The new map feature from the Orange County Property Apprasier's office is a powerful tool for those in search of information about foreclosures in Orange County.
The face of the real estate market has changed. Today many sales in East Orlando are distressed properties – short sales, foreclosures, you know the drill. For potential buyers, finding information on these properties can be daunting. Often there is no one to ask for help or clarification or, when found, they don’t know the answers. But, thanks to Orange County Property Appraiser Bill Donegan, those looking for more information on foreclosed properties in Orange County just received a helping hand.
The Property Appraiser Web site has launched a new interactive map in mid-June allowing potential buyers and interested neighbors to view all properties in Orange County that have been identified as having completed the foreclosure process with a Certificate of Title issued and recorded in the public records of Orange County.
What does that mean? For users, it means seeing the lending institution that now owns the property, past tax information and important dates previously unavailable in one easy-to-use location. “Searching for comprehensive information about foreclosed properties in your area has been almost impossible on the web for most folks – even for the real estate professionals,” says Donegan. “No one has anything like this,” he continues. “This is the first in the state that allows people to find out foreclosures that have already been adjudicated.” Users are able to search by zip code, zoom in on an area and click individual parcels of land to view more information.
A more zoomed version of the map allows users to view individual parcels of land throughout Orange County.
The state-of-the-art feature was created in large part due to public demand says Michael Prestridge, chief deputy property appraiser. “One thing we’ve heard from a lot of different people is that there isn’t one place they can go to to get a lot of information on properties that have been foreclosed,” he says. “Of course, we need to know that information from an assessment standpoint as well. Couple that with the large request for something like this and we were happy to create another tool for Orange County’s toolbox.”
The map, which has been in development for a little over one month, hits a time when foreclosures are very high for the Orange County area. “We identified 5,055 foreclosures in 2008 and 2,643 to date in 2009,” says Donegan. “This is a first of its kind feature that is going to make it much easier for homeowners, real estate professionals, and first time buyers looking for potential bargains, to find those foreclosed properties.”
To link to the map directly, click here.
Article by Corey Gehrold
