Fact Finding: Locating & Researching Persons, Companies, and Property: Researching Property

Search by property address to view list of construction permits issued, licenses related to the property (food service, high rise license, dumpsters etc.), and code violations that have been issued with links to the case number, code section violated, status of the violation and the location of the violation as well as zoning appeals.

Listed by month issued. Data goes back to 2012 and gives permit number, parcel number, address, owner, contractor, description of the work to be done and a cost estimate.

Search by address to view inspection date, inspection rate, violations found and the next actions to be taken..

Displays the most recent 3 years of tax records for homes that are currently for sale or those that have sold in the last 6 months. Search by street address or by city/zip

Pulls from MLS records and usually displays updates from this service before other sites. May not provide full seller information or valuation data if the seller does not agree to its disclosure. Gives very detailed description of the property (in most cases).

Similar to Zillow. Pulls from Multiple Listing Service (MLS) but also includes real-time crime map with list of nearby crimes and medical emergencies that occurred in the last 30 days. Also provides basic demographics about those living in this area (age, marital status, education level).

Search for homes for sale or rent by property address, neighborhood, city or zip code. Rental properties include landlord contact information. Can filter search by type of property including foreclosures and anticipated listings as well as "recently sold." Includes tax records where available.

Search for deed, mortgage and other land records. Search by name, parcel number or type of document. Search is free and returns some limited information from the record but there is a fee to view the full document.

Search by owner name, property or map ID or by address. Offers limited information about the owner and the assessed value of the property.

Search by owner name, address, or parcel number. View owners, sales history, assessments and current estimated tax.

Offers information from 1960 to the present. Unofficial records are available for free as a "public user" or you can register for a free account to order official copies. Search by property ID, address, by grantor/grantee name or by date. Can also search by municipality but not by street address.

Search by address or map or folio number. View current owner information, date and parties to last sale and county tax assessments for the previous 5 years.

Property records are updated weekly and photos are updated monthly. Search by owner, address or parcel or map number. View basic property information, owner's name and address, appraisal history, parcel map, permits issued, photos of the property and sales history.

View owner, owner's address, last sale date and property's market and assessed values going back 7 years. No longer able to search by Owner name. Includes link to Revenue Dept to view any tax balances outstanding on the property. NOTE: the site is transitioning to a new format, you find the beta version of the new site here: https://property-beta.phila.gov/#/

Free public searches by grantor/grantee or address. Results include unofficial deeds. Click to Acknowledge database limitations then click FREE PUBLIC SEARCH LOGIN.

Search by owner name for liens, easements, deeds, mortgages and more. Click on Search Criteria link in upper left to search by date range or by record volume and page number. Does not allow for searching by property address.

Search by county, address or owner name. Offers limited information about the property, the owner's contact information and the assessed value of the property for the most recent 4 years.

Access the notice of default including the borrower and the loan owner. Also included is the property address, parcel number, the auction date & location (if set) and the final judgement amount. Will include mailing address of owner if no longer living at the property.

Some listings include contact information (typically just a phone number) for the property owner. Select "for sale by owner" on the "Buy" drop down menu at the top of the page.

Search by street name or city/zip. Displays property description and photos along with school information, seller listing agent, property sales and listing history. Offers map and description of nearby restaurants, grocery stores, gas stations and other businesses. Displays the most recent 3 years of tax records (except for new construction). NOTE: value estimates for off-market or properties for sale tend to be more conservative than those offered by other sites such as zillow.com

Search for homes for sale or rent by property address, neighborhood, city or zip code. Rental properties include landlord contact information. Can filter search by type of property including foreclosures and anticipated listings as well as "recently sold." Includes tax records where available.

Similar to Zillow. Pulls from Multiple Listing Service (MLS) but also includes real-time crime map with list of nearby crimes and medical emergencies that occurred in the last 30 days. Also provides basic demographics about those living in this area (age, marital status, education level).

Pulls from MLS records and usually displays updates from this service before other sites. May not provide full seller information or valuation data if the seller does not agree to its disclosure. Gives very detailed description of the property (in most cases).

Enter street name, city and zip to view list of homes sold in the last 6 months. Can also filter by price or number of bedrooms/bathrooms. Click on more filters to search by type of property, lot size, house size, house age and to expand your search to include other properties in a 1,5, 10 or 20 mile radius. Lists buyer and seller agents, offers property details and displays 3 years of tax assessments (except for new construction).

For Property Valuation: Use the "Buy" link and enter a city of interest to view a list of street names. Click on name to get list of all residential properties on that street along with their estimated value, displayed from highest estimated value to lowest. Includes off-market, for sale and recently sold homes. Recently sold homes will list selling price and date.

Enter address after clicking on the Zestimate tab.

Search for homes for sale or rent by property address, neighborhood, city or zip code. Rental properties include landlord contact information. Can filter search by type of property including foreclosures and anticipated listings as well as "recently sold." Includes tax records where available.

Similar to Zillow. Pulls from Multiple Listing Service (MLS) but also includes real-time crime map with list of nearby crimes and medical emergencies that occurred in the last 30 days. Also provides basic demographics about those living in this area (age, marital status, education level).

Pulls from MLS records and usually displays updates from this service before other sites. May not provide full seller information or valuation data if the seller does not agree to its disclosure. Gives very detailed description of the property (in most cases).

Describes types of property records and what information is needed to request a property or landowner search by a state archivist (for a fee).

Shows all counties and cities, townships, boroughs and other municipality divisions within each county. Useful for determining which authority to contact regarding deeds and other property tax records. From the PA Historical & Museum Commission.

Provides international, national, local, and historical news coverage.

Run a name search to see if there are outstanding checks, tax refunds or other funds waiting to be be paid to an individual. Clicking on the box to the right of a result will bring up more detailed information including the address of the person at the time the check was issued and information about the issuer.

Enter VIN (vehicle identification number) to get ownership, service, repair and legal history for a vehicle.