Today, many commercial property owners are investing in landscaping services. In 2018, about 14% of landscaping revenue was attributed to commercial services. Landscaping can increase the value of a property and attract potential buyers.
If you’re planning to buy a property, landscaping is probably one of the key factors influencing your purchase. However, before you purchase a property because of its landscape, you need to ensure there are no hidden charges once you make the purchase. You can ascertain there won’t be any hidden charges by doing a lien search. Lien search companies can help you conduct a lien search and avoid surprises down the road. Are you wondering how a lien search can be helpful? Here are some issues you can unearth with a lien search:
1. Utility Balances
In some cases, you may be liable for unpaid utility bills on a new property you have purchased if the previous owner failed to settle them. The unpaid bills can result in a lien on the property. Getting a municipal lien search done can enable you to thoroughly investigate any unpaid utility bills on a property and prevent you from paying unexpected bills.
2. Special Assessments
Special assessments are taxes levied on properties that could benefit from public projects such as road construction, street lighting, and more. As a prospective homebuyer, you need to know whether there are any special assessment taxes on a property you are considering. Typically, special assessments can be found in the county’s public record. However, this is not always the case. If you want to ascertain the status of special assessments on a property, a municipal lien search can be helpful.
3. Expired Permit Searches
If you’re planning to renovate a new property you’ve purchased, expired permits can disrupt your plans. With the help of a lien search company, you can find out whether there are any open or expired permits on a property. And once you find out the status of the permits, you can resolve the issue and proceed with your construction project.
4. Code Violations
Physically viewing a property is an excellent way to examine the plumbing, electrical work, and fittings. However, viewing a property won’t tell you much about any code violations that are in place. Code violations can accumulate, and they can be costly if not settled. A municipal lien search can show any pending code violation fees and prevent you from incurring costly fees.
5. Unrecorded Liens
Recorded liens are shown on the public record. On the other hand, unrecorded liens are debts placed against a property, but they do not appear in the public record. Unrecorded liens can comprise utility bills, expired or open permits, and other debts such as special assessments. If not detected, unrecorded liens can result in buyers being liable for hundreds or even thousands of dollars of debt. Performing a title search and a lien search can help you to unearth unrecorded liens on a property and avoid paying hefty fees in the future.
If you are buying a property in Florida, you need the full facts about the property. Get in touch with a reliable lien search company to help you with your Florida lien search.