How can I find public information about home's previous owners?

More info needed.. but it sounds like you are buying a home from a bank??? If that's the case, then understand that when a lender forecloses on a home, they don't know anything about the home other than the previous owner didn't pay, so they took the home back. Once they take back the home, they will secure the property, but rarely if ever will they do any kind of inspections or work on the property.. they are typically sold "As-Is".. so it's up to the buyer to do their due diligence and be sure to inspect the property prior to purchase. This all being said, if you want to find out who the previous owner was, contact your county tax assessor.. Most counties have online access to public records such as property owners.. so it's not too hard to do.. if you find this task daunting,, you can always contact a title company.. they will do the search for you for a nominal fee.. I'm a preferred Lender with California and Arizona being my primary markets. If you or someone you know is looking for financing options, feel free to contact me or pass along my information. 480-287-5714 WilliamAcres.com NMLS# 226347 / LendUS, NMLS 1938/ AZMB0121893

I guess I am confused. The lender providing your new loan has nothing to go with disclosing any information about the house you are buying, other then providing you a copy of the appraisal after it is done. If it is a foreclosure, and you are referring to the lender, by what I mean the seller, they also don't have anything to disclose. Their only disclosure would be that they have never lived in the home and know nothing about it, and that is is "As is". Sounds like your frustration is misdirected.

I agree just doing a property search of online county records or looking up the address in white pages can also provide great free information on who the previous owner's might have been for the house.