Wednesday, February 1, 2012

One Stop Shops

One of the most common sites prospect researchers frequent are county property assessors to look for or verify property ownership. Over the years I’ve found several sites I like to think of as “one stop shops.” These sites provide a comprehensive list of county property assessor links. In addition to these helpful links, several sites also provide access to other free public record searches in every state and county in the United States.

Similar to the amazing and comprehensive website Christine Pulawski created (http://www.pulawski.net/) these websites save valuable time (and your sanity) when looking for the direct link to the online database for an obscure county’s property assessor.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Free Public Records Search Director
http://publicrecords.onlinesearches.com/
I use this site the most when searching for a county assessor’s page.

(Click on images to enlarge them.)

After clicking on the state you are searching, you can quickly access the specific county you want by using the drop down menu in the left corner of the page. You will then be directed to a series of links associated with that specific county.

Not sure which county your city is located? Use the Geographic Names Information System (http://geonames.usgs.gov/domestic/) OR the U.S. Census Bureau’s State and County QuickFacts (http://quickfacts.census.gov/cgi-bin/qfd/lookup) to quickly find the county.


BRB Publications, Inc.’s Free Resource Center
http://www.brbpub.com/free-public-records/

Although this site will also search county property assessors by state, it has turned into my first stop for looking up state occupational licensing boards.


Sorted by state, BRB provides a comprehensive list of occupations to choose from to verify an individual or firm’s information. Each state is different about how much information they provide, but some include current employer, education, specialty board certifications, community service/awards/honors, disciplinary history, etc.

Other comprehensive sites you might find helpful and can add to your research toolkit:
Northwestern University’s research department compiled and maintains a comprehensive and incredible site:  http://www.nudevelopment.com/research/bookmark.html

University of Virginia’s Portico is a very helpful web resource:  http://indorgs.virginia.edu/portico/home.html

The University of Vermont also has a helpful compilation of prospect research sites:  http://www.uvm.edu/~prospect/index.html

University of Southern California’s research office has also compiled and organized multiple online resources:  http://www.usc.edu/dept/source/index.html

Although it has not been updated in several years, David Lamb’s prospect research page still has helpful links:  http://www.lambresearch.com/


Wall Street Executive Library:  http://www.executivelibrary.com/Research.asp



Property Assessment Directory:  http://www.propertyassessmentdirectory.com/

What comprehensive sites have you found most helpful with your work? Share with us in the comments.

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