By getting the previous selling price of a home you want, you will find out if the house has appreciated in value and by how much. You can use several resources to get the past selling price of the home, some of which may charge a small fee.
Step 1
Visit the tax assessor’s office. Depending on your location, your tax assessor may work through the county, municipality or township. A staff member will use the address to locate the book containing information on the house. Turn to the appropriate page to see what the house has sold for in previous years. Some offices also provide this information through a website. The office may charge a fee if the house is old and the information is difficult to locate.
Step 2
Search property deed records at the county courthouse. The authors of "How to Search Property Records" state that the value of the tax transfer stamp on a deed represents the previous selling price. If $1 represents $1,000 of the purchase price, for instance, then a $200 stamp shows that the house previously sold for $200,000. The transfer tax varies, and is typically higher than 0.1 percent of the sale price. Courthouse attendants can help you determine the selling price. There is no fee to check the records.
Step 3
Contact a real estate agent to ask for assistance. Licensed real estate agents have access to the Multiple Listing Service, a database of comprehensive information for commercial and residential properties. You could check websites for real estate companies to find a local agent.
Step 4
Check for the past transaction price of the home on websites such as Zillow.com, Trulia.com and Realtor.com. Enter the address of the home to find the past selling price. Some websites charge a fee for this service but most offer free information.
