How do you know if a property has been inherited?

[Victor Barboza]

Hi everyone! I was driving around a neighborhood in Phoenix, AZ. I found a decent amount of properties that could be potential leads. However, there is one that stands out a lot to me. It has boarded windows, the mailbox has been nailed, has normal wear, but nothing to big and looks like it could be a great deal. I looked into the home and found the owner using my local tax assessor's website. I proceeded and looked up the owner on white pages, and figured out that he was really old mid 90's. So, I took a yellow letter to the home and put it on their door since the mailbox was nailed. Got no response, did it again two weeks later and again no response. I asked a neighbor if there was anyone living in that property or what was the deal with it. They let me know that they have not seen the original owner in a while, but other people had moved a sofa in a few days before.

How would I know if this property has been inherited? There is also no other mailing address for the homeowner when I look on my tax assessor's website. Is there any tips or tricks that have worked in the past for you guys?

- Thank You!

[Kerry Baird]

Search the legal news site and look for the names of the deceased, and in particular, the personal representative. This person, who may be court appointed if there are no heirs, is the person who can make decisions regarding the disposal of a property. The county probate court may have more information.
In the records, we see a D.C. For "death certificate" whereas a QCD is a quit claim deed or a WD for a warranty deed.

In one case, we bought a probate through the MLS and has to present our offer in front of the court. More recently we inherited a house and had to record the death certificate in order to get the deed. There was only one heir and it went very smoothly. I am surprised we didn't get any mail from other investors. 🤔