You can go to Zillow.com to see what has sold in the area surrounding a particular address. I would be careful relying on the accuracy of the "Zestimate" This is based on assessment and compared to properties that have sold and does not take in consideration of the quality or esthetics of a property.
Otherwise I would go with the County Assessor’s office is a great place to start.
http://www.whatcomcounty.us/assessor/index.jsp site as stated before.
Good luck...

Hi Shu. I am unfamiliar with the Property Records system in Illinois. But, Trulia may have a2/3 of your answer. ll the answkulT, tRUt tRULttRULIA U this webllinoies. lystemk

Go to the HOME page at http://www.trulia.com . In the GREEN BAR at the top where it says SEARCH – type in your “City, State”. To the right in the drop down box, select “Homes” and press GO. Now, on the same green bar, place your cursor on FIND HOMES. Ah, you get a drop down menu. Click on your "Cities Recently Sold Homes”. Walla. There they are. And, you can sort them on the FLY. Go to the “Sort By” drop down menu. You can sort by -- Best Match, Newest Price (ascending or descending) Bedrooms, Baths, Property Type and address. It resorts immediately. For each home you choose to review, click on “listing Preview” for a little more detail and a location map. Click on “Full Details for a larger map (including satellite view) and “Assessors Records”. Due to PRIVACY considerations, this site will not give you a list of names. Sorry, But this is a great start.

Shu-
There are a number of resources for Real Estate Transfers. The Whatcom County Assesor's office is a great place to start. http://www.whatcomcounty.us/assessor/index.jsp (use the Real Property Search to find the specific property you are looking for.)
Additionally, any one of the local Title Companies are a fantastic resource. One of the roles of title companies is in keeping the 'Chain of Title' for real property...making them the EXPERTS in Real Estate Transfer information.
In Whatcom County we have 4 title companies: Whatcom Land, Stewart, First American and Chicago.
You can call any one of these fine companies to get helpful sale information on any property in our county. (I have provided phone numbers for your convenience.)
Or, you can simply give a friendly Realtor a call to do some 'sleuthing' on your behalf.
Hope this information has been of great assistance!
Good luck in your 'looking'.
Live good. Be happy.
-Mimi

Whatcom Land Title
(360) 676-8484
Toll Free Number:
1-800-334-6314

Stewart Title
(360) 647-8155

Chicago Title
(360) 734-7000
Toll Free Number:
(800) 521-0234
(800) 521-0234

First American Title
(360) 733-5320

Shu,

Your best Resource is going to the a county web site if one exists. Property sales become public record once they have sold.

For Whatcom County you will need to go to this web site:

http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/cgibin/db2www/assessor/search/RP…

This site will give you the option to look up your parcel ID or address. After selecting the specific property you are looking for you will then be able to look at any specific information for the property by clicking through the tabs. The Appeals/Permits/Sales will show you the sales history for that given property.

Hopefully this helps you out. Respond if you would like additional help.