3 Sep
2009
Why You Must Know How to Find the Criminal History of a Property

It’s always been a little tricky, but never quite this insidious, which is why it’s more important than ever to know how to find the criminal history of a property.  You don’t want to buy a home that could kill you or cause harm to your family.

Criminal Records Leave Behind More than a Bad Reputation

There have always been stories, and it’s probably even happened now and again, of someone unwittingly buying a criminal’s house, or the house of an accomplice.  No one wants a parolee digging up your floorboards for “his share,” but even this is not as dangerous as the more common threat today.

In the past, someone might have been growing pot in the basement and gotten arrested.  The worst thing this did was nothing that a good cleaning couldn’t get out.  Today with criminals making meth and other dangerous drugs in the home the risk is twofold:  Sickness and explosion.

Criminal History of a Property May Reveal Deadly Chemicals

The chemicals used in the production of many of today’s drugs can seep into the walls and floors and not be easily detected while making unknowing families sick. Because of this, it is good to do many different kinds of public records, criminal history, property history and news searches as you can to find out if your would-be home might have once been a lab.

This can be time-consuming, but it is well worth the effort to find the criminal history of a property.  As you may have to do this when looking for a new home, you might consider using an online retrieval system to keep your family safe.  Learn how to find the criminal history of a property now.

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2 Sep
2009
Why You Must Know How to Find Out about the Death of Someone in the House You Might Buy

You may find it to your advantage to learn how to find out about the death of someone if you are buying a property.  Is the home you just bought haunted?  Did you find out from the neighbors after you moved in that something may have happened here that lowers the resale value?  Do you live in a state with stigmatized property laws?

Stigmatized Property Laws

Not all states have the same property laws.  There is no universal formula.  In the states where property disclosure applies, the seller of a house is obligated to tell a buyer if anything happened that may stigmatize or psychologically damage the home or its value.  If this is not disclosed, the buyer can sue for damages, a lowered price, or other compensation.

Death in Home May Lower Property Value

For most people, the greatest stigmatizer is a death in a home.  Sometimes the type of death matters as well.

If you suspect that a previous owner/tenant of the place you are now living died within its confines in a way that may cause it to be haunted or at the very least lowered in value if the next buyer learns about it, you need to know the facts.

Deaths are Public Record

As a rule, deaths are public record.  You can do property history searches both online and at county archives.  The same may apply to news stories.

It is also possible to use a retrieval system to learn about the death.  This search will save you time and stress and let you quickly decide what you need to do before you buy property.  Learn how to find out about the death of someone now.


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21 Aug
2009
How to Find Death Reports and Why They’re Important

As much as we want the lost ones to be found, there are times when any answer is better than none, so we want to know how to find death reports.  It’s sad and a little scary that in this world where it seems everything is online and our every moment is watched, how easily people can vanish off the face of the earth.

Location of Death Report

One of the important aspects in finding a report or record of someone’s death is knowing where they died.  Even John/Jane Doe deaths are a matter of public record, where on the internet or in a county clerk’s filing cabinet, but knowing where to look can make a difference.

Cause of Death Report

If you don’t know where to look, it can be harder to learn how to find death records, but they are all out there someplace.  Sometimes other subsets of knowledge can also aid in this process, such as physical characteristics or likely cause of death. This knowledge can increase your skills and abilities at doing public records searches for deaths.

While no one wants to learn a missing loved one is deceased, not knowing can wreck havoc on hearts, minds, and families.  Having the ability to get answers can lead to the start of healing.  Learn how to find death reports, so you can get on with your life.

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20 Aug
2009
How to Find if Someone Died in Minnesota

You need to know how to find if someone died in Minnesota.  Uncle Jeremiah swore he’d break the family curse and not die in MN.  However, if he did, as revenge, he’d leave his uncounted millions to you, the family blacksheep, who moved to Iceland to get away from it all.  Now he’s had a massive heart attack and your sister swears they were in Fargo, not Duluth.

Nationwide Death Certificates

Every death in the US requires that a death certificate be filed with the local authority and that copies go where relevant such as insurance adjustors, lawyers, etc.

This is regardless of the type of death (natural or otherwise) just as we must prove we were born, we must prove we died.  Therefore, outside of driving across state lines with a body in the trunk, there will be a public record of the death and its cause.

Look in County Records for Death Records

Most death certificates are on file with the county clerk where the death took place.  These can generally be located through an online search of public records for a given locale.

If you do not know the specific county or date of death, there is a little more work involved, and it may behoove you to find an online system specific to your needs.  After all, if an inheritance is at stake, this is information you must have.

When All Else Fails Search for Death Records Online

Find out how to find if someone died in Minnesota on this website.  We found a plethora of information.  Not only will you find death records, but birth records, marriage records, background checks, and much more.  Either way, good luck in your search!

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19 Aug
2009
Why Learning How to Find Out About Deaths can be a Lifesaver Before Renting or Buying a Home

One of the things about looking for a new home or rental property is that there are many things the realtor and seller won’t tell you unless you specifically ask, and sometimes not even then.  So, skills like knowing how to find out about deaths in a home can be a real boon when you’re thinking about where to live.

Psychologically Impacted Home for Sale–Check Property Records

A home that has been psychologically damaged by an event is called stigmatized because while it is physically livable, there are aspects of its history that may bother a prospective buyer.

This is a problem for the seller, because not everyone is upset by deaths in a home, but even those who aren’t may use that angle to try and get a lower price. Not every state has a requirement that this information be disclosed.

Is Cause of Death Public Record?

Causes of death are generally public record, so if you are suspicious of a home’s history and can’t get a good answer, you may want to invest time in searching through county records, or cause of death records.  These can generally be found online, but you have to visit the county clerk’s office.

If neither of these sources aid you in finding out about deaths in the property you are looking at, but you know you don’t want to buy a house that may be haunted, there are other search services that could help you.  Try searching here for information on how to find cause of death records.  Good luck in your search!

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18 Aug
2009
How to Find the History of a Death

How, why and when people die does vary and there are times when we may want to know how to find the history of a death.  In such cases, it very much depends on what you’re looking for, and, as often as not, why.  People die: it’s a fact of life.  So far no one’s found any really good way around it.

Cause of Death

One the big reasons for seeking out the history behind a death is one that isn’t considered as much as it should be.  That is, people often realize they want this information long after they should have asked about it, and after it may not do them a lot of good to know.

For example, when people are buying houses, only a very few are clued in to what bothers them.  Remember to ask if anyone died in the house and if so, how.

Seller’s Obligations to Disclose Information

Sellers are obligated to disclose anything that physically impacts a home, but not so much with psychological impacts.  They often won’t if they fear it will hurt the sale or the sale price. Knowing how to find a record of the cause of death can save some anguish.

If living in a home where someone has died will upset you, check online, or with the county death records files to find out the cause and history of a death. Not buying a home that creeps you out is worth the search.  Learn more about how to find the history of a death here.

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16 Aug
2009
How You Conduct a Property Search for Liens

Before buying, you need to ask questions like how do you conduct a property search for liens?  The real estate market is currently at a very interesting state.  It is excellent for those with the money to buy, but the reasons behind this can leave the investor in a tricky spot if she isn’t careful.

Check for Liens before You Buy

A lien is any claim a party other than the owner has on something.  In this case, the house you are thinking of buying.  If the previous owner has had financial trouble or been foreclosed on, it is possible she made efforts to keep the home that have given others legal claim to some part of the property or its sale.  They may even have a say in who buys the house.

Hiring a Real Estate Lawyer for Property Information

There are ways to search for this information.  Any legal lien is filed with the deed of the original lender and should be a public record.  Your real estate agent can research this for you and fold it into the commission, or you can hire a real estate attorney to do the same.  A physical check of public records, deed, titles, and liens can give you this information as well.

Save Time and Money with a Property Search

All of this takes time and has to be done separately for any home you are considering purchasing.  You can spare yourself a great deal of aggravation by using an online retrieval system to conduct a property search for liens for you.  Buying a home is stressful enough.

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21 Jul
2009
Use Marriage Licenses to Trace Ancestry

Marriage licenses are the most common public document.  They are frequently used in genealogy searches because they not only confirm a marriage between two people and the legitimacy of their children.

Find a Maiden Name

They are often a way to discover maiden names.  When tracing back your family roots, being able to track back the birth records and family connection on the female side is just as important as the male side.

Every state, and most territories, keeps records going back as far as 150 years.  These records can be requested in writing from the vital statistics bureau.  Costs for these searches vary from state to state.

Requesting Marriage Records

To request records you need to know the year of the marriage and at least one correct name.  To reduce the possibility of acquiring the wrong record, especially if you are searching for a common name, try to get as much information about the individuals as you can.

Online services now have access to public records.  For a small fee they will run a database search on the information you have provided.  They can often cross reference the search and provide additional documents like a birth certificate, divorce papers or death certificate as well as the marriage license.

Annual Membership to Online Records

Pricing structures for the various documents vary from firm to firm.  Your best bet, if tracing your ancestry, is to opt for an annual membership that allows you to search as many documents as you want.

Some Marriage Records are Just Lost

It is important to note that not all marriage licenses are available.  For any number of reasons, licenses weren’t always issued, and some were lost before they arrived at the proper location.  Traveling preachers were notorious for losing documents, and in the frontier days formal marriages weren’t always possible.

You may have to establish a marriage through other means such as newspaper articles or probate papers, and those are likely to require a personal search on location. Nonetheless, an online database will likely be the best way to start your search for marriage licenses quickly.


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7 Nov
2008
Search Engine Tools for Private Investigators

searchBeing a private investigator in the age of the Internet can be a challenge and a great advantage. For one thing, you will have many different tools at your disposal, and almost all of them online, in order for you to create your own network of sources and get the information that you need. This can be challenging, because if you are a private investigator, you need to have great and reliable sources, and not all the sources online can be great or even reliable. In other words, you will still need to have more than one or two sources in order to carry your investigation through and cross-check your data.

There are many different search engines online that can link you to other private investigators in the United States, or even around the world. There are available search engines that function as private investigator directories. Using these directories, you can find people in other countries who share your passion for private investigation, and you can even find people in other private investigation firms who have expertise in fields that you would like to know more about but were too busy to study. Such directories can also allow you to outsource work to people, especially if you have a lot of work on your hands and need assistance with matters in your investigation.

There are also public record search engines online. Such search engines can allow you to literally search through public records in order to find out if your subject has any criminal records or history, find your subject’s birth certificate and other pertinent documents, and in short, find any document that is on the public record. Of course, you may need to pay a fee for most of the services that are on these public records databases, but if you make a great investment, you can certainly get more investigation work done.

Sometimes, the simplest search engines can yield a lot of information. Many of today’s social networks, hubs for activities both legitimate and illegitimate, are constantly being scoured through by search engines. Moreover, many of today’s forums and mailing lists are constantly run through search engines and can be searched according to keyword. All you need to know is what to query, and you can get your answers in a short while.

These are only a few resources for private investigators to do their investigating online. For more information, click on the links below, and use your favorite search engine’s features in order to maximize your search power.

image credits to danardvincente

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