Lake County, OH: motivated seller leads, with the reason on every owner
LeadCounty reads 3 official record sources for all 112,794 properties here, refreshed weekly. The biggest seller lists are tired landlord (10,109), inheritance deed (5,046) and tax delinquent (2,751).
National files go to anyone who pays. We cap this county at 10 investors, so the owners you find here are not on a stack of other desks. Stack the lists below and mail the top of the pile.
2.5×in Lake County, the top-scored tenth sold this many times as often as average
In a test on real sales, 8.1% of the top-scored tenth sold within 12 months, against 3.2% of all properties.
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The badge links to the Lake County page. It shows the result of the test on real sales.
See all 17 seller lists in Lake County
Certified delinquent is the same list as Tax delinquent in Lake County (the county publishes one delinquency list).
2,751 owners are behind on tax here today. See who, and why.
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Not ready? Get 20 free Lake County leads by e-mailWhat's in Lake County, and what isn't
In Lake County we hold tax delinquent, delinquent 3+ years, in foreclosure, sheriff / foreclosure sale, inheritance deed and estate / heirs owner. Every owner you do see has the reason next to the name.
New records against the usual week
| List | Latest week | 4-week average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sold | 59 | 83 | -29% down |
Top ZIP codes in Lake County
Most tax-delinquent properties
- 44077 Painesville703 delinquent
- 44060 Mentor582 delinquent
- 44095 Eastlake408 delinquent
- 44094 Willoughby371 delinquent
- 44057 Madison349 delinquent
Most inheritance deeds
- 44060 Mentor1,249 deeds
- 44077 Painesville1,129 deeds
- 44095 Eastlake897 deeds
- 44094 Willoughby712 deeds
- 44057 Madison425 deeds
Owners with more than one reason to sell
A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once. These are the stacks investors start with in Lake County, with live counts.
- 239owners nowTax delinquent + absentee owner + owned 15+ yearsOwners behind on tax who do not live in the house and have held it a long time: usually equity and little attachment.
- 2,721owners nowPortfolio owner (5+) + owned 15+ yearsLong-time landlords with several properties: one conversation can cover more than one house.
- 244owners nowLikely vacant + absentee ownerProbably empty houses whose owner lives somewhere else: every month costs them tax and upkeep.
Named stacks of signals in Lake County
A stack is an owner who matches several reasons at once, all true for the same property. The number is how many properties in Lake County match every one today.
- Ghost Owner20
A death on record, an empty-looking house, tax unpaid.
- 3 signals stacked
- Long Hold Estate1,951
Held 30 years or more, now in a trust or estate.
- 2 signals stacked
- Paper Rich1,516
Long held, worth twice what was paid, owner lives elsewhere.
- 3 signals stacked
- Far Away Drift29
Out of state for 10 years or more and behind on tax.
- 3 signals stacked
- Empty and Owing99
Looks empty, owner lives elsewhere, tax unpaid.
- 3 signals stacked
- Equity Under Fire160
Lots of equity, with a lien, a foreclosure or 2+ years of tax owed.
- 2 signals stacked
These count records, not people: a stack never says an owner wants to sell. How all eight stacks are defined →
Three Lake County properties our score ranks highest
| Street and city | Score (1 to 10) | Why it may sell |
|---|---|---|
| Lake RdMadison | 10of 10 | Taxes 1 year behindOwned 30 years |
| Truman AveWickliffe | 10of 10 | Owes about $8,800 in tax (4.8% of the value)Taxes 10 years behind |
| Ohio StPerry | 10of 10 | Foreclosure / sheriff sale filedBought within 2 years (investors often resell) |
Street name and city only: house numbers, owner names and mailing addresses are in the app.
What the free trial shows
The same property, in both trials. Example row, not a real person.
Explore
- Owner
- Hidden in the free Explore trial
- Mailing address
- Hidden in the free Explore trial
- Tax owed
- $4,812
Everything except who to contact: owner names, mailing addresses and house numbers stay hidden.
Full access
- Owner
- Pat Example
- Mailing address
- PO Box 118, Sample City
- Tax owed
- $4,812
Everything, owner names and mailing addresses included. Cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing.
Get 20 free Lake County records
This week's top 20 properties by score: address, city, ZIP, score, reasons, owner type, years owned and tax owed. Owner names and mailing addresses are in the trial. One file per e-mail per week.
What the Lake County records say
Lake County has 112,794 properties on file. 2,751 of them (2.4%) are behind on property tax, and 1,752 owe $1,000 or more; 371 have been delinquent for three years or longer. 24,584 (21.8%) belong to an owner who gets the tax bill at another address, 6,897 of them in another state.
In the latest full week of the county's deed file, it recorded 59 sales (average 83). 19 properties have an open foreclosure case.
Unpaid tax is most concentrated in ZIP 44077 (Painesville) with 703 delinquent properties, followed by 44060 (Mentor) and 44095 (Eastlake). Inheritance deeds cluster in 44060 (Mentor), 44077 (Painesville) and 44095 (Eastlake).
Stacking lists narrows the county to owners with more than one reason to sell. "Tax delinquent + absentee owner + owned 15+ years" gives 239 owners right now: small enough to mail every month.
Lake County on file: tax history 2023–2025, sales and transfers 1961–2026, tax payments 2018–2026, 597 columns with data; building condition, foreclosure filings, building permits and special assessments included. The records come from Lake County Auditor, Lake County GIS Department and Lake County Sheriff, collected every week.
Where the Lake County data comes from
Collected from 3 official government offices, live and refreshed weekly.
- Lake County Auditorowners, values and building facts, tax bills, payments and delinquency, deeds and sales, building permits
- Lake County GIS Departmentowners, values and building facts, parcel maps
- Lake County Sheriffowners, values and building facts, deeds and sales, foreclosure and sheriff-sale records, code cases and vacant buildings
Lake County on file: tax history 2023–2025, sales and transfers 1961–2026, tax payments 2018–2026, 597 columns with data; building condition, foreclosure filings, building permits and special assessments included.
Lake County government website →
How we collect and check county records →About Lake County's records
Market (appraised) and assessed (35%) values from the Auditor's daily CAMA export. The transfer type is the sale-validity code (VALID SALE, MULTI-PARCEL SALE, NOT VALID); the deed type shows the county's instrument code (WD warranty, SU survivorship, QC quit claim, AF affidavit, PR probate certificate of transfer, FD fiduciary, EX executor, SH / SF sheriff; codes ending in E are exempt). Delinquent = unpaid earlier-year tax or on the certified delinquent list with tax still owed. Lake publishes no foreclosure list and no city code cases, so those flags are empty.
Lead lists with a page in Lake County: tax delinquent (2,751), in foreclosure (19), inherited (5,046), absentee owner (24,584), out-of-state owner (6,897), vacant (318), high equity (19,334), tired landlords (10,109). Open any of them from the counts at the top.
How unpaid tax and foreclosure work in Ohio
Unpaid tax is certified delinquent after about a year; the county treasurer then forecloses through the court or the Board of Revision, and sheriff sales are held online. Some counties also sell tax lien certificates. The owner can pay the full amount until the court confirms the sheriff sale.
Mortgage foreclosures: judicial. Mortgage foreclosures go through the court of common pleas and end with an online sheriff sale.
All Ohio rules and counties →Where to go from here
More about Lake County: strong signals, nearby counties, guides
Signals strong in Lake County
More on Lake County
Nearest counties
Other Ohio counties
Lake County questions
How many tax-delinquent properties are in Lake County, OH?
2,751 properties on the latest county file, from the Lake County Auditor's tax records; 1,752 of them owe $1,000 or more. The count is refreshed every week.
Where does the Lake County data come from?
From official public records: Lake County Auditor, Lake County GIS Department and Lake County Sheriff. We collect them every week, match them to each parcel and score every property.
How many investors can use Lake County data?
At most 10 investors per county, so fewer people mail the same owners. Seats are open in Lake County today.
Is Lake County full?
Seats open. The badge on this page is the same counter that decides who can join.
Does Lake County publish foreclosure filings?
Yes: 19 properties have an open foreclosure case on the latest county file.
Want every Lake County property in one Excel file?
All 112,794 properties with owners, mailing addresses, values, taxes and seller signals. $500 first delivery, $300 per refresh.Somebody opens Lake County this week.
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