Every Ohio county auditor publishes a property card for each parcel. Once you can read one quickly, you can judge a lead in under a minute.
01Parcel number
The parcel number (also called the parcel ID or PIN) is the key that links every record about the property: tax bills, deeds, court cases. Formats differ by county, and one building can sit on several parcels.
02Owner and mailing address
The owner is the legal owner on the latest recorded deed. The mailing address is where the tax bill goes. If the two addresses differ, the owner may not live there (an absentee owner).
03Market value and assessed value
In Ohio the auditor sets a market value for land and buildings. The assessed (taxable) value is 35% of the market value. Values are fully reappraised every six years, with an update in between, so they can lag behind real sale prices.
04Transfer history
- Date and sale price of every recorded transfer
- Deed type: a warranty deed is a normal sale; a quit-claim or certificate of transfer often means a family or estate transfer
- Sales marked "not valid" or with no price are usually not arm's-length sales
05Tax information
- Annual tax, first-half and second-half bills
- Delinquent amount and whether it is certified delinquent
- Special assessments (for example street lights or sewer projects)
06Credits and reductions
The owner-occupancy credit and the homestead exemption are only for owners who live in the home, so they are a strong sign the owner lives there. When an owner-occupancy credit is removed, the owner may have moved out.
07Building facts
Year built, living area, bedrooms, bathrooms, condition and grade help you estimate repairs and compare with nearby sales.
08Putting it together
In LeadCounty all of this sits on one property page, together with the treasurer, court and city records for the same parcel, the reasons behind the score, and recent sales nearby.
