How Do I Find Out if a Property is in Foreclosure?

Every year, thousands of properties are placed in foreclosure, and are up for sale at auctions around the country. Finding these properties and determining if a property is in foreclosure can help investors and prospective homebuyers alike hone in on possible buying opportunities.

You can generally found out if a property is in foreclosure proceedings through a few different avenues. The first way to find out if a property is in foreclosure is to consult foreclosure listings. These lists are broken out by region, and can be found at the state and local level as well. Foreclosure listings typically give you the address of any properties that are in foreclosure proceedings in a general area.

Sometimes, though, foreclosure listings are too general and can be difficult to find whether or not a specific property is in the foreclosure process. Those who want a more specific way to find the foreclosure status of a certain property have to do a bit more research.

One popular way to find out more information is to go to the county clerk’s office. This office has records on properties in the area and can help you find out more information. One thing to look for is a “lis pendens” filing on the property. This means “suit pending” and is a public notice that a foreclosure proceeding has begun on a property. Since it is a public notice, it can be viewed by any member of the public, such as yourself.

A local realtor can also check the public records on a specific property for you. If you cannot find a realtor, or cannot make it to the county clerk’s office, you can also usually conduct a records search online through the county clerk’s website. These let you search with a particular address, so finding a certain property should be simple.