Property history by address
Enter an address to see what has been recorded against the property: how many deeds, mortgages, releases and other documents, year by year, the first and latest recorded event, and each transfer with its date and recorded consideration. The answer comes from official land records for that parcel in New York City, Philadelphia, Cook County, Hamilton County and Utah County, with the city's building violations and permits where the city publishes them.
Start with the house number. The first 5 results of each list are free; HeritageDeed Pro shows them all. Usually answers in under ten seconds.
Where the lookup works
| Place | Reaches back |
|---|---|
| Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx | Online index from 1966 |
| Staten Island | Differs by lot |
| Philadelphia | Digital index from 1974 |
| Cook County, IL (Chicago and suburbs) | Online index from 1985 |
| Hamilton County, OH (Cincinnati) | Parcel links from 2003 |
| Utah County, UT (Provo, Orem, Lehi) | Every recorded document for the parcel |
Records are matched to the parcel itself, never by owner name, so a neighbor or someone with the same name is not mixed in. A condominium unit can share its documents with the building's land parcel; the lookup says so when it happens. In Hamilton County only part of the recorded documents are linked to the parcel, so the release count there is a minimum.
How to read the timeline
Transfers are deeds: each one moved title from a grantor (the seller or giver) to a grantee (the buyer or receiver). A run of deeds a few months apart can mean a flip, a family estate being settled, or a move into a trust; the document type and the consideration tell them apart.
Mortgages and releases (satisfactions or reconveyances) usually come in pairs: a loan is recorded, then released when it is paid off or refinanced. More mortgages than releases does not by itself mean a loan is unpaid, because a release can be filed late, indexed under another name, or cite the loan by book and page. Our guide to the chain of title explains how the links connect, and how to check for liens covers what else can attach to a property.
Other documents include assignments of mortgage, agreements, easements, declarations, powers of attorney, notices, liens and transfer tax returns. The document types list shows exactly which.
What the full report adds
The free lookup shows what was recorded. A HeritageDeed report, $49 per report, reads the documents: the owner of record and the vesting deed, the full chain of title with every party, each mortgage matched to the release that cleared it (or flagged when none did), recorded liens, judgments and lis pendens, federal court cases matched to the owners, tax status, the flood zone and nearby EPA sites, in one PDF. For more on where property history is kept, from the assessor to the building department, see the property history guide.
Questions
How do I find the history of my house?
Pick the place, enter the street address and the lookup reads the official county land records for that parcel: every deed, mortgage, release and other document recorded against it, counted by year, with the first and latest recorded event and each transfer's date and recorded consideration. Outside the places listed here, a full HeritageDeed report covers the counties we serve.
Where does the property history come from?
From the official land records for each parcel: the recording office for each place, with sale prices from county assessor records where the recorder does not state them. The lookup reads them when you search; nothing is estimated.
Can I see what a house sold for?
Where the record states it. The transfers table shows the consideration recorded on the deed in New York City and Philadelphia, the assessor's sale price in Cook County, and the recorded consideration on Utah County deeds, which is usually nominal because Utah deeds rarely state a price. A consideration of $100 or less is marked nominal.
Why are names shown as initials?
People's names are shown as initials, the same rule as our surplus funds pages. Businesses, trust companies and public bodies are shown as recorded. The full report names every party on every document.
Does the lookup tell me if a mortgage is still open?
No. It counts mortgages and releases; it does not say which release cleared which mortgage, because that takes reading each document and its cross-references. The full report matches every mortgage to its release, flags the ones with none, and adds recorded liens, lis pendens and court records.
How far back does the history go?
As far as each place's online records go: New York City from 1966, Philadelphia from 1974, Cook County from 1985, and Hamilton County parcel links from 2003. On Staten Island and in Utah County it differs by parcel. Older documents exist on paper or microfilm at the recording office.
Official public records, read when you search; records can lag recording by days or weeks. Not title insurance and not legal advice.