Des Moines · Polk County · Warren County · Iowa
Find the right county office for an assessed value, unpaid property tax, deed, or court record. This page also explains Iowa real estate transfer tax and links to help with common selling situations.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us — in the City of Des Moines and Polk and Warren counties.
Have a house to sell? Call 888-274-5006 or request a written cash offer below.
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Useful county offices
The incorporated City of Des Moines intersects Polk and Warren counties. County offices below serve the named county, so check the exact property location before choosing one; a Des Moines address alone does not identify the county for a particular parcel. Polk and Warren counties are both in Iowa Judicial District 5. The court links are contact routes for filings and case access, not a determination of an estate’s venue or a property-specific result.
Polk County · assessed value and parcel records
Contact the Assessor about a property’s assessed value, assessment record, or parcel record. Assessment questions are different from an unpaid tax balance, a recorded deed, or a court case.
Polk County Assessor ↗Polk County · property-tax accounts and payments
Use the Treasurer’s property-tax service for a tax account, payment, or unpaid property-tax balance. Have the property address or parcel information ready.
Polk County Treasurer — Property Tax ↗Polk County · recorded real-estate documents and recording information
Use the Recorder for a deed or other recorded real-estate document. A recorded deed is a different record from a court filing or judgment.
Polk County Recorder — Real Estate Department ↗Polk County · court filing and case-access contact route
Contact the Clerk of Court with filing or case-access questions about a Polk County court matter. Use the case information on the notice; this office does not replace the Assessor, Treasurer, or Recorder for those separate records.
Phone: 515-561-5718
Iowa Judicial Branch — Polk County ↗Warren County · assessed value and parcel records
Contact the Assessor about a property’s assessed value, assessment record, or parcel record. Use the office for the county where the property is located.
Warren County Assessor ↗Warren County · property-tax accounts and payments
Use the Treasurer for a Warren County property-tax account, payment, or unpaid balance. Have the property address or parcel information ready.
Warren County Treasurer ↗Warren County · recorded documents and recording information
Use the Recorder for a deed or other recorded property document. A deed search does not answer a court-case or judgment question.
Warren County Recorder ↗Warren County · court filing and case-access contact route
Contact the Clerk of Court with filing or case-access questions about a Warren County court matter. Use the case information on the notice; court records are separate from property assessments, tax accounts, and deeds.
Phone: 515-690-9260
Iowa Judicial Branch — Warren County ↗Iowa sale rule
Iowa’s real estate transfer tax is 80 cents for each $500, or fraction of $500, of the price above the first $500. For example, on a $100,000 sale, $99,500 is subject to the calculation: 199 units of $500, or $159.20. The person conveying the property — normally the seller — is liable under the statute. The county Recorder receives the tax and will not record the deed until it is paid. A declaration of value is filed when required, and exemptions apply to some transfers.
Before closing, ask the closing professional to confirm whether an exemption applies, the taxable amount, any required filing, and how the written sale terms address payment. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Iowa real estate transfer tax. That does not pay your mortgage, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes.
Situation pages
Review estate records, who may be able to sign, and sale questions for an inherited property.
Open the Des Moines page →Use the actual notice and case information to compare your next steps.
Open the Des Moines page →Review ownership, court orders, signatures, and sale questions involving a jointly owned home.
Open the Des Moines page →Consider the lease, occupancy, access, and possession questions before choosing a sale path.
Open the Des Moines page →Review what to check when a property has a code notice, open violation, or repair issue.
Open the Des Moines page →Consider the property condition, insurance questions, and available sale options after a fire.
Open the Des Moines page →Separate recorded documents, court records, unpaid taxes, and property-specific title questions.
Open the Des Moines page →Read or compare
Use the market report for dated local context, the guide and article to compare sale paths, and the calculator to change your own planning assumptions.
Des Moines, IA Home Sale Net Proceeds Calculator
CalculatorCompare what you would keep from listing your house or selling as-is for cash. Change the repair costs, cleanout, monthly bills and closing costs to fit your house.
Review dated market measures with their source, period, and geography.
Compare an as-is sale with listing, repairs, timing, and other sale options.
Read about the available ways to sell an as-is house in Des Moines.
Browse local articles for practical seller questions and next steps.
See what happens from sharing the property address through written terms and closing.
Reviews and contact
Have a question about your property? Call 888-274-5006 or send the address in the form above.
Use the Assessor in the county where the property is located: Polk County Assessor for a Polk County property or Warren County Assessor for a Warren County property. The city of Des Moines crosses both counties, so check the exact property location rather than relying on the city name alone.
Contact the Treasurer for the property’s county: Polk County Treasurer for a Polk County property or Warren County Treasurer for a Warren County property. The Assessor handles assessed value; the Treasurer handles property-tax account and payment questions.
For a deed or recorded real-estate document, contact the Recorder in the property’s county. For filing or case-access questions about a court matter, use the Clerk of Court contact route for the relevant case. Those are different records, and the city name alone does not determine a case’s venue or the effect of a record on a particular property.
Iowa charges 80 cents for each $500, or fraction of $500, of the price above the first $500. For example, a $100,000 sale has $99,500 subject to the calculation, or 199 units of $500, for $159.20. Exemptions may apply, and the person conveying the property is generally liable under the statute. Ask the closing professional to confirm the taxable amount, any required declaration of value, and the transaction details.