Having online access to county public records is a necessity in our line of work. Because we are in the lending, insuring, or investing industries, we depend on a “lifeline” of property data that lies within county public records. So, why is it so difficult to find online access to public records in counties?
Difficulty In Accessing Public Records
Many counties in our nation have beautifully designed websites that feature sources of information and contacts for residents. However, IF there are online portals to public records, they are hidden deep within the website that requires a LOT of digging. Likewise, many counties don’t have public records portals at all on their website, and it’s not until you spend hours digging that you discover this. Outdated county websites may have links that take you to antiquated search systems for records that no longer work. It would be ideal if all counties had a streamlined website, but unfortunately, that doesn’t exist. You will find that many government departments and appointed officials have their own website that connects with the county website, which adds more confusion.Lenders, insurers, and investors like ourselves rely on data service providers to efficiently get us the property data we need within seconds. It doesn’t make sense in today’s business world to waste time, which is money. Are you ready to find out where you can get property data within seconds and avoid peeling away the layers of county websites? We are going to show you how!Try a search on Property Scout.io!
A Synopsis of Gladwin County
Located in the northeast central state of Michigan is Gladwin County. This county received its namesake in 1831 to honor Major Henry Gladwin, a British officer. It wasn’t until 1875 that the county was officially organized, with its county seat being Gladwin City. Gladwin County offers a more rural lifestyle settled back into lush, green pine-covered countrysides. Raising a family here or those seeking a quiet lifestyle makes the county appealing. Remote workers escaping crowded cities find solace and ample distancing from large gatherings of people.Camping along the numerous little streams, rivers, and larger lakes attracts visitors in the warmer months. Hunting in this area is a year-round activity. Deer hunters flock to Gladwin County in hopes of seeing the “big pointer!”
The Scope of Gladwin County
Gladwin County has 15 townships and two cities within its borders. There are no big cities within the county, but rather a few larger towns established as cities. The government of Gladwin County is broken further down into township municipalities. Most of these townships do not have websites or lack a public records portal. This impedes our ability to get the necessary property records online.
Townships
- Beaverton (pop. 1,964)
- Bentley (pop. 844)
- Billings (pop. 2,416)
- Bourret (pop. 461)
- Buckeye (pop. 1,308)
- Butman (pop. 1,999)
- Clement (pop. 901)
- Gladwin (pop. 1,116)
- Grim (pop. 136)
- Grout (pop. 1,964)
- Hay (pop. 1,362)
- Sage (pop. 2,457)
- Secord (pop. 1,151)
- Sherman (pop. 1,043)
- Tobacco (pop. 2,566)
Cities
- Gladwin
- Beaverton
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Quick Facts About Gladwin County
- Coverage – 516 square miles in total (51.2 people per square mile)
- Land: 505 square miles
- Water: 11 square miles
- Streams/Rivers: 473 miles
- Organized in 1875
- Population: 25,449
- 2 Hospital
- 2 School Districts
- Beaverton School District: 1,009 students
- 1 elementary school
- 1 middle/high school
- Gladwin Community School District – 1,613 students
- 1 elementary school
- 1 elementary/middle school
- 1 high school
- Public Safety
- 1 Sheriff’s Department
- 8 Fire Departments
- Colleges/Universities
- 4 Public
Housing in Gladwin County
Gladwin County has a total of 17,867 housing units. There are 36 homes per square mile.
- 85% are owned (9,292 homes)
- 16% are rentals (1,707 rental units)
Property Tax Rates
- Median property tax: $1,403
Housing Valuations
County-wide, the median home price was $104,700. The two cities within the county both had increases in sales over the past year.
- Gladwin City
- Median listing price: $110,000
- Median sale price: $145,000
- 10% increase over the past year
- Beaverton City
- Median listing price: $109,900
- Median sale price: $117,500
- 14.6% increase over the past year
County Housing Market
Owned
The majority of homes owned in Gladwin County fall within the $100,000 – $200,000 price range with a median monthly mortgage of $1,031.
- $500,000 – $750,000: 1%
- $400,000 – $500,000: 1%
- $300,000 – $400,000: 4%
- $200,000 – $300,000: 13%
- $100,000 – $200,000: 34%
- $50,000 – $100,000: 29%
- <$50,000: 19%
Rentals
The monthly median rent is $610
- <$300: 10%
- $300 – $500: 16%
- $500 – $750: 34%
- $750 – $1000: 15%
- $1,000 – $1,500: 7%
- >$1,500: 3%
Economy In Gladwin County
Gladwin County has eight primary employers that sustain the local economy.
- Manufacturing
- St. Goban (291 employees)
- Brown Machine Group (280 employees)
- East Jordan Plastics (170 employees)
- Loose Plastics (110 employees)
- Education
- Gladwin Community School District (250 employees)
- Beaverton School District (135 employees)
- Healthcare
- MidMichigan Health (187 employees)
- Gladwin Pines Nursing/Rehab Facility (145 employees)
GDP Gladwin County
- 2019: $471,364
- 2018: $448,248
- 2017: $428,392
Credit Stress in Gladwin County
Gladwin County seemingly has a thriving economy, given its smaller population and rural demographics.
Homeowners With 2nd Mortgages/HELOCS
51% of homeowners have a monthly mortgage, whereas 49% do not.
- 2nd mortgage or HELOC: 6%
- 2nd mortgage only: 1%
- HELOC only: 5%
- No 2nd mortgage or HELOC: 45%
Property Insurance and Risks in Gladwin County
Gladwin County has a lower natural disaster risk and damage costs compared to many other counties. Winter weather poses more of a risk than any other event.
- Tornadoes: 9 events, $200,000 damage
- Winter Weather: 40 events (damage cost unknown)
- Flooding: 8 events, $100,000 damage
Public Record Access in Gladwin County
Most of us are well-seasoned in experiencing the frustration of trying to find property records on county websites. The numerous obstacles and hurdles we face to find the source that maintains such records are incredibly time-consuming. You would think that going to the website page to the assessor or clerk would do the trick. Attempts to access the Gladwin County property appraiser for access to public records fail to yield results as well.So, where do you go online for a Gladwin County property lookup?
Our Experience Doing A Gladwin County Property Lookup
Many counties that are more rural may not necessarily be up-to-date with the technology that provides portals to public records. Accessing those records in circumstances like these may require you to go in person, call, or email the appropriate department that maintains the records. We have done a search on Gladwin County’s website to provide you with a glimpse into just how challenging it can be to get access online to public records. We begin at the landing page for Gladwin County’s website.Immediately, we notice that a search button/option is nowhere on the landing page. We click on “Department Directory.” The link is not working, so we hit the “back button to go back to the main landing page.
So we begin our descent into the abyss by clicking on various departments to start our search.
- Going into the “County Clerk” departmental link, we arrive at a new page where there are no links or information on public records. So, we hit the “back” button.
- Clicking on the “Register of Deeds” link, a new page appears that also has no links or information on public records. Again, we hit the “back” button.
- Now we click on the “Treasurer,” and a new page opens. We may be getting somewhere! Scrolling to the bottom of the page, there’s a listing of 15 townships. So, we begin clicking on each township. Some have links to the township’s page, and some do not.
- Beaverton: no link, only a phone number
- Bentley: no link, only a phone number
- Billings: we click on the link and are taken to the “Assessing” page. A message appears, “Content coming…property record cards will be available to owners and customers for viewing.”
- Bourrett: we click on the link, and a new page appears which has no information on public records.
- Buckeye: no link, only a phone number
- Butman: we click on the link, and a new page appears which has no information on public records.
- Clement: we click on the link, and a new page appears which has no information on public records.
- Gladwin: no link, only a phone number
- Grim: no link, only a phone number
- Grout: no link, only a phone number
- Hay: no link, only a phone number
- Sage: no link, only a phone number
- Secord: no link, only a phone number
- Sherman: no link, only a phone number
- Tobacco: no link, only a phone number
- Beaverton City: we click on the link, and a website for Beaverton City appears. We click on a link to the assessor’s website, and a new page opens. We click again on a link to “Public Records Portal Search.” It requires an address to search, so we enter a known address in Beaverton City. Nothing comes up. We repeat this step with various addresses and still nothing. The portal is static.
After 1 hour and 35 minutes into digging, clicking, searching, and hitting the “back” button, we surrendered. Now, if we were paying an employee to perform this same search at their hourly wage, we will have wasted 1 ½ hours of wage compensation. Because our jobs depend on searches like these, several of these may need to be done in a day’s time. The more you search, the more time and money you lose.
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Lenders, investors, and insurers benefit by partnering with PropertyScout.io. Give us a try TODAY!Source for county statistics: www.towncharts.com