Learning Center · How-To
How to Verify Owner, Equity and Lien Data Before You Make an Offer
By FlipProperties Editorial TeamPublished October 22, 2026Updated October 22, 2026PropStream figures checked October 2026
Lead lists and data platforms give you a fast first read on a property: who owns it, what it's worth and what's owed. Any of those numbers can be off. Before you make an offer, confirm the owner, the value, the loans and the liens from the records themselves. This guide shows where each one lives and what to check.
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4
Things to confirm: owner, value, loans, liens
7 business days
Longest a servicer can take to send a payoff statement
3
Closed comps, the Fannie Mae appraisal minimum
Why property data needs checking
Data platforms combine county records, MLS history and other sources, then estimate what the records don't show. The county records the original loan amount, not today's balance, so equity is an estimate. Values come from automated models. Owner names can lag a recent sale or a death. Treat platform data as a starting point, and confirm it before money changes hands.
The 4-step verification checklist
- 01
Confirm the owner.
Look up the property on the county assessor's or appraisal district's website, then find the most recent deed in the county recorder's index. If the owner is an LLC, look up the company and its registered agent on the state's business entity search.
- 02
Check the value.
Pull 3 to 5 sold comps from the last 3 to 6 months within about half a mile, and adjust them for differences. Use your own number, not the automated estimate.
- 03
Check the loans.
Find every recorded mortgage or deed of trust in the recorder's index. The county shows the original amount, not today's balance. The exact payoff is on the lender's payoff statement, which a servicer must send within 7 business days of a written request from the owner or someone acting for them.
- 04
Check the liens.
Search the recorder's index and court records for tax, judgment, mechanic's and HOA liens, and check the county tax office for unpaid property taxes. Before you close, a title company's title search is the final check.
Where each piece of data lives
| Data | Where to confirm it | What can go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Owner of record | Assessor's website and the latest recorded deed | Lags a recent sale, a death or a transfer into a trust |
| Mailing address | Assessor's tax roll | The owner may have moved |
| Value | Your own sold comps; an appraisal for a final number | Automated estimates miss condition and recent changes |
| Loan balance | The lender's payoff statement | The county records only the original loan amount |
| Liens | Recorder's index, court records and the county tax office | Different liens are filed in different offices |
| Sale prices | County records or MLS sales | Some states don't disclose sale prices in public records |
Fannie Mae's appraisal guidelines call for at least 3 closed comparable sales, closed within the last 12 months, and say sales from the same neighborhood are the best indicator of value.
Where PropStream fits
PropStream pulls many of these records into one place: owner and mailing address, up to four recorded mortgages, liens and other situational data, comps and estimated equity. In states that don't disclose sale prices, PropStream says the public-record sale prices it shows are estimates. Use it to find what to check, then confirm the details in the county records and with a title search before you close.
Sources: PropStream's guides to importing lists and running comps, checked October 21, 2026.
Where to go next
Related Guide
County Property Records
Read assessor and recorder data yourself.
Related Guide
How to Analyze Equity in PropStream
Where each equity number comes from.
Related Tool
Sales Comps
Pull and adjust comps, then set your value.
Related Hub
Lien Properties
Owners with liens on record.
Glossary
Real Estate Glossary
Plain-English definitions for liens, title and payoffs.
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Check first. Offer second.
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Check the county assessor's or appraisal district's website, then find the most recent recorded deed in the recorder's index. For an LLC owner, look up the company on the state's business entity search.
Recorded mortgages show the original loan amount, not today's balance. The exact amount is on the lender's payoff statement, which the servicer must send within 7 business days of a written request from the owner or someone acting for them, such as a title company.
Search the county recorder's index and court records for recorded liens, and check the county tax office for unpaid property taxes. A title search before closing is the final check.
It's a screen, not a final number. It's built from an estimated value and the loans recorded with the county, so it can miss refinances, credit-line draws and liens. Confirm it before you make an offer.
Before you close, yes. A title company searches the public records for liens, judgments and ownership problems, and title insurance can protect against many issues a search misses.
Some states don't require sale prices to be disclosed in public records. In those states, PropStream says the public-record sale prices it shows are estimates, so confirm comps against MLS sales where you can.