Property Research Beyond Zillow: Permits, Deeds, and Records

Zillow is where the listing wants you to look. The public record is where the truth actually lives — and most of it is free, if you know which office to call and what to ask for.

Here is the diligence layer that happens after the listing photos and before the offer.

Permit history: the renovation lie detector

Pull the address's permit record from the city or county building department (many are searchable online). Then compare it to the listing.

• "Updated electrical" with no permit on file? Either it did not happen, or it happened without inspection — which is its own problem.
• Open or expired permits transfer to you. An un-finaled addition can block your own future permits and spook lenders.
• A finished basement or added bathroom that never appears in permits may not be legal square footage — and you may be paying for it anyway.

Permits turn "newer kitchen" from a claim into a timeline.

Deed and sale history: follow the money

The register of deeds shows the chain of ownership and prior sale prices. Watch for:

• Rapid flips — bought cheap months ago, now listed high. The lipstick may be hiding the pig.
• Liens and judgments attached to the property, which can delay or kill a closing.
• Transfer type — an estate or foreclosure sale explains "as-is" language and usually means no seller disclosures.

The records worth pulling

• Tax assessor: the assessed value, tax history, and how the bill will reassess on sale (the seller's taxes are not yours).
• Plat map and survey: where the lines actually are — easements, encroachments, and that fence that may be three feet onto the neighbor.
• Code enforcement: open violations and complaint history.
• Flood and environmental: FEMA maps, and state databases for underground tanks or contamination on older or commercial-adjacent lots.

Turn records into leverage

None of this requires a lawyer to start. A morning with the county's websites tells you whether the story the listing tells matches the paper trail — and every mismatch is either a question or a negotiation.

When you want the fast version, paste the listing into What's Wrong With This Property? — it surfaces the risk factors and the exact records worth pulling, so your morning at the county site is aimed, not aimless.

The listing is marketing. The record is evidence. Buy on the evidence.