437 E Thornton Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315 Property Records

Polk County property record for 437 E Thornton Ave, Des Moines, IA 50315

Property Summary

Property Type	Single Family Home
Details	2 bd · 1 ba · 1,164 sqft · built 1955
Lot Size	0.2 acres (8,690 sqft)
Owner	Company Name on File
Last Sale	$110,000 (Aug 2023)
Tax Bill	$2,902 (2024)
Deeds & Mortgages	Oct 2023 Mortgage Jul 2021 Sale & Mortgage + 2 more
Flood Zone	Zone X (minimal risk)
APN	`010/04550-002-000`

Property Details

APN / Parcel Number

Primary APN	`010/04550-002-000`
Alternative APN	`782422176015`

Interior

Bedrooms	2 Beds
Full Baths	1 Bath
Total Rooms	5 Rooms
Stories	1 Story
Building Area	1,164 sqft Living Area
Gross Area	1,884 sqft
1st Floor Area	912 sqft
Attic	Attic
Attic Area	252 sqft
Basement Area	720 sqft

Exterior

Year Built	Built 1955
Effective Year Built	Effective 1955
Architectural Style	Conventional
Exterior Material	Brick/Stone
Construction Type	Frame
Roof Type	Gable
Roof Material	Asphalt
Lot Area	8,690 sqft (0.2 acres)
Lot Dimensions	110 ft deep x 79 ft wide
Garage Area	440 sqft
Parking Spaces	2 Parking Spaces
Deck Area	252 sqft

Utilities, Heating & Cooling

Cooling System	Central
Heating System	Forced Air with A/C
Heating Fuel	Gas
Sewer	Connected
Water Source	Commercial

Location & Zoning

Street Address	437 E THORNTON AVE
City	DES MOINES
State	IA
Zip	50315-2859
Property Category	Residential
Property Type	Residential > Single Family > Home
Legal Description	-EX W 120.43F ON N LN & W 120.36F ON S LN- LT 17 SMITHS ACRES PLAT 2
Legal Subdivision	SMITHS ACRES PLAT 2
Legal Lot Number	17
Jurisdiction	POLK IA
Township / Civil Division	DES MOINES
Census Block Group	2
Census Block	2005
Census Tract	4300

Owner

437 E Thornton Ave is owned by a company that bought it in August 2023.

Source: Polk County records, as of October 13, 2025

Owner of Record	Company Name on File
Mailing Address	2907 MERLE HAY RD, DES MOINES, IA 50310-1103
Owner Type	Company
Vesting	Limited Liability Partnership

Owner names and exact recorded amounts are on file and can be viewed instantly on this page with a free 10-day trial.

Deeds, Mortgages & Sale History

Date	Document
Oct 12, 2023	Deed of Trust, Mortgage UNION STATE BANK
Jul 26, 2021	Contract Sale, Transfer · Stand-Alone First Mortgage WESTMINSTER MORTGAGE CO
Mar 2, 2018	Grant Deed, Mortgage · Line of Credit COMMUNITY ST BK/STARKE
Feb 26, 2018	Quit Claim Deed, Transfer Quitclaim

Assessor's Deed Record

Deed Names	Name on Deed
Last Sale	Aug 10, 2023 · Amount on File
Deed Sale	Aug 10, 2023 · Amount on File
Prior Sale	Feb 22, 2010 · Amount on File
Deed Document Number	202342575
Deed Book / Page	19566 / 342
Prior Transfer Date	Feb 26, 2018
Prior Transfer Doc	0000065826
Record Updated	Jun 8, 2026

October 2023: Deed of Trust, Mortgage

Document Type	Deed of Trust
Jurisdiction	POLK IA
Property Address	437 E THORNTON AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50315-2859
Transaction Type	Mortgage
Record Updated	Oct 25, 2023

Transferred To (Grantee/Buyer)

Name	Verified Name
Address	5406 DOUGLAS AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50310-1840

Mortgage

Document Number	0000054830
Date	Oct 12, 2023
Book Page	19625/308
Instrument	2023-00054830

Lender

Name	UNION STATE BANK
Type	Bank
Address	WINTERSET, IA 50273

Agreement

Amount	Amount on Record
Term	300 Months
Due	Oct 15, 2048

July 2021: Contract Sale, Transfer

Document Type	Contract Sale
Jurisdiction	POLK IA
Recording Date	Jul 26, 2021
Property Address	437 E THORNTON AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50315-2859
Document Number	0000078852
Book / Page	18664 / 899
Instrument Date	May 30, 2021
Instrument	2021-00078852
Transaction Type	Transfer
Record Updated	Jan 16, 2023

Transaction

Amount	Amount on Record
Downpayment	Downpayment on Record
Loan-to-Value (LTV)	LTV on Record
Tax	$0.00
Amount Accuracy	Full Amount Stated
Additional	Arm's Length

Transferred From (Grantor/Seller)

Name	Verified Name

Transferred To (Grantee/Buyer)

Name	Verified Name
Address	437 E THORNTON AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50315-2859
Investor	Possibly a Property Investor

Mortgage

Date	Jul 26, 2021

Lender

Name	WESTMINSTER MORTGAGE CO
Type	Mortgage Company

Agreement

Type	Stand-Alone First Mortgage
Amount	Amount on Record

March 2018: Grant Deed, Mortgage

Document Type	Grant Deed
Jurisdiction	POLK IA
Recording Date	Mar 2, 2018
Property Address	437 E THORNTON AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50315-2859
Book / Page	016834 / 000923
Instrument Date	Mar 1, 2018
Instrument	67313
Transaction Type	Mortgage
Record Updated	Mar 13, 2018

Transaction

Tax	$0.00
Additional	Multiple Parcels

Transferred To (Grantee/Buyer)

Name	Verified Name
Relationship	Company
Address	4308 INGERSOLL AVE DES MOINES IA 503122414, DES MOINES, IA 50312-2414

Mortgage

Document Number	0000067313
Date	Mar 2, 2018
Book Page	016834/000923
Instrument	67313

Lender

Name	COMMUNITY ST BK/STARKE
Type	Bank
Address	1640 SW WHITE BIRCH CIR, ANKENY, IA 50023-7213

Agreement

Type	Line of Credit
Amount	Amount on Record

Interest

Rate Type	Adjustable Rate

February 2018: Quit Claim Deed, Transfer

Document Type	Quit Claim Deed
Jurisdiction	POLK IA
Recording Date	Feb 26, 2018
Property Address	437 E THORNTON AVE, DES MOINES, IA 50315-2859
Document Number	0000065826
Book / Page	016828 / 000777
Instrument Date	Feb 26, 2018
Instrument	65826
Transaction Type	Transfer
Record Updated	Mar 7, 2018

Transaction

Tax	$0.00
Additional	Quitclaim

Transferred From (Grantor/Seller)

Name	Verified Name

Transferred To (Grantee/Buyer)

Name	Verified Name
Relationship	Company
Address	130 E 3RD ST #400 DES MOINES IA 503094831, 400, DES MOINES, IA 50309-4831

Tax Assessment & Valuation

Source: Polk County assessment roll, as of October 13, 2025

Property Jurisdictions

Type	Name
State	Iowa
County	Polk County
Municipality	Des Moines City
Unified School District	Des Moines Independent Community School District (PK - 12)

Tax Bill & Assessment History

Year	Tax Bill	Assessed Value	Assessed Market Value
2025		$162,400 Land $35,300 Building $127,100	$162,400 Land $35,300 Building $127,100
2024	$2,902.00
2023		$147,500 Land $31,400 Building $116,100	$147,500 Land $31,400 Building $116,100
2020	$2,852.00

Assessed value and assessed market value are set for property tax purposes and are not market price estimates.

Flood

FEMA maps place 437 E Thornton Ave in Zone X, an area of minimal flood risk, though there have been 1 flood claim nearby since 2010.

Source: FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer, effective August 17, 2025 · OpenFEMA NFIP redacted claims and policies, as of September 2026

FEMA Flood Zone	Zone X minimal risk
Flood Insurance Requirement	Not required lenders may require it
Community Rating System	Class 5 (25% premium discount)
Nearby Flood Policies	1 in force
Nearby Flood Claims	1 (2010)
Claims Outside the SFHA	1 of 1
Most Recent Claim	Aug 2010 · Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes

Values are read at the parcel center point; flood claims are located to the census block group, not this parcel; lenders make the official flood determination.

Wildfire

Wildfire risk around 437 E Thornton Ave is low, with a 0.01% annual chance of wildfire.

Source: USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk to Communities (2nd edition), as of 2024

Wildfire Risk	Low lower than 96% of the US · lower than 71% of Iowa
Wildfire Likelihood	0.01% annual chance
Exposure	Direct burnable vegetation

Values cover an area roughly 900 ft across, not the parcel itself; insurers use their own ratings.

Drinking Water

Source: EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System, as of September 2026

Water System	DES MOINES WATER WORKS serves 246,055 people · EPA ID IA7727031
Water Source	Purchased surface water from CIWW (DMWW)
Last State Inspection	May 2024
Lead	Under 1 ppb (2022–2024) action level 15 ppb

Violations Reported to EPA

Water Quality	Treatment failure resolved · May 2017
Treatment and Procedure	None last 10 years
Monitoring and Reporting	None last 3 years

Results are for the whole water system, not water tested at this address; lead at the tap also depends on the building's own pipes.

Internet Providers

Source: FCC Broadband Data Collection, based on 461 locations within half a mile, as of December 31, 2025

Provider	Max Down / Up (Mbps)
Metronet Fiber	5,120 / 5,120
Mediacom Xtream Cable · Fiber in parts of the area	2,000 / 1,000
Verizon Fixed Wireless	1,000 / 75
CenturyLink DSL · Fiber in parts of the area	140 / 20
AT&T Fixed Wireless	100 / 20

May also be available: Google Fiber.

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