How can I check to find what liens/violations are attached to the foreclosed property i'm interested in. (Addison Township)???

Home Buyer
Home Buyer
Bensenville, IL

A few minutes ago - Home Buying in Chicago - 5 answers

How do I go about negotiating the above before I make an offer?

Let me first state that I'm not sure of Addison Township. However, If I was doing a search in Cook County for Chicago I would look in two places. For liens you need to check the recorder of deeds for the county where the property is located. In Cook County that would be http://www.ccrd.info. The information on the website is only about 80% accurate so it is more advantageous to actually go to their office and pull the film. It is expensive to actually print it out. All violations aren't coming up as a lien but some do. Check with the building department of the city where the property is located and ask where you can find this information. In the city of Chicago I would go to City Hall and complete a Freedom of Information Act form and then in about 72 hours they would notify me that I can pick up my paperwork. It will give you a list of violations if any exist. When pulling title you only have information on items that are recorded and filed. The issue we are seeing is that the city can site a property with violations but are slow to take action. This past summer there was a property that was demolished and the owner had no idea it was on the demo list. However, if they would have completed the Freedom of Information Act form they would have know this. The property I'm talking about was a cash purchase with no title provided.