You heard of Carfax, right? “Show me the Carfax” is the advertisement slogan that you see on TV for which you can find out if a car you’re considering buying has ever been in an accident, had a major repair, or similal vital data. So I guess it would make sense that you should be able to find vital data when purchasing a condominium. Generally, buying a home is the largest investment that individuals will ever make. So who’s going to show us the house facts?
It was only a matter of time before some entrepreneurial-minded individual came up with plugging the hole on obtaining home data renovations and the like. Though the details about a condo or single-family home renovation history is available publicly (provided building permits were filed), the typical condo buyer doesn’t have the time or even know how to pull county records — or get a permit department to cooperate in tracing work done on a property. Now, all that information is available in one place, at BuildFax.
A BuildFax Report provides comprehensive information that allows both buyers and sellers to access useful data. And here’s the good news: From now til July 31 of this year, the company will produce one report per person for free. (After that date, reports will be available for $39.99 each.)
Prospective condo, single-family home buyers and current owners can obtain details on permitted home improvements and renovations made to the structure, including additions, roof replacement, renovations, plumbing work, electrical modifications, demolitions, and more. The website claims that the report provides details including:
*Major Construction: BuildFax tells you which major construction projects have been permitted and completed on the property.
*Major Systems: The report tells you likely ages for the roof, plumbing, electrical systems, heating, and air conditioning systems.
*Risk Factors: BuildFax tells you about past events documented in the building, remodel, and repair history both positive and negative.
*Contractors: The report tells you about contractor activity in the area around the property as well as which contractors have worked on this property.
This morning, I went on the Buildfax website and requested a search for 125 Charles Street. I purposely selected this property because I knew major renovations were completed in the last few years. It’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.
Upon completing the Buildfax request form, here’s the intial response they sent me:
Hello there Curious BuildFax Fan!
Thanks for requesting your free BuildFax Buyer’s Report.
The demand for our free reports has been crazy!
So, it shouldn’t take our team more than 24 hours to fulfill your request for a free report….so hang tight. As you can imagine, our reports are quite popular.
We need our nights and weekends though….so, if you’ve requested after 6pm eastern time or on the weekends, then we’ll get that report to you on the next business day or first thing Monday morning after a giant cup of coffee.
In the meantime, spread the word! We think you’ll find BuildFax to be quite awesome and an industry game changer, so be sure to tell your friends and family.
Tweet about us (@BuildFax) and visit us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/buildfax).
And lastly, if you’re an Industry Professional and want more information about BuildFax than just one free report, please let us know at support@buildfax.com or 877.600.BFAX (2329).
Thanks and Happy BuildFax-ing,
Your Friends at BuildFax
Once I receive the report I’ll update this real estate blog post.
Update: I was just sent a 10 page report from Buildfax regarding 125 Charles Street. Please click on photo chart to enlarge.
If you’re in the Boston condo market and would like me to show you the housefax on a few condos that you may have interest in purchasing, please call me at 617-595-3712.
