MLS - depends on how much detail is made public in your area.

-If there is anything wrong with the property

By inspecting the property. No other way to get this reliably.

-Loan balance

From the lender. No other source can give you this accurately.

-Comps

Public Records and the MLS. Various commercial sites will give some of this info, but many simply pull it from public records.

-Hidden fees, liens, back payments

Hidden fees from who? Liens would be from public records, back payments from the lender.