Deeds Office Warns of Land Offer Letters

By Tammy Wells, Media Specialist, York County Government

York County residents who have received unsolicited purchase agreements from a Utah land investment company may want to consider seeking legal advice if they are contemplating moving forward, county officials say.

That is the word from York County Registrar of Deeds Nancy Hammond, who said her office has received calls of concern from about half-a-dozen county property owners who have received letters from Edge Equity LLC of Washington, Utah. The letters state that the source of the ownership record is “from the York County assessor.”

“It didn’t come from us,” said Hammond. York County government does not assess property. In Maine, property assessment is the purview of municipalities, not counties.

The York County Registry of Deeds records deeds and other property-related instruments, which are public records and can be viewed online. Municipal property assessment records are also public records, and most are available online.

Edge Equity LLC describes itself in the letter as a property investment company. According to its website, the company’s focus is on buying undeveloped land.

“Our organization has bought over 16,000 properties across the U.S., the website notes. “We are not licensed realtors and therefore no fees are incurred by you with our property transactions.” In one local instance, Edge Equity LLC offered a property owner $29,600 for a 4.85-acre inland property in York County. The municipality assessed the property at about $54,000, according to its online property records.