Property

Zillow is the way to go now, but some other websites would be homesnap.com, realtor.com, trulia.com.

The property appraiser's office is a great resource when searching for a home. Their website allows you to search for any property in the county for details about the home, land, sales history, etc.

If you do not live in Hillsborough County, FL, please Google your county + property appraiser to find their website (ex: Volusia County Property Appraiser).

If your county's property appraiser does not have a website, when you Google, you will likely find a phone number to call.

For Hillsborough County, click on the link below and search either by clicking on Property Search or Map Search. If you know the address and you only want information for that property, Property Search will be more user-friendly.

Map Search will allow you to search by person or property address and click on properties around it.

The tax collector's office collects and records tax transactions. Amazing, right?! But, that is not the only thing they may do. Hillsborough County's actually takes care of Department of Motor Vehicles' transactions, too - driver license renewal, change of address, tag renewal, driving tests, etc.

Hillsborough County Tax Collector's website is one of the most user-friendly sites I have seen. 

To review tax records for a property, click Records Search under their logo. Click on Property Search with the house picture, and finally in the new window, enter the property address or owner's name. This will show the amounts paid each year and if there are any unpaid taxes. Be sure to look if there is a tax certificate because this could signal a distressed property.

There are several websites to see if a property is in a floodzone. FEMA has a website for the entire country: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/search

For Hillsborough County residents, you can use the link below to find your flood zone code (X or A-something), as well as zoning information that is not shown on the property appraiser's office.

I have only felt the need to call Code Enforcement once to see if there were outstanding violations on a property. 

The phone number for Hillsborough County Code Enforcement is (813) 274-6600, There may be a little (long) wait, so be prepared for a hold time.

Hillsborough County's website has become more user-friendly, so I encourage you to take a look if you live in the county and need something. Some of the links above are shown on their website.