How to research land in Pennsylvania

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  Some research can be done over the Internet.internet image by Soja Andrzej from Fotolia.com
  
  Go to the courthouse in the county where the land you want to research is located. If you are using the internet, go to the county's website. Locate the office of the Recorder of Deeds. Some county websites, such as Montgomery County's website, have a link for land records on the homepage. Other websites may guide you to the recorder of deeds first. In the recorder of deed's office, most records will be computerized and public computers will be available to research ownership.
  
  
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  Know the address of the propertysmall house, big house image by Nino Pavisic from Fotolia.com
  
  Enter the address or map number of the property. Every county in Pennsylvania organizes its own records, so each interface and public computer will be a bit different. In Delaware County, for example, one must know the name of the municipality where you are searching if you want to search by address. Some counties may require that you know the full address, others may only require the name of the street. A search may turn up the name of the owner, when the property was last sold and how much the property was sold for.
  
  
• 3
  Sometimes, you'll have to consult a map.plans and maps on the table image by Wiktor Osiecki from Fotolia.com
  
  Ask for help if you need it. In some cases, land may not have an address or an address isn't immediately available because the land is undeveloped. In these cases, you can and should ask the staff at the recorder's office for help. They should have maps to help you locate the land and its boundaries. It's a good idea to have some common references, such as nearby street names or mile markers when you do this. Once you have located the land, you should be able to find a map number, which, in turn, can guide you to the most recent deed.