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Red Door Title's Resource Library

for Real Estate Professionals

Links to free resources. See the research tips below. See also our Homebuyers' Resource Library for additional links to other useful sites. In matters of legal or financial importance, please verify any information you find on the internet.

Municipal Quick Links to municipal websites, assessor and tax collector web pages, online databases, tax maps, GIS tax maps and tax invoices in Maine counties of Cumberland and York and New Hampshire counties of Belknap, Carroll, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford.

Consult the research section at the bottom of this page for tips in using Municipal Quick Links. Find an owner, a map and lot or deed reference. Generate an abutters list. More.

Property Tax Rates: NH Rates, Maine Rates

Mortgage Calculator Plus  explains and calculates various kinds of loans.

Registries of Deeds: Maine Counties, New Hampshire Counties

See tips for Finding a Deed, Finding a Plan, Researching a Property's Financial History

Courts: Maine Probate Courts, Other Maine Courts, All New Hampshire Courts

Maine Probate Records Online for and view recent Maine probate files online. Probate Search Tips

New Hampshire Real Estate Statutes, Maine Real Estate Statutes

Tax Maps and GIS Tax Maps: See Municipal Quick Links

Data Maps: New Hampshire Data Maps, Maine Data Maps, Maine Geolibrary Geoportal

Explore the many features of these powerful, in-depth map sites for a wealth of information.

In New Hampshire Data Maps clicking tools>navigation>go to address will take you to your address. Use the layers to see conservation areas, recreation areas and other items of interest in your prospective location. Activate the orthophotography layer to see the satellite view.

Local data maps may be found on some town websites. See Municipal Quick Links.

Satellite Views: Google Earth for flyover tours and Bing Maps for maps and local information.

New Hampshire Data Maps, Bing Maps or MapQuest may provide better image resolution in satellite images for some rural locations than Google Earth and Google Maps.

Google Maps For an urban close-up, look at the street views.

Historic Maps: David Rumsey Map Collection Library of Congress Map Collection UNH Library Historic Maps Collection

See Tips on Researching an Historical Property for more maps, genealogy and history search sites.

Plot Sketchers: Tract Plotter, Tract Plotter Ap , Deed Platter,

Generate a plot sketch from a metes and bounds legal description. See Tract Plotting Tips

NNEREN , Zillow and Maine Listings

Telephone directories: 411 , Anywho 

Weather Forecast

Driving directions: MapQuest, Google Maps

Public Records and Search Systems are directories of free public records databases. For best results, use these sites to find the database site you wish to search. Then narrow your scope by category, ending with the individual name. No need to purchase a search.

Computer Utilities:

Screen Capture (free download). Snap images from selected parts of the screen. Feature rich, this program can label, save, print, copy and more. Use this screen capture to copy and paste images found in your search into a word doc.

PDF converter (free download). Converts PDF files to editable text in Word, Excel and RTF.

Red Door Research Tips for Using Online Resources

Generating an abutters’ list:

Working from the online resources for your town found on Municipal Quick Links.

Easiest: Some GIS tax maps have a select abutters function. Find your locus, enter a number for your radius in the box marked feet and the site will generate a list.

Next option: Identify your tax map and lot. Consult the tax map to identify the streets or tax map and lot numbers within your range. Search the online database or assessor’s lists for the corresponding owner and mailing information. If searching by street, enter the street, omitting the number for a list of all properties on that street.

If the owner’s address differs from the locus’ street address, send your marketing mailer to both addresses for your best coverage. The tenant or the owner/seasonal resident or their friends and family might be interested in buying property in the neighborhood.

Determining the owner of a property:

Go to Municipal Quick Links to search by street name or map and lot number for the associated owners name using the GIS tax map, database, assessor's lists or tax invoice sites.

If none of the above resources are available, use reverse address to determine the names associated with the property. These may be renters or owners. Search their names in the Maine Counties or New Hampshire Counties online Registry of Deeds database in the grantee index to see if there is a deed.

If an owner inherited the property in New Hampshire, a deed from the estate is not required. It may be necessary to consult probate or town records for ownership information.

These tips and links are for informational purposes only. An official title search of the property by a legal professional will confirm the correct owner.

Finding the deed for the property:

Go to Municipal Quick Links to view property cards on the GIS tax map and database sites which often list recent deed history or check assessors' lists and tax invoice sites. (Occasionally an incorrect deed reference is cited. Always verify. )

Or search the owner's name in the Maine Counties or New Hampshire Counties Registry of Deeds grantee index.

In New Hampshire, no deed is required from an estate to the heirs. The most recent deed and legal description might be that of the deed into the decedent. See section below entitled "Searching Probate."

If the property is bank owned and the deed has not yet been recorded, follow the procedures outlined in the section above and this section to find the name of the last owner and their deed.

Red Door Title is happy to provide a copy of your deed. Request Deed (appropriate link here)

These tips and links are for informational purposes only. An official title search of the property by a legal professional will confirm the correct deed.

Searching Probate:

When a property is inherited in Maine or New Hampshire there should be a probate filed in the state the property is located. It does not have to be filed in the county where the property is located.

Recent Maine probates are available online at Maine Probate Records Online . Search by the heir's or the decedent's name. Most documents in the file may be viewed online. Older Maine probates are indexed and viewable only in the county probate office in which they have been filed. Any deeds out from the estate should reference the county and the file number.

New Hampshire probate is not online. Search the public use computer available in any probate office for newer probates anywhere in the State of New Hampshire. Search by the heir's or the decedent's name. Click on the file number to view a list of documents filed. The documents themselves are only viewable in the county probate office in which the probate has been filed. Older probates are indexed and viewable only in the county probate office in which they have been filed. Any deeds out from the heirs of the estate should reference the county and the file number.

If any minor children are named as heirs, their interest may only be deeded out by a guardian appointed by the probate court and a guardianship file must be opened.

If any adult is found to be incompetent or requests that their affairs be handled by a guardian, their interest may only be deeded out by a guardian appointed by the probate court and a guardianship file must be opened.

Any time a property is inherited, a probate file should be opened.

An official title search of the property by a legal professional will determine if all actions required by the probate court have been taken to legally transfer the property.

If you think a joint tenant, heir or other owner may be missing or deceased, search for them on which searches the Social Security Death Index, U.S. Census records and other sources. This site may be searched without creating an account or logging in. It helps to have some idea of date range and general location of the event. This site does not provide Social Security numbers. This link is for informational purposes only. Any family information must be officially verified and death certificates or other official documents provided.

Finding images of a property:

Plans: Official survey plans drawn by a licensed surveyor and approved by the town or city are the gold standard. Your deed may reference the plan number under which it is recorded at the Maine Counties, New Hampshire Counties registries of deeds. The indexing and the availability of plans viewable online varies greatly from county to county. Older plans on a deed may not be viewable online or may not give a deed number. Older plans may be indexed in card files or books which can only be found and viewed by traveling to the registry. Plans which are not recorded may very often be found filed at the town or city assessor's office. Plans may also be found at the office of the surveyor cited in the plan reference on the deed. If it's an old plan and the surveyor cited is no longer in business, often a current surveying company will have those plans. Check with Maine Surveyors or New Hampshire Surveyors.

Tax maps: If no plan is available, look for a tax map using Municipal Quick Links. If the town has both GIS tax maps and tax maps in PDF form, look at both for the most comprehensive information.

Tax maps are not a legal standard and are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a legal description. When viewing an GIS aerial view of your locus overlaid with the tax lot lines, be aware that the overlay may not be accurately placed. For any concerns about a property, rely only on an official survey by a licensed surveyor.

See section immediately below.

Generating sketches of a property:

Generate an image of your lot by entering the metes and bounds legal description in your deed into the following free track plotting programs.

Sketches generated by these programs are not a legal standard and are for informational purposes only. For any concerns about a property, rely only on an official survey by a licensed surveyor.

Tract Plotter draws straight lines only but is very forgiving of less than complete legal descriptions and will fill in missing portions as logic dictates.

For curved lines such as a road enter the compass direction (i.e. n for north) and the distance, omitting the other information and this plotter will fill in the line as a straight red line. Click the Show Labels and the Full Precision boxes.

Tract Plotter Ap ( is the smartphone version of TractPlotter.

Deed Platter also draws straight lines only and generates a nice looking product but only accepts degrees for your course direction, omitting minutes and seconds.

Researching the financial history of a property:

Go to Municipal Quick Links to find property cards in assessors' databases and attached to GIS tax maps which usually give the recent sales history including the purchase price. Assessors’ lists, tax commitment lists, and tax bills online may also indicate past sales figures. Make note of the assessed value of the property (which may differ from the fair market value.)

In New Hampshire, determine the sale price by dividing the total tax stamp amount on the deed by the NH Tax Factor Rates in effect for the period in which the property was purchased.

For example, $3000 in tax stamps divided by a tax factor of .015 gives a purchase price of $200,000.

See sites like NNEREN and Zillow for sales stats and pricing trends.

Determining outstanding mortgages and liens on the property may take a bit of work. Search all owners named on the deed in the grantor Index at Maine Counties New Hampshire Counties. Note all mortgages and liens and include the opposite party and the dollar amount. Discharges and releases are indexed under the grantor index in most registries but may be under the grantee index in some and under both in a few. Search the grantor and/or grantee indexes and cross out any items that have been paid. This should leave you with the items that are still outstanding.

An official title search of the property by a legal professional will verify which items are still outstanding. These tips are only for informational purposes only and not intended as a warranty of any kind.

Researching the historical background of a property:

You will find many genealogy sites online and tips on how to use them.

Look also at your local historical society records, library reference materials, vital records at the town hall, cemetery records, church records and old registry of deeds and probate records.

Online historical resources:

searches Social Security Death Index records, U.S. Census records and many other records. This site may be searched without creating an account or logging in.

is a comprehensive list of links to genealogical research sites online.

Maine historical resources include:





In New Hampshire explore:







Historic Map Collections:

The David Rumsey Map Collection is an excellent source of historical maps. When searching a New Hampshire town, enter "your town name, NH Hurd", to find maps from the 1892 Hurd Atlas which show each residence labeled with the name of the owner.

Search the Library of Congress Map Collection for antique panoramic bird's eye view maps of your town and other maps. It may be necessary to download images for a full-screen view.

See the UNH Library Historic Maps Collection for older geographic surveys.

Explore the online historical resources section above this one for more maps and links to other map sites.

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