Finding the property owner is critical in the first stages of a sale. Learn how to find the owner of an apartment complex so you can start the purchase process quickly.
Real estate agents, brokers, and investors know that multi-family housing is a lucrative piece of commercial property. Many tenants mean many income streams. This brings the potential for decent return even if your property isn’t full. If you want to add an apartment complex to your portfolio, now may be a good time to buy. A growing remote workforce combined with limited housing affordability means apartment living is in the future for many households.
But before you buy an apartment complex, you’ll need to make an offer to the current owner. How can you find the owner of an apartment complex and make that first introduction? There are a number of avenues you can pursue to get this information. But it’s not as complex (pun not intended) as you may think. Keep reading to learn the easiest way to find the owner of an apartment complex.
County Property Appraiser or Tax Assessor
Your first step could be to comb through county records. The local government authority knows the property owner’s contact information because they need to know who is liable for the property taxes. In most parts of the United States, who owns a property is a matter of public record. You can access this information often by going to the website for that county’s property appraiser. In some states, this is also the tax assessor.
The county’s property appraiser’s or tax assessor’s office will, in most cases, provide you with the property owner’s name and contact information. This can often be a phone number or even an alternate mailing address, but records will vary by location and availability. The property search available on these websites is usually flexible, allowing for searches by partial addresses, street numbers, last name, or other fragments of information. This makes for a quick and easy way to fill in the gaps of information you have. And it’s the best first step for finding the owner of an apartment complex.
In some areas, the property owner’s name may not be readily available. This can be for one of two reasons: either the county has a policy of shielding the owner’s personal information, or the owner of a property is not a person but a Limited Liability Company (LLC). In the first instance, you will need to visit the property appraiser’s or tax assessor’s office in person and possibly pay a small fee for the information. In the case of LLC ownership, you have some more digging to do.
If the Owner Is an LLC
You can find the person behind an LLC using a few different methods. The easier and most common way is to visit the county recorder’s website, the state’s Secretary of State, or the state’s Division of Corporations. The exact office you need to visit will depend on the location of the property and the structure of its local government. In any case, you will usually be able to find the LLC owner’s name through the office’s website. Like the property appraiser or tax assessor, these entities will usually require the name of someone who is liable for taxes associated with the LLC. And in most cases, the entity will make this information accessible to the public—but you may need to jump through a few hoops to get it.
Anonymous LLCs
Most locations in the United States require LLC registration is published with the owner’s name. These types of LLCs are often called “anonymous LLCs.” They pose a challenge when it comes to finding the owner of an apartment complex. People can register a new LLC in one of these states (Delaware, Wyoming, and New Mexico) and use that LLC as the owner of a property anywhere in the country. Owners will typically do this for privacy reasons, and while they aren’t completely untraceable, it works well. In some cases, you may find the LLC registered offshore! If you must find the owner of an apartment complex and hit this roadblock, you may need to consult with an attorney who specializes in real estate.
Using ProspectNow
There’s no need to dig through county records and navigate the bureaucratic hurdles that come your way. ProspectNow makes finding properties and their owners simple and hassle-free.
ProspectNow’s comprehensive property database will show you all available apartment complexes in your area. You can even get a list of complexes predicted to sell but aren’t yet on the market. The “likely seller” feature uses local sales data and demographics, unique analytics, and machine learning to predict which properties will hit the market in the next twelve months. This gives you a great opportunity to snap up properties before your competition. But how can you find the owner of a promising apartment complex?
It’s simple. ProspectNow provides the contact information for property owners instantly. Even if the owner is an LLC! The LLC’s owner is readily available on the platform. No digging required.
Once you put a person’s name to a property, it’s time to make your pitch. ProspectNow simplifies that for you with a number of customer relationship management features. Contact the property owner by phone, email, or mail with a click. Templates for email and postcards are built in to ProspectNow to give you a professional look and a promising first impression. Even set up a direct ad campaign to plant the seed in a property owner who hasn’t yet committed to selling.
Ready to close more deals and make more money? Check out ProspectNow’s ROI calculator to find out how much more money you could be making with the platform. Test drive ProspectNow with a three-day free trial. Get started today!