Website gives homebuyers a property’s history

Consumers who are in the market for a used vehicle can get a Carfax history report on it. Now BuildFax wants to provide that same opportunity to homebuyers, although it’s an incomplete reference. (BuildFax since 1999 has supplied home reports to assessors, banks and inspectors.)

For $40, consumers can buy a report on a home that includes a summary of renovations and repairs that were performed on the home, additions that were made and information on systems work, such as plumbing or ventilation ducts. Consumers can see the dates on which the work was done as well as a list of the contractors that worked on the associated projects.

However, BuildFax’s database covers only 63 percent of the country, so depending on where you shop—BuildFax President Holly Tachovsky says BuildFax covers only 5 percent of Vermont, for example—the company might have no information. Moreover, she says, the company isn’t likely to expand its database. Also, BuildFax’s data are based on public records of work that was performed, so if any major work was performed outside of what’s required for permits or approvals, that could be information that BuildFax’s report lacks.

Consumers can obtain this information free through city and county records, but Tachovsky says a lot of those records can be difficult to understand and mired in legal and contractor jargon. BuildFax’s report clearly states what years repairs were made and whether they were done to code and local standards. Consumers also can pay $90 and receive a 3-month subscription, which provides reports on multiple homes.