How to Check the History of Your House (14 Methods)
Katherine Young
Lookup the Residential History!
Understanding the history of a house is not just about curiosity—it is about making safe and informed decisions. Whether you are buying, renting, or researching your ancestral property, knowing the background of a home can reveal hidden truths. Using the wrong tools or unreliable methods can leave you misinformed, potentially leading to costly mistakes, legal troubles, or even settling into a property with a disturbing past. False methods may waste your time and money, while poor tools can give incomplete or misleading data. On the other hand, with credible sources and trusted methods, you gain accurate details that help you assess value, identify risks, and make confident choices. This guide shows how the right approach makes all the difference.
Intelius is a reverse lookup tool that can help find details about a certain place by looking up an address. This reverse lookup tool is powerful enough to provide details on possible neighbors.
After spending over 100 hours reviewing 15 methods and 20 tools, I have carefully shortlisted the most reliable ones. These recommendations are backed by tested results. My goal is to provide a transparent breakdown that helps readers make safe, well-researched decisions.
Method 1: Find your house history by using third-party tools
Finding the history of a home can be simplified through specialized third-party tools. I have personally experimented with several platforms and found that combining reverse lookup services with property databases often yields the most reliable results. For instance, homeowners who discovered unexplained renovations in their attic used such tools to trace prior ownership records and uncover restoration work from decades earlier. These platforms not only provide ownership timelines but also neighborhood insights and sometimes even safety reports, making them especially useful when evaluating a property’s past before making a major decision.
1) Intelius
Intelius is a reverse lookup tool that can help find details about a certain place by looking up an address. You can enter the house’s street address, along with the city and state, to get a detailed report. I have found Intelius particularly effective when conducting reverse address lookups focused on U.S. properties. It provides detailed reports on ownership history, past residents, floor plans, and even crime statistics in the surrounding neighborhood.
Features:
- Ownership History: Using Intelius, I discovered the current and previous owners of a property, its value, and its assessed value over time. I also got reports on almost all past residents who had rented the place, floor plans of the house, and deed information.
- Neighbors and Neighborhood: This reverse lookup tool is powerful enough to provide details on possible neighbors. It also provided crime statistics of the location, nearby sex offenders, etc., such information can help you determine if you really want to purchase a property in a certain area.
- Location details: With just three pieces of information, I could find complete location details such as county, congressional district, longitude, latitude, location type, and more.
7-Day Trial at $0.95
Here are the steps that I followed to lookup a house history using Intelius:
Step 1) First, I visited the Intelius website and went to the address lookup option: https://www.intelius.com/reverse-address-lookup/.
Step 2) Then I typed the street, city, and state name in the respective fields and hit Search.
Step 3) I was then asked to enter my name and email address and received the report by paying for a 7-day trial for just $0.95.
I suggest you use its paid trial first before you subscribe to its monthly plan.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Some detailed reports require payment and may feel costly. Begin with the trial version to confirm accuracy before committing to a longer subscription.
7-Day Trial at $0.95
Spokeo is a reverse address tool that helps uncover detailed information about a property by searching an address. This powerful tool not only reveals ownership history and property details but also provides insights into possible neighbors and neighborhood demographics.
2) DiedInHouse.com
DiedInHouse specializes in revealing sensitive details about deaths or hazardous histories tied to a property. I once used it to confirm whether a small suburban home had any recorded fire-related fatalities, which turned out to be true. For many buyers, such insights directly influence purchase decisions. The platform also highlights past occupants, chemical incidents, or criminal activity, making it useful for those concerned about a property’s background beyond simple ownership records.
Here are the steps I used to get house details from this site:
Step 1) I went to its website https://diedinhouse.com/, typed the address and the apartment name, and clicked on the magnifying glass icon.
Step 2) This led me to a pricing page where I paid $11.99 for a single search and received the details.
In my opinion, it is quite expensive; therefore, use it only if it is a dire situation and no other site comes up with truthful details.
Challenges and Mitigation:
It can be expensive for single reports. Use it when other methods fail or when you need confirmation on safety-related concerns.
Link: https://diedinhouse.com/
3) HouseNovel
HouseNovel is tailored for exploring older estates and gathering community-driven insights. I discovered details about a colonial-era home through this platform, learning how ownership shifted from an industrialist family to later generations. This collaborative archive lets you see not only official records but also user-shared experiences and anecdotes, which can add depth to historical findings. For those curious about vintage homes or ancestral estates, HouseNovel brings together both formal and informal records in one place.
Here are steps to find house history using HouseNovel:
Step 1) You can start by going to https://housenovel.com/ and typing the property’s address.
Step 2) Then you can add other details like the year it was built and how many beds and baths are in the house. I also found information on this site about the same property shared by people who have lived there or resided next to it.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Crowdsourced data may not always be fully verified. Always cross-check shared stories with official documents for accuracy.
Link: https://housenovel.com/
4) Historic Aerials by NETRonline
Historic Aerials offers a visual journey through time using aerial photographs and maps. I once reviewed a farmstead’s images and noticed barns and silos that had since disappeared, which helped the current owners understand land-use changes. This tool is particularly powerful for identifying how a property evolved across decades. It captures details missed by documents, such as demolished structures or environmental changes around the home.
Here’s how you can get property details using Historic Aerials:
Step 1) You can start by visiting https://historicaerials.com/ and by going to View Images on this page.
Step 2) Now provide the geo-coordinates or the street address and click on go. This will change the map to the location you want to visit digitally.
Step 3) Now, come to the sidebar, select Aerials and the year you want to visit, and keep zooming in till you get a clear view of the property.
Note: You have to pay for printing or downloading the images, and the price varies based on the file size for prints, file type, and year for downloads.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Downloading or printing images requires payment. Focus on online previews first to ensure the maps meet your needs.
Link: https://historicaerials.com/
5) Property and Real Estate Record Search by Realtor.com
Property and Real Estate Record Search by Realtor.com is a platform where you can search properties for rent, sale, or that are off-market. All you have to do is enter your address, zip code, city, neighborhood, or other places like schools, institutions, etc.
It helped me narrow down my Search with its state listings, which lets you look for houses state-wise. I also found places that were available for rent in a specific place within the state. It also let me select the county and city to be more precise. One of the best features that it had were the filters like price, property type, rooms, etc., which led me to the types of houses I was looking to rent.
Follow these steps to find a property using this site:
Step 1) First you can visit its website https://www.realtor.com/propertyrecord-search and type the location name or go to the listing and find the house by going through it thoroughly.
Step 2) Here, you can view the properties’ results, use the filter, and find the ones that meet your budget.
Apart from looking up places to rent, I also used its My Home feature to find out estimates of our family homes.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Search depth varies by state. When data is incomplete, supplement with assessor or title office resources.
Link: https://www.realtor.com/propertyrecord-search
Method 2: Use the Local Accessor’s office
County assessor offices maintain detailed property tax and ownership records that can reveal much about a house’s history. I once requested documents for a home listed as “heritage property” and uncovered its renovation timeline along with tax assessments dating back fifty years. For buyers and researchers alike, these records offer a reliable, official source of information, especially when online platforms provide incomplete details. This method is particularly useful for understanding the legal and financial background of a property within its jurisdiction.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Some offices only offer in-person access. Call ahead or check online portals to save time.
Method 3: Check Census Records
Old Census records include truthful information about houses, such as who lived in a certain property decades ago, who bought it later, etc. You will come across details like their birth date, marriage, migration year, and more. However, you must know that the census records are kept confidential for up to 72 years for privacy reasons. That means you will not be able to find certain information in Census Records unless it is your details or your immediate ancestors. Additionally, in the records for the years from 1790 to 1840, only the head of the household is named.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Records are confidential for 72 years. Use complementary archives or genealogical sites for recent history.
Method 4: Use the Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management has over 5 million land title records. Its vast data lets you find images of original land papers signed by owners while handing them to private individuals dating back to 1788. You can also view property boundaries like survey plats, field notes, and land patents.The details can be found by using the patentee’s name, state name, survey number, and date of issue. You can also use small details of the property, like the range number in a township or house number.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Older documents may be difficult to interpret. When in doubt, consult a historian or archivist to ensure accuracy.
Method 5: Use the National Registry of Historic Places
If you are looking up an address of a property that has been preserved for years or has great value as a landmark you should try the National Registry of Historic Places. On this platform, you will find more than 95,000 properties listed since its establishment in 1966. It offers a national archive (NARA) search where you can look for properties by reference number, state, keywords, and more On this website I found resources like National Historic Landmarks (NHL), Multiple Property Submission (MPL), and Federal Determinations of Eligibility (DOEs) to find property listings. You can also download common search data, spatial data (GIS), and NARA datasets.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Some entries provide limited details. Supplement Registry data with local archives for a fuller picture.
Method 6: Genealogy website
Genealogical sites like Family Search, The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Cindy’s List, and Ancestry.com can be valuable for your house history lookup. These platforms shall offer you with details about previous owners, names associated with the house, and more. NARA includes archives of full American history records, while Family Search can provide your ancestorial history. Cindy’s list lets you uncover your heritage and includes links to 70,000 genealogical sites, and Ancestry.com allows you to build your family tree and find where you are from using its AncestryDNA feature.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Subscription costs can add up. Begin with free databases before investing in premium plans.
Method 7: Go through Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Online checklist offers a searchable database of fire insurance. These maps are updated consistently, and they are arranged by release date, state, and city. These maps have complete details of the buildings that existed on that particular release date. The details include their size, shape, materials used, purpose and function of the building, etc. I found these maps in the Library of Congress where I came across maps that were around 100 years old, dating back to 1913. These maps are designed in a very complex and specific way to help fire insurance companies. However, you can use them to look up house history, fire incidents, renovations made, etc.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Maps can be complex to read. Use archive guides or librarian assistance to interpret symbols accurately.
Method 8: Visit your local library
Local libraries are treasure troves for anyone interested in property history. I once investigated a historic inn rumored to be haunted, and the library archives revealed newspaper clippings and community notes documenting past events. Beyond folklore, libraries often hold old photographs, historical society records, and regional books that add unique context to a property’s story. Many have digitized databases, making it possible to access materials both in-person and online. This method works best when exploring community ties, cultural significance, or stories tied to specific addresses.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Resources can be scattered. Narrow your search by asking librarians to pull relevant collections in advance.
Method 9: Ask the previous owner
Speaking directly with the previous owner can yield insights that documents cannot provide. I once contacted a seller who shared how the house had undergone multiple basement repairs, which helped me anticipate future maintenance. While owners may emphasize positives, they can also reveal renovation details, quirks of the property, or community anecdotes that are hard to find elsewhere. This approach is especially helpful for buyers who want practical knowledge about the house’s condition and lived experience.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Owners may omit negatives. Always verify shared details with official records or third-party inspections.
Method 10: Explore the home and yard for clues
Walking through a property in person often reveals details no document can match. I once toured a countryside home and found dated electrical panels in the basement that indicated the last major renovation had taken place decades ago. By carefully observing elements like plumbing, paint layers, flooring, or even garden structures, you can piece together the property’s age and evolution. This approach gives firsthand evidence that complements official records and is particularly valuable for spotting maintenance needs before committing to a purchase.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Appearances can be deceiving. Always pair personal observations with a professional home inspection.
Method 11: Ask your Realtor
Realtors can provide historical insights that buyers may miss. In one case, I worked with a realtor who revealed that a neighborhood home was part of a redevelopment project decades earlier, which explained its unusual layout. Realtors often have access to MLS archives, prior sales records, or personal networks that make gathering house history easier. When approached with the right questions, they can uncover both the practical and historical aspects of a property, giving you a well-rounded perspective before finalizing your decision.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Realtors may focus on selling. Cross-check their information with independent sources for accuracy.
Method 12: Ask the Neighbors
Neighbors are often the most candid source of information about a property and its surroundings. I once spoke to a neighbor who shared how repeated flooding had affected a house’s basement — something missing from the official disclosure. Beyond the house itself, neighbors can provide insights into community culture, safety concerns, or even details about prior occupants. This social approach adds context to the property that paperwork alone cannot provide and can be especially valuable if you plan on living in the neighborhood long-term.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Accounts may be subjective or exaggerated. Use neighbor input as supplemental, not primary, evidence.
Method 13: Try Title Search
A title search is one of the most reliable ways to uncover a home’s legal history. I once assisted a buyer who ran a title search and discovered an old lien that had never been cleared, saving them from a costly surprise. This process traces ownership back to when the property was first built and reveals mortgages, liens, or unresolved disputes. Whether you conduct it yourself or hire a professional, a title search ensures you are not stepping into hidden legal complications tied to the house.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Searches can be time-consuming. For clarity and speed, consider professional title companies.
Method 14: Google the address
A quick online search often uncovers surprising information about a property. I once researched an apartment building and found archived news articles about a fire from the 1980s, which explained recent structural upgrades. Google can reveal local news, disaster reports, real estate listings, or even community forums with firsthand experiences. Photographs and historical references scattered across the internet can also provide valuable clues. While not as official as government records, this method is a fast and accessible way to cross-check other findings.
Challenges and Mitigation:
Online content may be incomplete or inaccurate. Always verify results with credible sources.
Why is it important to understand the history of a property before purchasing it?
Here’s why you must learn about the history of a property before you purchase it:
- To understand the value: Looking at its history you will be able to understand if the house is really worth its price or if you can find better properties for the same price in the same location.
- Age and condition: With the help of historical detail you can calculate the amount you will have to spend on the renovation or estimate the condition of the house after the events or disasters it went through.
- Dark past: House history can be related to previous crimes or unpleasant events like murder, suicide, paranormal sightings, etc. This may not have been mentioned to you by the seller; hence, you can look into it yourself.
- Scan the neighborhood: Details like house history can also provide data on the neighborhood you will be living in. I usually learn about the neighborhood to understand the community, measure the crime rate, avoid flood-prone areas, etc.
How to estimate the age of the house?
I found these helpful tips that you can use to estimate the age of a house:
- Guides of Architectural Styles and Details: These guides can tell a lot about a house from its planning and architecture. For example, if you see Gothic Revival and Italianate styles it’s from the 1800s, in 1950s properties you may come across cast iron drain lines which were a standard part of the house in those times. Furthermore, if it’s 70’s architecture, you will find a sunken lounge in the living room known as the conversational pit, etc.
- Use architectural history: Find out the complete history of the house, including when it was built, what changes took place, etc. This way, you can check the areas that have not been renovated to estimate the age of the house in parts.
- Evolution of renovations: If you look at the renovations and restorations made in the house, you will be able to tell when they were made and how soon you may have to do them again. Moreover, some renovations may not be up to today’s standards; hence, those will need more work.
- Get help from a professional: You can never be too sure of all assumptions or inspections you make unless you are an expert in this subject matter. Hence, I suggest you get a historian and an architect for more truthful answers.
Are there any Legal issues to consider before buying a house?
There are many legal processes that you need to go through before buying a house; here, I have mentioned some of the most important points.
- Mortgage pre-approval, approval, and closing: The mortgage pre-approval, approval, and closing proof will make a seller more open to your deal.
- Negotiating offer and signing agreement: Your offer may be rejected by the seller or they could modify the agreement as per their convenience. If this happens, you must involve your attorney and not sign it unless both parties find a middle ground.
- Home inspection: Ask your lawyer to add a clause about house inspection so you can hire a professional home inspector to help you decide on the property.
- Title insurance: Before you finalize the property, do a thorough title search to see if there are any outstanding mortgages, unpaid liens, etc. This way, title insurance can ensure that your ownership rights are free of any old claims.
- Deeds and Filing: To close the deal, you will receive the deeds at your current residential address. To understand the deeds, involve your lawyer so they can guide you in this process as it can be confusing. Once you complete the paperwork, allow your attorney or the agent to decide how it should be filed.
FAQs
Conclusion
From my experience, the most reliable ways to uncover a home’s past are using trusted third-party tools like Intelius, checking official assessor’s records, and reviewing census data. These consistently gave me accurate results. Just remember, digging into a property’s history should always respect privacy—use these methods ethically to satisfy curiosity or make smarter buying decisions.
