Every home carries a story. Some go back only a few years, while others reach hundreds of years into the past. No matter the age, looking into a house’s history is a great way to discover interesting details about the property and its role in the community. If you’ve never tried it before, here’s how you can get started.

Your Real Estate Agent

The first person you should reach out to when starting a house history search is your real estate agent. They can give you plenty of useful details about your new home. For example, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a tool mainly used by realtors that holds tons of information about houses—like past renovations, the materials used in construction and even previous selling prices.

It won’t share private details about past owners but it will give you plenty of insight into how your home was built. Since it’s an online database, most of the records only go back to the 1990s. If you’re curious about earlier history, you’ll need to do some extra searching.

County Assessor

Your local government keeps detailed records for every property in its area—things like deeds, titles and permits. These records can help you see how your home’s value and ownership have changed over time, along with any upgrades or additions that were made. In some cases, you might even be able to trace it all the way back to the very first owners from hundreds of years ago. Public records also include things like liens, lawsuits or boundary disputes, giving you an even clearer picture of your home’s past.

Bureau of Land Management

The Bureau of Land Management oversees all federal land across the United States. Their records include more than 5 million land titles, with some dating all the way back to 1788. These records can provide valuable details such as:

  • Land Patents – A land patent is issued when someone buys land from the government. Finding the original patent will show you when your property was first sold into private ownership—whether through a direct purchase, the Homestead Act or even a military land grant.
  • Survey Plat – This is a detailed map created when land is divided into sections. It shows the property’s boundaries, landmarks, fence lines, corner markers and other important features.
  • Field Notes – Along with the plat, surveyors also provide notes describing how they drew it up. These notes often include their first impressions, explanations and sketches made during the survey.

City Directories

City directories were first made for people who wanted to contact local residents, like salesmen. These directories list all the people, businesses and organizations in a community. They’ve been around for centuries and give a fascinating snapshot of what a neighborhood looked like in the past. They don’t just show the layout of the area—they also reveal details about the people who lived there, including their jobs. The Library of Congress holds the biggest collection of city directories in the U.S. but you can also find many of them online or at your local public library.

Sanborn Maps

Regular city maps give a broad view but Sanborn Maps go into much greater detail. These maps were originally made by insurance companies to assess risk in city areas. They show the outline of each building, where doors and windows are located, nearby streets, railroads, water and gas lines, property boundaries, and even natural features like rivers. Looking at Sanborn Maps can also reveal what materials were used for your home’s floors, roof and frame, as well as how those materials may have changed through later renovations.

Census Data

If your home is old, past census records can be a useful way to learn about the people who once lived there. The only catch is that the Census Bureau keeps these records private for 72 years, so you won’t be able to see details about the most recent owners.

Local Histories

Neighborhood historical societies often hold valuable information about their communities and the people who once lived there. Some even keep old photos or maps of homes. If your local historical society is no longer active, you can reach out to the Library of Congress which has more than 100,000 local histories and over 50,000 genealogies available to explore.

DiedInHouse.com

DiedInHouse.com was created by real estate agent Rob Condrey after he once helped a client find out if the home he was buying was haunted. He built the site to make it easier for buyers to look into a property’s history and uncover details that might not show up in the seller’s report. For a small fee, the site can provide information about any deaths, crimes or fires linked to the house, along with its sales history and tax value.

Moving into Your New Home

Thanks to modern technology, you can research a home’s history from anywhere in the country. So whether you’re moving just a few towns over or across the country, you can learn important details about your new place before you even arrive. STI works the same way—our movers give hands-on support for long-distance moves, making the whole process as easy and stress-free as possible. Get in touch with us today for a free quote!