Anna Maria Island Real Estate Sales Blog

Here is a summary of information from a sidebar on an article in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune relating to foreclosures and the sad events that have some tenants evicted through no fault of their own, since their landlords are not paying the mortgage.

That would NOT be a good thing. On the other hand, the information is valid, and works for most situations where there has been a mortgage foreclosure filed for nearly any property specific to the West Coast of Florida, where we live and practice.

So, here is how to find out about the status of ANY property owner in each of these three counties.

Here’s what to do if you do NOT know who owns the specific property for which you are searching.

1. Search whichever property appraiser site is appropriate for the county in which the subject property is located.

In Charlotte: www.ccappraiser.com/rp_real_search.asp?

In Manatee: Go to www.manateepao.com, click on “Property Search” and select “address.”

In Sarasota: www.sarasotaproperty.net/scpa_record_search.asp

2. Type in the address in the appropriate field. Do not enter the street name suffix, such as avenue, boulevard or road. Look for the property in question.

3. Or, If you are interested in a condo, the search will call up all the units at your address. Look for the one you're interested in by unit number.

4. Click on the chosen address to obtain information about the property, including the name(s) of the owner(s).

5. Then follow the steps below.

When you know the property owner’s name

Search the records in your county’s Clerk of Court website.

1. Go to one of the following sites:

Charlotte: http://tinyurl.com/y5wjb4

Manatee: http://manateeclerk.org/Home/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Sarasota: http://clerk.co.sarasota.fl.us/srqapp/civilinq.asp

2. Click on the radio button or tab to do a search by name.

3. Search results will display all civil court cases against that property owner. Look for Mortgage Foreclosure, or in Manatee only, click on Mortgage Foreclosure and then enter the name.

4. It may be necessary to take a trip to the Clerk of Court to see whether the suit applies to your address if there are multiple addresses for your owner’s name.

So, good luck! Find those foreclosures. And ask me to negotiate for you. I’ll get you the best deal possible!

John