Resources you can use to know more about property archives
Archives contain information and source documents which have been accumulated over the years since the property was developed. These are normally collection of records to shed some light about the person or organization mentioned in the archives.
These are a collection of records which are preserved over a period of time, also updated as and when significant changes are made to keep it updated and for reference and further research purposes. Generally, the people who conduct research at archives are filmmakers, demographers, lawyers, historians and more, mostly for academic purposes.
But when it comes to archives for property, the research is done to identify the history behind the said property. Here are a couple of useful resources to research the history behind any property.
Overview of records and historical collections: Municipal records and country archives will have documents pertaining to the history, development and more of the said property. Records will indicate the property’s description, legal and otherwise, values original and appraised, reasons for any appraisal or decrease for that matter, sales records, physical details about the property like area, square footage and more. The records will also contain assessor’s property information, tax information and other information pertaining to other legal matters which are connected to the said property.
County recorder’s office of any county or district: This office will generally contain information like purchase and sale deeds, mortgage documents, liens and easements. These documents prove to be essential for tracing the number of owners who might have bought and sold the property over the years. This will give a better insight on the history of the property. Some records may not be available since the county office might not have existed at the time with respect to older properties. But mostly updated information can be availed at the county office to find out more about the purchased property or property which you are planning to buy because it has some historical significance or because it was previously occupied by a person of prominence.
Department records: Another good source of information is the department of construction of any county or district, which will have the building permits of any construction or property built in that county or district. You can find out more about the property’s history through building permits which are again classified according to the type of property to reveal a much more specific search.
More information can be from city directories, public libraries, property tax records and also online.