It's a background check for the house you're about to buy.

Know What You're Buying.
Before the Offer.

We pull together the deed history, assessor record, permit history, HOA status, and flood risk from primary public records — so you're not guessing before the biggest purchase of your life.

Research a Property — $99

Results in 4–6 hours  ·  Any property in the U.S.  ·  See a sample first →

Standard $99 · need the inspection checklist + Q&A? Compare Premium & Rush ↓

🔒 Secure Stripe checkout · 7-day money-back · We never store your card.
One-time purchase — no subscription, no auto-renewal.

Primary public-record sources
Registry of Deeds County Assessor FEMA flood maps Permit portals GIS
4–6h Standard turnaround
Nationwide All 50 U.S. states
From $99 Transparent, upfront pricing

How it works

Three steps, before your offer

1

Enter the address

Drop in the property address and your email. That's all we need to start — no account, no card up front.

2

We pull the primary records

We go straight to the source: the county Registry of Deeds / land records, the county or town assessor, the municipal permit portal, FEMA flood maps, and county & state GIS — not a data-broker copy.

3

You get a Green / Yellow / Red report

A plain-language summary with each finding flagged Green, Yellow, or Red — so you know what's clean, what to ask about, and what to flag before you make the offer.

A sample report runs roughly 6 parts: property overview, comparable sales, HOA status, flood-zone determination, an open-permit scan, and the risk summary up top. DeedRead is an independent, owner-run research service covering property nationwide — all 50 U.S. states — public records only. We don't sell your data, and we're not a title company or law firm (see the FAQ for where our work ends and your attorney's begins).

What gets missed — and why it's normal

None of these are red flags by default — they're the ordinary things worth checking before you commit. Here's what a listing leaves out, and exactly how we check each one against the public record.

What a listing won't tell you

  • The basement bedroom may not have a permit or proper egress
  • The condo has a $40,000 pending special assessment
  • The FEMA flood map changed — your lender requires flood insurance
  • There's an open permit from a 2019 renovation that transfers to you
  • The seller owes back taxes (it becomes your lien)

What we verify

  • Assessor record Actual beds/baths/sqft on file vs. marketing claims
  • HOA Monthly dues, balance & assessment status, pending assessments
  • Permit history Open permits, unpermitted work flags
  • FEMA flood zone Exact panel, zone designation, lender implications
  • Deed history What's recorded in the public deed history — prior sales, recorded liens, encumbrances

What you get

What's in your report

🏛

Property Overview

Assessor facts: lot size, year built, official bed/bath/sqft, assessed value, and tax history.

📋

Comparable Sales

3 recent comparable sales from Registry of Deeds records — what buyers actually paid, pulled from recorded deed prices.

🏢

HOA Status

Monthly dues, balance & assessment status, known pending special assessments, and any litigation flags.

🌊

Flood Zone Determination

Exact FEMA panel and zone code, flood insurance requirement analysis, and recent map amendments.

🔨

Open Permit Scan

All permits pulled on the property — open, closed, and expired — with unpermitted work flags.

🚦

Risk Summary

Green / Yellow / Red flag breakdown. The issues that matter most for your offer decision, plain language.

↩️

7-day money-back guarantee

If the report isn't useful, email us within 7 days for a full refund — no questions asked.

👤

Who's behind it

Run by Ryan, a Massachusetts-based property researcher — public records only, and we never resell your data.

🔒

Secure payments

Payments secured by Stripe · card details never touch our servers.

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing

A fraction of a $400–700 home inspection or an attorney title review — and you get it before you even make the offer.

Standard

$99

Results in 4–6 hours

  • Full 6-part property report
  • Assessor + deed history
  • Permit scan
  • Flood zone determination
  • HOA status check
  • Green/Yellow/Red risk summary
Get Started

Premium

$129

Results in 4–6 hours

  • Everything in Standard
  • Pre-offer inspection checklist
  • Tailored to your property's flags
  • What to tell your inspector
  • Q&A follow-up via email
Get Started

Rush

$149

Results in 2 hours

  • Everything in Premium
  • 2-hour priority turnaround
  • Email + SMS delivery
  • Ideal for same-day offers
Get Started

Compiled from public records as of the research date. Not independently verified. Not a title search, title insurance, or an appraisal. Information, not legal advice.

Order your report

Research This Property

🔒 Secure Stripe checkout · 7-day money-back · We never store your card.
One-time purchase — no subscription, no auto-renewal.

Common questions

FAQ

A home inspection happens after you're already under contract — and inspectors only report on what they can see the day they visit. We research public records before you make an offer, so you know what questions to ask, what to negotiate, and what to flag for the inspector. You bring our findings to the inspection appointment — it changes what they look for.
No. This is property research compiled from publicly available records — assessor data, the Registry of Deeds, FEMA flood maps, and municipal permit portals. It doesn't replace a title search, title insurance, or an attorney review. We surface red flags; your attorney and title company resolve them.
Nationwide — we research property records in all 50 U.S. states. Just drop the address in the form above and we'll pull what that county or municipality publishes. Coverage depth varies by location: some counties publish deeds, permits, and assessor data fully online, others publish less. Not sure what's available for your property? Send the address and we'll confirm what we can find before you check out.
You pay upfront by card through Stripe's secure hosted checkout — we never see or store your card details. Your report begins the moment payment clears. 7-day money-back guarantee. If the report isn't useful, email us within 7 days for a full refund — no questions asked.
Every finding is pulled directly from primary public-record sources — the county Registry of Deeds / land records, the county or town assessor, municipal permit portals, FEMA flood maps, and county & state GIS — and we cite them in the report. It's compiled as of the research date and reflects what those records show; we don't independently re-verify the underlying records beyond what's published.
Research this property — $99