How do I research historical sales, ownership, market rents etc on a property?
Hi, I am a buyer looking at a commercial office building and am trying to value the property.  I am gathering information like income, expenses, NOI etc and have a sense of how to value it from the cap rate approach.  I'd like to understand more about comparable sales nearby and the sales history of the building.  I've tried to piece together sales history by looking at when the property tax spiked to determine when a sale occurred and the sale price (land + improvements).  

Are there other, publicly available sources for this type of information?

I can't find info on the property in MLS.  Loopnet doesn't have much info.  I don't have access to Costar or Reonomy.  

Thank you!
[{"id": "h191pol", "text": "A lot of the information you are referring to is unlikely to be publicly available - certainly not for free if that is what you are asking.", "replies": [{"id": "h193thv", "text": "Thanks - that's what I wanted to confirm.  I won't spend time looking for it online then.", "replies": [{"id": "h1976ns", "text": "Best I can suggest is that you get chummy with local commercial agents and get insight from them.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "h19zpzt", "text": "Incorrect.  Change of ownership and sales data are public record and in the tax data provided by all counties.", "replies": [{"id": "h1a9j25", "text": "Never said they weren\u2019t. But that is merely part of what OP was asking for. Apols if my response wasn\u2019t clear on which bits I was referring to.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h19mtlm", "text": "You fucking pay for costar.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h19sodo", "text": "Historical sales and ownership you can easily find for free with county tax records; I do it all the time. \n\nThe other stuff is why you pay for the service as mentioned earlier.", "replies": [{"id": "h1a194l", "text": "How far back does it go?", "replies": [{"id": "h1a5tlv", "text": "It depends on how long that parcel was divided for tax purposes, but typically since it was divided last or since they made the record electronic. Don't use it as a title search, but it is a good way to see tax assessed value, historical sales (it is usually more accurate than the MLS because they will include extra money the buyer brings (death and taxes)) and current legal owner.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h19t41g", "text": "For that level of detail you'll want to befriend , or pay for the professional services of, a commercial broker or general appraiser.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h19tdxp", "text": "I mean if you\u2019re in a disclosure state the registry of deeds for the county the property is in should have the deed value of the property as well as the mortgage note recorded. If you\u2019re looking at a property with a lot of personal property (ie hotels) that wouldn\u2019t show up on deed. The recorded note will have the $$$ of the mortgage so could also reasonably back into the value of a property based on the mortgage amount. \n\nAlso for non-disclosure states correct me if I\u2019m wrong redditors reading this but I believe that in like Texas they still record the amount of the mortgage at the registry.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h19zjgp", "text": "County tax records.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h1a9vv1", "text": "I can share a costar comp set if you want. DM me", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h1b81zr", "text": "Go to the Google maps street view on all angles and adjust the timeline box to see how the property has changed over the years. This will not give you a full scope but it\u2019s a free and invaluable tool on top of researching the tax records.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h1czdjp", "text": "What state are you researching in?", "replies": [{"id": "h1czvt7", "text": "California", "replies": [{"id": "h1e80y0", "text": "DM me I\u2019ll help you with your research", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h1nqhxw", "text": "This is really great feedback. I am also in CA. How do you locate how much is currently owed (if anything) on a commercial property? Is that also public records? I was able to get my other questions answered from the great advice in here given to the poster.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "h2dbj8t", "text": "Your commercial broker should have those comps ready to share. Have you engaged with one yet? \n\nThere aren't any free resources that I can think of other than you clicking on individual properties in GIS or digging through Business Journals.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]