Get The “Fax” Before You Buy A Home

Before You Buy A Home

Yes, I know how to spell “facts” and am aware that  “fax” machines have went the way of the dinosaurs and therefore would never advise someone to get one, so what exactly am I talking about in my post title?  Actually, my recent discovery of a company that was launched in 2012 called Housefax prompted me to do this post, hence “fax”, however, I also mean to suggest that you should get all the “facts” you can (about the house and market)  before you buy a home.

First, about Housefax.  The company was launched last year and it’s top execs include guys that have extensive experience in the insurance and real estate industry including the former CEO for REALTOR.com, Allan Dalton.  It’s purpose, according to it’s website, is to  “to serve the growing consumer need for buyer-beware information before they purchase a home.”

Get the “Market Facts” for St Louis

I checked out the sample housefax report on their website and, while it has a lot of information, I wasn’t that impressed overall as I recognized that a lot of the data is from the real estate tax records and census bureau and I can access that info, as well as the sale history, mortgage info, etc through the MLS and other sources available to me and every other REALTOR in town.  However, the report also contains information that is obtained from the insurance industry including claims and information from police and fire reports as well. At a cost of $59.00 I think it’s probably worth the money relative to the size of investment you are making in a house.  If just one thing turns up in the report that concerns you and you were not aware of, then it could easily save you many times the cost of the report.  Oh yeah, I almost forget, it will tell you how many bars of coverage your cell phone will have at the house for all the various carriers….that alone is worth $59.00.

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