By now everyone is pretty familiar with what a CarFax report is, but how would you like the same type of report for the home you are considering purchasing? Well, now you can have one. A1 Certified Home Inspections has joined forces with BuildFax, the nation’s leading centralized resource for building permit data, to bring you just such a report.

If you are considering purchasing a home for you and your family, you owe it to yourself to get the WHOLE story. The Home Inspection is a critical part of this story, but even it won't tell you everything. The Home Inspection tells you the condition of the property right now, at the time of the inspection, but it won't give you much insight into the history or "life" of the property. Here's an example; The Home Inspection will tell you that there was a new roof installed at some approximate point in the past, but it can't tell you exactly when it was done, who did the installation, and if the proper permits were issued. The BuildFax Property History Report can. It will tell you the properties PAST life.

It provides a historical analysis of a property at the permit level. With a BuildFax Property Report, you get access to every detail of every building permit issued on a property, from new construction to additions to electrical service upgrades; every permit, every contractor, and every inspection within the building department database is included.

Unfortunately, construction and remodeling projects are sometimes done without permits, either as a way to save time and money, or simply out of not knowing proper building code and permit requirements.  This is where BuildFax comes in, providing the permit history of each property so that consumers can see beyond the surface to avoid costly problems and, more importantly, safety risks that might arise.

It is very important to understand that if repairs, upgrades, or changes were done to a property, and permits were NOT issued, there will be little, if any, information available. However, even finding no permits can tell you something. If you are aware of work that has been done in the past (such as electrical, plumbing, roofing, doors and windows etc.), it will tell you that the work performed was not inspected upon completion, and the main reason for not pulling permits is the work was performed by an unlicensed individual or company.

Click here to see a Sample of a BuildFax Property History Report

If you would like to purchase a BuildFax Property Report, please let us know when we set the appointment for your Home Inspection (24 hours are needed to compile this report) and we will bring it with us to the Inspection. If you decide to order one later, we can send it to you either in an e-mail, or by regular US mail service. The cost for the report is $35.00, and can be added to the Inspection price.