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shinnslist · compare · Best free ways to find off-market properties in Colorado (2026)

Best free ways to find off-market properties in Colorado (2026)

Bottom line: The free ways are your county assessor's property search, the clerk and recorder's document search, a Colorado Open Records Act request, driving neighborhoods yourself, the county treasurer's tax lien sale list, and shinnslist, a free beta that joins those county records for nine counties. None of them tells you an owner will sell.

Free beta checked October 18, 2026 · next check by January 18, 2027

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Which free ways work best, side by side?

WayWhat it showsCostEffort
County assessor property searchOwner of record, where the tax bill goes, sales and the county's value, one property at a timeNo fee shown on the pages checkedHigh: one lookup at a time
Clerk and recorder document searchDeeds, estate documents and other recorded papersSearching showed no fee; copies may cost moneyHigh
Colorado Open Records Act requestWhole lists a county keeps, in bulkThe custodian may charge for time or copiesMedium: a written request and a wait
Driving neighborhoodsWhat a property looks like todayYour time and fuelHigh
Treasurer tax lien sale listProperties with unpaid property taxes before the yearly saleNo fee shown on the page checkedLow: one download
shinnslistCounty records joined on one map, sorted into trade doors, each fact naming its sourceFree in betaLow

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What can a county assessor's property search show you?

Every Colorado county assessor keeps a record for each parcel: the owner of record, the address the tax bill is mailed to, recorded sales and the county's value. A tax bill mailed somewhere else can mean the owner does not live there. A long hold and a low purchase price can mean the owner has a lot of equity. Neither means the owner will sell.

Adams, Broomfield, Eagle, Grand, Summit and Weld counties each run their own assessor search too. Find it on the county's official government website.

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How do clerk and recorder records help?

The county clerk and recorder keeps deeds and other recorded documents. A personal representative's deed or a death certificate on a title can mean an estate is deciding what to do with a home. Search by name, document type or date.

Searching is open to anyone. Check the county's fee page before you order copies.

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How does a Colorado Open Records Act request work?

The Colorado Open Records Act, Title 24, Article 72, Part 2 of the Colorado Revised Statutes, says most public records must be open to the public, and anyone can ask. Send a written request to the office's records custodian and name the records you want, such as a list a county keeps. The custodian may charge for research time or copies, so ask for an estimate first. The Colorado Secretary of State's CORA page shows how one office handles requests.

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Is driving neighborhoods still worth it?

Yes, if you have the time. You see things no record shows: an overgrown yard, a home that looks empty, a building that needs work. Note the parcel, then look it up in the assessor search to see who owns it and where the tax bill goes. Stay on public roads and do not go onto private land.

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What is a county treasurer's tax lien sale list?

Each year, Colorado county treasurers sell liens on property with unpaid taxes. The buyer gets the lien and earns interest. The buyer does not get the property. Before the sale, the list of properties is public.

In Larimer County, the treasurer posts the list of advertised properties as an Excel download from the first week of October, updated nightly, before the sale on November 19, 2026 (Larimer County tax lien sale). Other county treasurers publish their own lists on their official websites. Being on the list means the taxes are unpaid. It does not mean the owner will sell.

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How does shinnslist fit in?

shinnslist is a free beta that joins these county records with free federal maps for nine Colorado counties, plus a Virginia pilot. It sorts them into trade doors, such as Wholesaler, Realtor and Land, and each door names its records and the date its top results were checked by hand. The hunt is free and needs no account; the only thing sold is the tax lien sale packs.

It is narrower than the paid tools. It has no owner phone numbers, no mail, no MLS data and no phone app. See coverage for what is graded, and how we grade for the rules.

Pick a county: Adams, Boulder, Broomfield, Eagle, Grand, Jefferson, Larimer, Summit, Weld.

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What should you keep in mind before you reach out to an owner?

A public record is a fact about a property, not a sign the owner wants to sell. Treat every owner the same way, follow fair housing law, and check the federal and state rules on calls and messages before you contact anyone.

Questions

Questions people ask

Can I search Colorado property records for free?

Yes. Each county assessor runs a public property search on its own website, and clerk and recorder offices let you search recorded documents. Copies of documents may cost money.

Does buying a tax lien in Colorado get me the property?

No. A tax lien buyer gets the lien and earns interest on it. The owner still owns the property.

Who can file a Colorado Open Records Act request?

Anyone. Send a written request to the records custodian of the office that keeps the records. The office may charge for time or copies.

Is shinnslist free?

Yes. It is free while in beta. The hunt needs no account, and the only thing sold is county tax lien sale packs at /liens/.

Do any of these tell me an owner will sell?

No. Public records describe a property and its history. None of them shows that an owner will sell.

Sources

Where each fact comes from

Company names belong to their owners. Each fact was read on that company’s own pages on the date shown.