What is absentee owner?
An owner whose mailing address is not the property itself: often a landlord or an heir. Absentee owners sell more often than owners who live in the house.
Why it matters to an investor
Owners who do not live in the house often have less attachment to it and carry the cost of taxes, repairs and vacancy from far away. That is why absentee owners sell more often than owner-occupants.
How investors use it
- Compare the mailing address of record with the property address.
- Stack it with long ownership or unpaid tax to find the least attached owners.
- Write to the mailing address, not the property.
A real example
Right now Franklin County, OH has 136,916 absentee-owned properties in its county records (refreshed weekly). See the Franklin County list →
Questions
Is every absentee owner a landlord?
No. Some are heirs, some live in a second home, some are companies. The owner type in the record helps you tell them apart.
Is an out-of-state owner the same thing?
An out-of-state owner is an absentee owner whose mailing address is in another state; it is a smaller, stronger group.
How we make these guides
Written by the LeadCounty editorial and data team from official county, court and state sources and our own weekly counts. We name the office behind every number, say what we cannot see, and fix mistakes when you tell us. See our editorial standards and methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Refreshed weekly.
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