How do I find out the history of a property?

How do I find out the history of a house? 

When investigating the history of a house, a lot depends on the age of the home.  

Historical Homes

If the home is listed as a historical house, you will likely be able to find the history of the home by looking into the public records. 

New Builds

On the opposite end of the spectrum, newer builds have easily accessible information due to the online presence of most homes.  In addition, you can discover who the builder was and contact them with any questions regarding the house. 

Search Engines

Gone are the days of encyclopedias.  With online search engines, you can discover if your home was in the news, who lived there, and past sales history.  

Local Municipality

Contact the local municipality to ask specific questions regarding the home.  They may be willing to tell you if permits were given for renovations.  Depending on the size of the town, you may get someone that personally knows the history of the property.

Neighbors

If you want to know the history of the area or home, the neighbors are a great resource.  The information may be gossip or hearsay, so be careful with what you believe.  However, neighbors can also be a valid source of what happened in the house. 

Was there a big storm 3 years ago and the roof needed to be repaired?  Neighbors will remember that and may be willing to share the work that was done on the house.  

For further reading, check out: How to find out the history of a property