Suffolk County: Property Search By Address
Whether you are entertaining a prospective investment in Suffolk County or need data for lending purposes, you’ve come to the right place! Trying to maneuver your way through the various mazes of Suffolk County’s local government can be frustrating. Finding a starting point is challenging, and once you do, taking the next step can easily lead you in the wrong direction. Doing a Suffolk County property owner search yields very little information.
We’re going to show you how to get to the exact information you need on Suffolk County real estate records within seconds!
A Synopsis of Suffolk County
If you are a New Yorker, you are most likely acquainted with the prestige that dots the Long Island region known as the Hamptons. The elite escapes to their luxurious weekend enclaves in this area to find solace from the city’s turbulent atmosphere.
Suffolk County covers ¾ of Long Island. In fact, the county line goes directly across Long Island from the south shore at Amityville, NY, to the northerly village of Cold Harbor, NY. And yes, Amityville is where the infamous “Amityville Horror” was filmed in the 1970s. Suffolk County has around 600,000 properties that bring in tax revenue to fund school, fire protection, police, and other local governments and districts.
Suffolk County has one of the highest property taxes. Property taxes in the Northeast corridor of the U.S. are unfortunately a burden for those who own properties in the area. Along with the state of New York, other high-property-tax states include New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
A City Dweller’s Playground with Hidden Gems of Investment Opportunities!
Suffolk County is one of four counties that spread across Long Island, NY. The diverse population includes the affluent Hamptons, where gorgeous estates are sprawled along the coastlines and inland areas. Tourists pour in from the Northeast to vacation on the island. Beach destinations and charming villages make Long Island attractive not only to visitors but to those seeking to put down roots. The wide range of property opportunities draws in the attention of investors.
Many residents living in Suffolk County commute to jobs in New York City by rail.
Eastern End of the Island
Vacation properties are scattered about where tourists, vacationers, and weekenders seek the healing environment of the ocean and beaches.
North Fork
A more rural area where the countryside hosts vineyards and wineries. Farm stands welcome those seeking fresh produce as small villages and hamlets warmly welcome visitors.
South Fork
Home of the Hamptons, where weekend homes await the arrival of their owners to enjoy an escape from the city.
Owning or Renting Property in Suffolk County
Suffolk County offers prospective homeowners a wide range of choices in location, price, and style. Whether you’re looking for a modest family home in a great neighborhood or a vacation home, there’s something for everyone!
Quick Facts About Suffolk County
Property Climate in Suffolk County
Home Value Appreciation for Suffolk County
Home values in Suffolk County increased 2.5% compared to 2019 (median value in 2019 was $536,922.) Currently, the median price of a home listed is $549,000.
https://www.towncharts.com/New-York/Housing/Suffolk-County-NY-Housing-data.html
Owner Occupancy Rate for Suffolk County
From 2014-2018, the owner occupancy rate for Suffolk County was at 81%. Weekend, vacation, and vacant properties accounted for the 19% unoccupied rate.
https://www.towncharts.com/New-York/Housing/Suffolk-County-NY-Housing-data.html
Mortgage Facts for Suffolk County
The economy of the area does, of course, impact one's ability to prevent default of a mortgage and/or property taxes. The county populus is mainly sustained through incomes generated from employment in governmental sectors within the county.
- 1GDP Suffolk County
2018: $92,983.255 (government)
2017: $90.601,801 (government)
Note: private goods/services were not included in the report.
- 2Credit Stress in Suffolk County
A stark 24% of homeowners in Suffolk County who have mortgages also have a second mortgage or and/or a home equity line of credit. Credit of any kind is beginning to weight down homeowners across our nation. However, 96.5% of Suffolk County's adult population overwhelmingly tapped into credit in 2017. The Mastic Beach zip code in Suffolk County has high credit utilization.
Percentages of Credit Scores in Suffolk County
(Range 280-850: Equifax)
Prime (being very good)
(720+): 58%
Near Prime (good)
(660-719): 18%
Subprime (low/poor)
(below 660): 24%
Property Insurance and Risks in Suffolk County
There are always going to be unexpected occurrences in the county that incur large-scale insurance claims. Whether natural or caused by humans, it’s valuable information to have when you are making inquiries into properties in the area.
Suffolk County is highly vulnerable to hurricanes, tropical storms, and flooding. When Hurricane Sandy hit back in 2012, it took 15 months to clear debris in Suffolk County. Flooding impacted over 31,000 homes. More than 750,000 homes were left with no power. FEMA filed claims for over $1.3 billion in individual aid and $160 million in public assistance.
Other disasters in the county include blizzards such as the 2007 Nor-easter and the Blizzard of 2013. Flooding is also a problem for coastal properties due to storm surges.
Public Record Access in Suffolk County
Property Records are publicly accessible. However, there’s a process to get those records. The infrastructure of entities responsible for handling property data may not be as clear cut as one would assume.
So, where do you go to do a Suffolk County lookup property “owner/ownership?”
In-Person Public Access Area
Suffolk County Clerk’s Office provides a starting point. But, that starting point requires you to go in person to the “public access area” where you’ll be required to sit at a library-like workstation.
The workstation is a computer that reaches into a database of over 2.5 million images stored digitally. Now, if you happen to be searching land records before 1987 or liens before 2004, that presents a challenge because you won’t find anything in the “public access area.” For such a case, you’ll need to request assistance. You will most likely be referred to microfiche that dates as far back as 1660.
We all know, perusing microfiche is time-consuming and requires diligence and attention to detail as you scan through thousands of records. Still haven’t found what you’re looking for on microfiche? You’ll need assistance again. The almighty, dingy “records room” is hopefully going to yield results for you. Books in the records room also contain property records. The task of going through hundreds of books won’t be quite as fast as microfiche. IF you do manage to find the information you are searching for, you will be charged a fee to print, copy, fax, or email it.
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Online Access
Upon arriving at the Suffolk County Clerk’s Office webpage, things may appear to be simple as a click of a button to start searching Suffolk County property records by name. However, you have to peel your way through, and at best, you end up hitting a dead end.
Liens
Doing a Suffolk County property tax search is traditionally the first step in digging up liens. To access any portion of lien records, your computer’s popup blocker must be disabled. You will then be required to accept various agreements to go further into the system. If you are lucky enough to get to the red bar at the top of your screen, you have gotten further than most others. To continue, you’ll need to do a “search 1” or “search 2.” In either case, you’ll need the owner’s name.
Land Records, Deeds, and Mortgages
Doing a Suffolk County property tax search is traditionally the first step in digging up liens. To access any portion of lien records, your computer’s popup blocker must be disabled. You will then be required to accept various agreements to go further into the system. If you are lucky enough to get to the red bar at the top of your screen, you have gotten further than most others. To continue, you’ll need to do a “search 1” or “search 2.” In either case, you’ll need the owner’s name.
AREIS System
Suffolk County offers AREIS(Advanced Real Estate Information System) for a stout licensing fee to access property records. This, however, is ideally not intended for individual use. AREIS merely gives a snapshot of ownership on parcels along with recorded sales. Further analysis of data is limited.
Governing Entities Handling Property Taxes in Suffolk County
Property taxes in the State of New York are administered by the Department of Taxation and Finance. Responsibility in managing, enforcing, and maintaining those taxes trickle all the way down to “Assessors” to “Receivers of Taxes” in each town, village, or municipality.
Local assessors are elected/appointed officials that handle property tax on a more local basis. Municipalities have either a shared assessor that works in more than one area, or they have a sole assessor (dedicated for that area.) These assessors are responsible for not only assessing a property’s value, but they also inspect properties and handle exemptions.
Hierarchy of Property Tax Entities
Local Municipality “Receivers of Taxes”
It can be daunting trying to figure out who handles property taxes throughout Suffolk County. Each municipality has a “Receiver of Taxes,” which is merely an administrative office that collects taxes. They have no responsibility in property tax policies, data, recordings, or records.
- 1
(631) 957-3001
Town of Babylon
200 East Sunrise Highway
Lindenhurst, NY 11757
Villages under Babylon Municipality
- 2
(631) 451-9009
Town of Brookhaven
1 Independence Hill
Farmingville, NY 11738
Villages under Brookhaven Municipality
- Belle Terre
- Bellport
- Bellport Village
- Blue Point
- Brookhaven
- Center Moriches
- Centereach
- Cherry Grove
- Coram
- East Moriches
- East Patchogue
- East Setauket
- Farmingville
- Fire Island Pines
- Lake Grove
- Lake Ronkonkoma
- Mastic
- Mastic Beach
- Medford
- Middle Island
- Miller Place
- Moriches
- Mount Sinai
- Ocean Bay Park
- Old Field
- Patchogue
- Poquott
- Port Jefferson
- Port Jefferson Station
- Ridge
- Rocky Point
- Ronkonkoma
- Selden
- Setauket
- Shirley
- Shoreham
- Sound Beach
- South Setauket
- Stony Brook
- Yaphank
- 3
(631) 324-4141 press # 2311
Town of East Hampton
East Hampton, NY 11937
Villages under East Hampton Municipality
- 4
(631) 351-3217
Town of Huntington
100 Main Street
Huntington, NY 11743
Villages under Huntington Municipality
- 5
(631) 224-5580
Town of Islip
40 Nassau Avenue
Islip, NY 11751
Villages under Islip Municipality
- 6
(631) 727-3200
Town of Riverhead
200 Howell Avenue
Riverhead, NY 11901
Villages under Riverhead Municipality
- 7
(631) 349-3378
Town of Shelter Island
Shelter Island, NY 11964
- 8
(631) 360-7610
Town of Smithtown
99 West Main Street
Smithtown, NY 11787
Villages under Smithtown Municipality
- 9
(631) 283-6514
Town of Southampton
116 Hampton Road
Southampton, NY 11968
Villages under Southampton Municipality
- 10
(631) 765-1803
Town of Southold
Southold, NY 11971-0499
Villages under Southold Municipality
- Cutchogue
- East Marion
- Fishers Island
- Greenport
- Laurel
- Mattituck
- Nassau Point
- New Suffolk
- Orient
- Peconic
- Southold
Bypass All of the Above In ONE STEP!
As you can see, the maze of trying to find the right department to obtain property records within Suffolk County, New York, is overwhelming, to say the least!
You have all of the information you need in one place, just a click away. Property Scout.io digs through thousands of records in Suffolk County, organizes it, and instantly puts it at your fingertips in a matter of seconds. No more spending hours trying to find “Suffolk County property search by owner” trying to look up “property owner/ownership.”
Property Scout.io is an information resource lenders, investors, and insurers are reaching for to get the info they need quickly. Try our 3-DAY PASS to get started!