Lien Records Search Basics

A lien records search can help guide your investment decisions

Prior to purchasing property, an investor will want to perform a lien records search. When you search liens against a property, you’re looking at any money owed to collectors that must be paid off in order for the property to be sold.

Besides a property lien search, you may want to perform searches to look into any liens against a business or individual. This may include looking for federal tax lien records, mechanical liens, vehicle liens and more.

1. Learn the lien records search basics. Determine if it’s a lien public record, then you can legally access it.

2. Find providers of public lien records. Different companies have software available that you can use to search for business liens, home liens and more.

3. Perform lien searches. If you’re in a business that needs to regularly search for liens, then you may want to sign up for a subscription plan.

 

Research information on public lien records

Before you start to look for liens, you should learn lien records search basics. Research how lien records are generated and what type of businesses or entities are required to submit this information. As a rule of thumb, a company should look at compliancy requirements and enforcement used to ensure accuracy of records.
Try: The Internal Revenue Service provides information on their automated lien system and how the data is collected as well as enforcement used to gather this information. Rogue Investor has tax lien information by state in order to find the data you need quickly.

Search by state for lien records

Each state has a website that you can use to search for liens and judgments made against a person or business. Use these public records to your advantage when looking into a business or property purchase. However, most records searches do provide a disclosure agreement that you must abide by.
Try: The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority website has an easy to use tool that the public can use to search for liens on a person or property. Provide as much information as possible on the Idaho Secretary of State site to receive a comprehensive list of liens.

Find low cost lien records search tools

Instead of getting paid software, you can look through lien records at very little cost to your company. You can choose to go to the public records department of your county or you can look for websites that provides this information at a nominal fee to you.
Try: On KnowX.com, you can search for several different public lien records. Property and tax liens are available through the site. You can search by person’s name, filing number and location. Experian has released a software program that can search for county, state and federal tax lien records.

 

• When looking into purchasing foreclosed properties, investors typically perform a property lien search. This can give them an idea of the debts that must be paid prior to title transference.

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