Checking for liens on home

Hello all,

I've been looking at homes in the Detroit area for about a year now, hoping to buy my first home. I've found a number of intriguing listings and am hoping some of you might be able to help me find some more resources to find further information to help me in my search. I have found a couple homes that seem "too good to be true", and I worry that there may be liens on the homes. Is there any reliable way to check if there are back taxes or water bills on any particular property? I want to be sure I know what I'm getting myself into. Any direction would be much appreciated.

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Originally Posted by ilikesamin

Hello all,

I've been looking at homes in the Detroit area for about a year now, hoping to buy my first home. I've found a number of intriguing listings and am hoping some of you might be able to help me find some more resources to find further information to help me in my search. I have found a couple homes that seem "too good to be true", and I worry that there may be liens on the homes. Is there any reliable way to check if there are back taxes or water bills on any particular property? I want to be sure I know what I'm getting myself into. Any direction would be much appreciated.

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I don't know the answer to your question, but in lieu of the recent turn of events, I would suggest making sure the water bill was also current.

The reliable way is to pay a title company.

All the information is public, the difference between doing it yourself and paying someone is if you pay the right person the right amount, they're on the hook if they end up having been wrong about the results.

If you want to do it yourself, familiarize yourself with the Wayne County Register of Deeds website: https://www.waynecountylandrecords.com/recorder/web/

Before you pay them $6 for 15 minutes + $2 page + $0.40 per transaction, familiarize yourself with the free search, and make sure you know the property's parcel ID #, as well as the lot #s in question. It's a weird little race.

You can also get a lot of information from the city's tax records [[which WDWOT links to directly on each parcel, $2 per property, usually worth it) and the 'pay your taxes online' website, which shows you a semi-reliable number for the current amount owed to the county. Through the same website they'll also send you a receipt for the last payment made, although I've found this to be inaccurate as a means of proving a negative [[it's probably accurate as to what was paid when; it isn't proof that nothing was paid since.) http://www.waynecounty.com/treasurer..._payonline.htm

The receptionist at the water board will usually tell you the current balance on an address without making you take a number and wait. I don't think it's possible to do this over the phone or online.

DTE will usually overlook any past charges if you can prove a change of ownership [[i.e. deed in your name dated after the charges were billed.) They'll usually tell you over the phone the last date that service was on.

Until recently, the city of detroit had a website that allowed you to search for blight tickets by address. It's been down for unspecified maintenance for a few days. It's probably possible to check this in person somewhere.

It's also worth checking that the building isn't slated for demolition. Although the city maintains a map, you should probably go to the demo dept in person and ask them to give you something on paper.

A full title search is the way to go. Well worth a few hundred dollars on any property you are serious about purchasing.

Pay a title company and don't buy anything off of e-bay. Those guys are the biggest bunch of scammers and often don't even live in Michigan. They often pump up their positive feedback by buying a bunch of one dollar junk items from China before posting their real estate scams.

If you're financing your new home, the Mortgage company will require you to buy title insurance. To set up the title insurance, the title insurance company will do a full title search including making sure all outstanding debts have been paid, the home belongs to the people selling and it sits completely on the purchased land. The title insurance is designed to cover any claims based on these types of issues.

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Originally Posted by ndavies

If you're financing your new home, the Mortgage company will require you to buy title insurance. To set up the title insurance, the title insurance company will do a full title search including making sure all outstanding debts have been paid, the home belongs to the people selling and it sits completely on the purchased land. The title insurance is designed to cover any claims based on these types of issues.

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What if you want to have this information before making an offer? This info may be helpful in deciding to make an offer or in negotiating a price. Just go with a title company anyway?

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Originally Posted by jackie5275

What if you want to have this information before making an offer? This info may be helpful in deciding to make an offer or in negotiating a price. Just go with a title company anyway?

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ndavies is totally right if you are financing, if you are curious prior to making the jump in though, yes, have a title company do a full title search with guarantee. If you are thinking about financing this, check with your prospective lender to see which title company they prefer to use, as it might save some hassle. Everyone's advice is totally ace though.

FYI - the title company's liability on a title search is limited to the cost of the search.

A search is not the same as title policy.

[QUOTE=motz;445494]ndavies is totally right if you are financing, if you are curious prior to making the jump in though, yes, have a title company do a full title search with guarantee. If you are thinking about financing this, check with your prospective lender to see which title company they prefer to use, as it might save some hassle. Everyone's advice is totally ace though.


Thanks, all. I was mostly looking for a preliminary resource, something like gvidas provided, and it's surprising there's not an easier or better way to do these things yourself! I appreciate the knowledge.

If you're financing, you will need the services of the title insurance company. It doesn't really matter if you hire them before or after you make the offer. You'll still get hit with the cost to do the initial search and fees to keep the insurance active for the life of the loan. If you're not financing I would still hire them to do the title search. Most people just use the Title Insurance company their lender recommends, However, you are allowed to use any licensed title insurance company you want. You can use the company that you have do the initial search throughout the entire process.

While a title search may stop you from making an offer, I'm not sure what leverage you gain in the negotiations. Whatever offer you make is assumed to be for a property that is free an clear of any liens. The title insurance company is there to provide reassurance that it is truly free and clear.

Most houses will have at least one lien against them and may have a second. It will be the primary mortgage and maybe a home equity loan. It is the Title insurance company that will make sure these liens are paid off before the property transfers.

[QUOTE=ilikesamin;445498]

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Originally Posted by motz

ndavies is totally right if you are financing, if you are curious prior to making the jump in though, yes, have a title company do a full title search with guarantee. If you are thinking about financing this, check with your prospective lender to see which title company they prefer to use, as it might save some hassle. Everyone's advice is totally ace though.


Thanks, all. I was mostly looking for a preliminary resource, something like gvidas provided, and it's surprising there's not an easier or better way to do these things yourself! I appreciate the knowledge.

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The system is designed to be administered by a bunch of middle men who understand all of it better than us :) Just how things are, unless you want to go to school and learn it!