Guide

Property research: what to know before you make the offer

Know what to check before you make an offer. Research ownership, property records, comparable sales and rents, and the local market.

A practical guide for investors evaluating on-market and off-market opportunities.

Property Research property context — **Before the offer**5 chapters · Key concepts · Further reading

Property research verifies the facts behind an investment: the property, its ownership, and its market. Underwriting turns those findings into financial assumptions.

Use records to frame questions, then verify material information. Estimates and historical data are a starting point, not a substitute for due diligence.

Apartment building with a due diligence checklist and magnifying glass — Review the property before the offer

The pre-offer checklist

Confirm the owner of record, title, and length of ownership.
Review recorded mortgages and estimated equity. Confirm the current payoff separately.
Check taxes, assessed values, sales history, listing activity, and flood or hazard records.

Go deeper: How to Research Mortgage, Equity & Sales History Before Buying a Property · 6 Important Factors to Consider Before Investing in Real Estate

Property ownership folder connected to related buildings — Connect the property to its ownership records

Understand the ownership

Review the holding entity, mailing address, and linked properties for ownership context.
Ownership tenure or estimated equity does not tell you whether someone wants to sell.
Verify skip-trace matches, honor opt-outs, and follow applicable outreach requirements.

Go deeper: How to Research a Property Owner Before Making an Offer · How to Research an Off-Market Property Before Contacting the Owner · How to Find Real Estate Deals That Are Cash-Flowing

Three homes with a property value comparison chart — Compare similar properties and rental evidence

Comparables: sales and rents

Choose recent, nearby properties with similar size, condition, and use.
Use comparable rents to support income assumptions; check lease terms and concessions.
For renovations, compare both as-is and improved properties. Avoid relying on a single outlier.

Go deeper: How to Analyze Property Comparables for an Investment Deal

Neighborhood buildings with local market trend charts — Put local market data beside your assumptions

Market and neighborhood data

Review population, household income, employment, and rental trends together.
Check source dates and geographic coverage before comparing figures.
Use public benchmarks alongside local comparables; market trends do not guarantee future returns.

Go deeper: How to Perform a Real Estate Market Analysis Like a Pro · How to Find Your Perfect Property Deal Using Demographic Metrics? · Why Proximity Is Your Property’s Best Friend in 2024? · U.S. Cities to Watch for Real Estate Investment in 2026

Laptop financial model beside an investment property — Turn research into financial assumptions

From research to underwriting

Translate comparable rents into income assumptions and verified taxes into expenses.
Document the source and date behind each material input.
Test uncertain assumptions with scenarios before deciding on an offer.

Go deeper: How to Automate Your Real Estate Market Data Collection? · How Can AI & Location Data Enhance Real Estate Deals?

Put the guide into practice

Explore the records. Build your checklist.

Follow a sample search, then explore the property’s research tabs.

DealWorthItProperty finderSample data

City or market

Find properties

Multifamily 10+ units Up to $10M

Atlanta, GASample pins© OpenStreetMap · © CARTO

Atlanta · sample matches

Property 1 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 20 unitsMarket value $540,000

Property 2 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 40 unitsMarket value $6,462,000

Property 3 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 16 unitsMarket value $832,500

Property 4 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 24 unitsMarket value $2,160,000

Property 5 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 12 unitsMarket value $1,280,000

Property 6 · address hiddenAtlanta, GA · 32 unitsMarket value $3,450,000

⌕Start with the market you know

Select a city and filters to explore properties.

Type a city

Set your search criteria

Animated demo · Illustrative data · Addresses hidden

Your pre-offer checklist

Five checks before the next step

Use this practice checklist to organize your review.

0 of 5 checked

OwnershipConfirm the owner of record and holding entity.Debt & taxVerify payoff information, taxes, and material estimates.ComparablesCompare recent sales and rents for similar properties.Building & locationReview condition, property records, and flood context.AssumptionsDocument sources and test uncertain inputs.

Practice only; progress resets when you leave. Checking a box does not verify the underlying data.

Key concepts

Research vocabulary, briefly

Quick explanations of the terms used in property research.

Off-market property

A property not listed for sale. Found through ownership research and outreach rather than a listing feed — and priced without a bidding war.

Owner portfolio

Everything an owner holds, assembled from the record. Signals whether you are talking to an accidental landlord or an operator — and what else they might sell.

Equity position

Estimated value minus known mortgage debt. High equity means room to negotiate; low equity constrains what any seller can accept.

Skip tracing

Locating an owner’s current contact information from their name and records, so off-market outreach can actually reach them.

Comparable sales

Recent sales of genuinely similar nearby properties, adjusted for differences. How value is evidenced — to you, the appraiser and the lender.

Rent comps

What similar units nearby actually rent for. The evidence behind the income assumption your whole underwriting rests on.

MLS history

A property’s listing record — including expired and withdrawn listings, which mark sellers who already wanted out once.

Foreclosure & distress data

Public filings that surface owners under pressure. A sourcing signal that demands more diligence, not less, on the property itself.

Ownership and seller research2 articles

Financial and transaction history1 article

How to Research Mortgage, Equity & Sales History Before Buying a Property

Valuation and comparables1 article

How to Analyze Property Comparables for an Investment Deal

Data and AI2 articles

Researching a market6 articles

Finding deals3 articles

Put it into practice

How DealWorthIt fits in

Organize the evidence behind the deal, then carry your findings into the investment model.

01
Find the opportunity
Search on-market and off-market properties using criteria that fit your strategy.
02
Explore the records
Review ownership, financial history, comparables, building details, and location context.
03
Carry the context forward
Use your research to inform the assumptions you test in the analysis.

Find investment properties Property research

Coverage varies by property and record type. Verify material information; estimates are not appraisals or current loan payoffs.

Explore the property recordsInteractive example

PROPERTY DETAILSSample records · Address hidden

Estimated value: $540,000
Estimated equity: $237,600 · 44%
Estimated LTV: 56%
Annual property tax: $8,100

Value vs debt

Debt $302,400Equity $237,600

Atlanta, GA

Property 1 · address hidden

Multifamily · 20 units

Property type: Apartments
Units: 20
Year built: 1986
Building size: 18,400 sq ft

Illustrative records and representative photos. Verify valuations, ownership, tax, and property details. Address and contact information hidden.

Research the property before you price it

Look up the owner, the record and the comps, then carry what you learn straight into the analysis.

See how DealWorthIt research works →Start analyzing