Unsolved Mysteries: 16 Ways to Find the History of a Property Online

You fell head-over-heels the moment you laid eyes on the perfectly landscaped house of your dreams. It’s for sale — and you happen to be in the market to buy.

However, you’ve heard rumors about the house’s past. Maybe something bad happened there once? Or maybe it looks like a distinguished Victorian home, and you wonder whether it’s an original or a reproduction?

Whatever your reason, you want to know more about the property’s history beyond the scant details provided. You need more information before you make such a big investment.

If you’re interested in uncovering a property’s history online, you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled a range of methods — from consulting experts to exploring various sources — to help you discover a property’s background.

The listing

Whatever type of listing the house is, you should be able to find some important details about its history. A full 100% of buyers searched online to find additional information about homes they were considering purchasing, according to the National Association of Realtors.

You can find the listing for the house you’re interested in by Googling its address.

The details are what matter

“When buyers look into the history of a home, they’re concerned with the issues that can arise,” says William Barker, a top-selling agent in Omaha, Nebraska. “Are there foundation issues? When was the roof replaced? Is the title clear of liens? You don’t want to be surprised by a hidden problem.”

A title should tell you the age of the house and whether it has ever been remodeled. If appropriate permits weren’t filed for certain remodel projects, the information may not be accurate, though. The title should also reveal whether the house has certain appliances, such as a garbage disposal or dishwasher.

If you’re curious whether the hardwood floor is original, a title should have that information. It may even detail what type of materials were used for the siding and roofing of the house. If the roof is covered in asphalt shingles, then you know it’s going to have a shorter lifespan and the insulation won’t be as good.

If you’re more interested in knowing what various prices a house has sold for over the years, then the multiple listing service (MLS) can help you with that. The MLS is a real estate database that generally has fairly comprehensive information curated from multiple resources, including the homeowners themselves.

MLS listings will have details about the house, such as the materials used for the roof and siding, how many parking spaces are in the garage, and other variables that are good to know about a listing. It’ll show you both the sales history of the house and the different prices at which it has sold. However, this information will often only go back as far as the mid-1990s.

“The biggest issue is the liens,” Barker says. “A house could have builder’s liens or contractor’s liens. Because liens go with the property, you could end up having to hire a real estate attorney and having a huge legal battle to get the liens fixed. That’s why you need a detailed title search.”

Nadia Aminov, a top real estate agent in Baltimore, Maryland, always helps her clients search the MLS because she not only has access to more information as a broker, she also understands it at a deeper level.

“We have access to land records,” she says. “You have to create a profile to be a member in order to search for a deed that’s been recorded or a lien that was placed on the property. A buyer can get access to the database, but it might be just a little bit confusing to navigate. You have to have some experience with this to understand what things really mean in context.”