Creative Ways To Use Public Records

There are as many kinds of public records as there are reasons for people to search on them. Some of the most frequently accessed public records include: register of deaths, births, and marriages, property records, criminal records, DUI records, sex offender records, and many more. I imagine reading this list is getting your creative juices flowing and you are starting to see the possibilities here.

Before the internet, public records were kept in government buildings such as your county courthouse. You needed to physically show up at the courthouse and ask to see the records. There can be rooms full of records from floor to ceiling and finding what you need is a daunting task. I still have to look up probate and land records at the courthouse. And you may have to do the same depending on where you live.

Here are some of the most commonly searched public records that you can find on the internet and what information in them could be of help to you at sometime in your life. Some will be easy to find, and some not so easy. However difficult you find your online search, remember how much harder it would have been before the internet.

One of the most popular record searches is using the reverse lookup telephone directory. With this you can find out who any caller is by entering their phone number. This is perfect for finding the source of repeated hang ups or a number you don't recogize on your caller ID.

If you have kids and are hiring prospective babysitters or nannies, you can run a public record background check. This would be very hard to piece together yourself, so you should consider using an internet background check service. Then see what shows up before you entrust the care of your children to an unknown person. Make sure they aren't a sex offender, have a DUI record, or are in a dire financial situation.

Are you dating a new beau and something seems a little off or suspicious? You can check to see if they are married, where they live, if they have any judgments against them or any criminal records. One of the leading public records search sites has a service especially for checking on your date.

Sometime you might need to search your own public records. If any of your personal records have been lost, stolen, or ruined in a fire or flood, you might need to find your own records online.

If you have a small business you might do a background check before you hire someone. You can do one before you hire a contractor that you will be entrusting to be working in your house while you are out. You can run a check on a prospective tenant if you are going to rent your house.

On a lighter note, you can use public records to find old classmates to put together a class reunion. Public records will be an invaluable tool if you are researching your family's genealogy. Or maybe you heard through the grapevine your old flame is newly single and you'd love to contact him to see what happens.

As you can see, the ways public records can empower you with knowledge are pretty much limited only by your imagination.