Cuyahoga County Records
Public Record Information for Cleveland Investors
A remarkable amount of public record information is available online for properties located within Cuyahoga County, the county in which Cleveland and dozens of its suburbs are located.
Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer's Office
One of the most useful tools for any investor doing research on properties within Cuyahoga County is the real property information portal provided by the Fiscal Officer for Cuyahoga County. This tool provides information on all real estate parcels within the county, and includes a treasure trove of data, including transfer information (dating back to January 1975), property tax valuation & valuation history, tax bill information, land information, and building information. You can search by owner’s name, property address, or parcel number… or simply scroll or pan around to an area in which you’re interested and start digging into the property data. This is one link that should definitely be bookmarked if you are serious about Cleveland area investing.
Cuyahoga County Recorder’s Information
Another useful took for an investor doing research on properties within Cuyahoga County is the Recorder’s Office website. On the Recorder’s Office site you can look up any document that has been recorded in Cuyahoga County, dating back well over 100 years. This includes, amongst many other things, deeds conveying transfers of property, and liens such as mortgages and mechanic’s liens. The tool is set up so you can search by different parameters, such as by associated name, associated parcel number, etc., and there are options to select a date range and other criteria to really hone in on whatever you’re seeking. While an online search tool is no substitute for a full title search conducted by a title company in the process of purchasing a property, it is very useful for preliminary due diligence for any investor.
Sherriff’s Department Information
Finally, for investors interested in buying properties that are in the foreclosure process, the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s department website is your go-to spot. Note that this is NOT the same as buying a bankowned property… this is the mechanism that the banks use to formally acquire title to properties on which they hold mortgages that have gone south. Buying properties at the Sheriff’s sale is a high-risk game and is definitely not for the beginner. These are not properties that are “for sale” in the traditional sense. For an advanced investor, a Sheriff’s sale property could be a good potential opportunity though!