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Buyer Tips
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Do you live in an old house and want to unearth a bit
of its history?
If you live in an older house and are not familiar with its heritage
you might want to consider becoming a house detective, so to speak.
It’s fun and educational to find out about the history of your
property. In my college real estate classes, students are required to
select a property, preferably one they have some interest in, and
research its ownership back to 1900. They tell me it’s the best
assignment of the course.
Here are some places you can go for information:
First, go to the county courthouse and check the property records.
There will be deeds filed by names of owners, plus there will be tax
records. It will help tremendously if you have the legal description
and tax number of the property you are investigating.
Other sources of information include your local historic preservation
program, if there is one in your town. Also, the state archives has
tax rolls and birth and death records. Census records are available at
regional National Archives centers and some libraries. And don’t
forget local libraries that might have city directories, newspapers
,and magazines.
Good hunting.
This Homebuyers Tip was excerpted from:
TWO HOURS OF REAL ESTATE, One Minute at a Time, by
Phil Hardwick, Quail Ridge Press, 1993.
ISBN 0937552534
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