PlotCipher
Home / Property research
Dallas, Collin, Tarrant, Bexar & Johnson County, Texas

Research any property in Dallas or Collin County.

Search public property records without digging through multiple county websites. PlotCipher pulls the appraisal record, the recorded documents and the ownership history, then connects them into what actually happened to the property.

Searching is free. $1 per full property research — a one-time charge, no subscription required.

What a research contains
14771 Alstone Dr
Frisco, TX · Collin County
See this property →
1recorded transfer
2deeds of trust
6mortgage assignments
2releases
5liens and claims
25records reviewed
23relevant to the parcel

Every instrument is connected to the parcel and to the others — which mortgage the assignment moved, which release closed it, which lien is still open — and each one links back to the recorded document. What the record cannot establish is named rather than estimated.

What a research report covers
Owners, and how long they have held itMortgages, assignments and releases Sales and transfer history by typeLiens and recorded claims County appraisal and tax informationProperty and improvement history Recorded source documentsForeclosure activity, if any is on record

Coverage is Dallas County and Collin County, Texas. The property does not need to be in foreclosure. Public-record information may be incomplete or delayed, and PlotCipher is not a title report.

How to research a property in Dallas CountyDeed of trust vs assignment vs releaseMethodology
What the records actually hold

Six systems, one property, one account of what happened.

A property's history is not kept in one place. The deed that transferred it, the mortgage that financed it, the assignment that moved that mortgage to another servicer, the release that closed it out, the lien somebody recorded against it and the appraisal district's account of what it is — each lives in a different index, under a different name, in a different format. PlotCipher reads them for a single address, matches each instrument to the parcel, and reports what they say together with the document behind every figure.

County clerk index
Deeds, deeds of trust, assignments, releases, liens, judgments and lis pendens recorded against the address.
Appraisal district
The parcel account, the land and improvement split, size, year built and the owner of record.
Foreclosure notices
Notices of substitute trustee sale on file, and whether an earlier one has been posted before.
Frequently asked
Which counties does PlotCipher cover?

Dallas County and Collin County, Texas. Both the county clerk's recorded-document index and the appraisal district record are read for every address, and nothing outside those two counties is covered.

What is in a property research report?

The ownership chain and how long the current owner has held the property; recorded mortgages with their assignments and releases; sales and transfers by type; liens and recorded claims; county appraisal and tax information; property and improvement history; any foreclosure activity; and the source document behind each of them.

Where does the information come from?

The Dallas County Clerk's public records search and the Dallas Central Appraisal District; in Collin County, the county's foreclosure notice application and the Collin Central Appraisal District. Values are read from the appraisal district and are never estimated.

How current are the records?

PlotCipher reads the county indexes every morning at 4 AM, so a document recorded yesterday is normally readable today. County systems publish on their own schedule, and a report says when each record was last read rather than implying it is live.

What happens if a record cannot be matched to the property?

It is reported as unmatched rather than guessed at. Every instrument carries how confidently it matched the parcel, and anything that could not be tied to the address with confidence is listed as an unknown instead of being folded into the conclusions.

Does the report tell me what the owner still owes?

No. Recorded documents state the original principal of a mortgage, not its current balance. After years of payments, or arrears and fees, the present payoff can be far from the recorded figure. PlotCipher reports the original recorded amount and says plainly that the payoff is unknown.

Is this a title search?

No. PlotCipher is decision-support software that reads and connects public records. It is not a title company, a law firm or a licensed advisor, and a report is not a title opinion or a guarantee of clear title.

Do I need a subscription?

No. A full property research report is $1 per address, charged once. The Foreclosure Agent subscription is a separate product for having matching properties found and sent to you every morning.

Field guides
Searching the Dallas County clerk's index Tracing a mortgage through county records Deed of trust vs assignment vs release Verifying who owns a property Researching liens before an auction