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HELP > FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
Where does Real Estate Data Services get information? County Courthouses maintain information for many things including births, marriages, divorces, mortgage liens, tax assessments, parcel maps, deeds and property sales. This data is considered public information and may be viewed by anyone in the courthouse during their normal business hours. Additionally, much of the information (especially real estate data) is prepared as printed copy for purchase by the public. REDS carefully enters information taken from the property sales report produced by each County Tax Assessment Office into a searchable online database.
How current is the information? Most County Tax Assessment Offices produce a property sales report about once a month. This report contains all* confirmed (recorded) property sales since their previous report. Real Estate Data Services updates database records online with information from the new reports as they become available.
Yes. Use the same procedure to log onto REDS at home as you do from the office. Your account number and password remain the same. Registered users on an active account may access the service at any time, from anywhere in the world, using any properly configured computer connected to the Internet.
What can I do if a Web page stops loading or loads slowly? Try pressing the Stop button on the browser and click on the link again. Web traffic to the site you would like to visit may be heavy.
Can I print more records on a page? Yes, set your Web browser font to the smallest setting. Notice the text on the computer screen immediately became smaller. When text is smaller on the screen, it will usually be smaller on the printed page. Try changing the page orientation too.
A "cookie" is a small piece of information which a web server can store with the User's web browser. This is useful for having the browser remember some specific information which the web server can later retrieve. The security protocol for the REDS Online server prompts every visitor to accept a single cookie. (This happens in the background if your browser accepts cookies automatically) Our cookie is temporarily assigned and will expire after twenty minutes of User inactivity. Because this cookie is not stored on a User's computer hard drive, Users must accept a new cookie with each visit to access restricted pages beyond member login.
Use Codes describe the style or most recent use for a parcel of real estate. For example, C16 represents a vacant commercial lot and R03 represents a two story dwelling. Real Estate Data Services applies a standard list of codes to describe properties in six counties. However, Berks County and York County provide Use Codes with greater detail than our standard codes. Use Codes for these counties are posted unchanged.
Yep, they're in there. Misinformation, data entry errors, out-of-date links and so on are an ongoing concern to any database management network. If you believe an error may exist, we would like the opportunity to correct it. Please use the Contact page to report a problem to the Webmaster. Everyone benefits with reliable information.
Where can I find the metes and bounds of a property? Lot dimensions are generally included as part of the legal description on a property deed. Property deeds are maintained in the Recorder of Deeds Office of each County Courthouse. REDS subscribers may request a deed be faxed to their office for a small fee.
Why do my last search criteria display when I'm searching a new county? We designed the database to retain your existing search criteria until you clear/refresh the page by pressing the New Filter or New Form button. You can easily search multiple counties without retyping search criteria. Of course this only works in the same online session.
Can my company use the REDS logo to promote our business? Absolutely! Every registered User, during the term of their subscription, may use the REDS trade name and any logo for the REDS Service in advertising, promotion and marketing materials for the purpose of announcing Subscriber’s use of the REDS Service to prospective customers. Images on any Web page can easily be saved to a computer and reproduced on flyers, business cards, newspaper ads or personal Web pages. Please be careful not to make any unauthorized representations or warranties regarding the REDS Service.
What is a Parcel Number and how does it work? The Parcel Number is a unique parcel ID assigned by the county to a identify the property. It's like an address. For example, a Parcel Number for a lot located in Dauphin County could be represented as 36-066-275. The "36" is the district number for the municipality. The "066" is the map page number this property appears on in the county Planning & Zoning Department. "275" is a single parcel on Map 66. Every county uses some variation of this numbering system.
*Note to Commercial Appraisers: Complex commercial sales such as an Army Depot may not appear on the STEB Report from the county. |
