Mortgages are recorded by county recorders office.Here's an example - Montgomery county in Ohio:FAQ - https://www.mcohio.org/government/elected_officials/recorder/faq_s.phpActual database you can search -http://public.mcrecorder.org/external/User/Login.aspx?

I spoke with an agent today with strong ties to the city government.

I can't tell if you're pro or anti government regulation.

But you may owe a good portion of that back to the government after selling.

In this case the tenant happens to receive financial support from the government. 

Another plus for the area is that the two big employers in the area are government and health care.

Counties and states have different laws governing it but that seems off by quite a bit it could be a local law or it could be a mistake in that they assessed the land only and not the property as a whole, many times even if there is a law limiting increases in assessed value it resets when the property is sold.

At the end of the day, if I pull the plug at 55, I have 10 years until I can get the government ins, and at least 7 years until SSI.

Both of which are government subsidized like jobs. - We've been on the top charts for several years leading to our rapid growth and appreciation in prices and rents. - A long term theory - as the oceans rise from global temperatures rise, beach front property is going to become a bit less desirable.

@Matthew GrebetaI’ll take in to account the current economy, the people living there, and the future proposals from the local government as well.