About HouseFax in 2026
HouseFax was acquired by HouseCheck in 2019. Tracxn flags “very low activity.” The consumer report flow is not currently functional. If you're landing here looking for an alternative, you're in the right place.
Side by side
| Feature | Buyer Be Aware | HouseFax |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time $19.99-$59.99 per address. No subscription. | Historically $10-$59 per report. Consumer site currently dormant. |
| Data sources | 12+ live sources: FEMA, EPA, Census, county recorders, RentCast, Shovels, ATTOM, Melissa, SchoolDigger, state regulators, DEA register. | Property records aggregator. Limited update cadence based on archived report samples. |
| Flood risk | FEMA NFHL effective + preliminary/pending zone trajectory (catches parcels moving INTO an SFHA before it's effective). | Static FEMA reference, no trajectory. |
| Environmental | EPA enforcement, oil/gas well proximity (per-state), DEA clandestine-lab register, NRI hazards, wildfire, radon, air quality. | Limited environmental coverage; mainly previous claims and natural-disaster history. |
| Insurability | Verdict on whether standard carriers will write the address (CA/FL/LA/TX residual-market risk) + premium estimate range. | Insurance claim history. |
| AI synthesis | Address-specific executive summary written by Claude. Pre-offer due-diligence checklist with prioritized actions. | Static data dump. |
| Re-run within 30 days | Free. If the listing or any underlying record changes, you can pull a fresh copy at no charge. | Buy a new report. |
What we kept from the HouseFax idea
The original insight was right. A house is a 6-figure, largely irreversible decision, and the buyer is the one with the most at stake. Yet the diligence packet is fragmented across 10+ disconnected agencies, and the listing agent has no incentive to pull it together. Both HouseFax and Buyer Be Aware exist to fix that.
What we changed
We're structured as a one-shot, place-keyed report. No subscription, no agent gatekeeper, no listing-platform conflict of interest. The legal posture is conservative on purpose. We report on the address, not the people on it, which keeps us out of FCRA territory and out of the people-search lane that Spokeo and BeenVerified live in.
On the data side we add the things that have become essential since HouseFax launched: real flood-zone trajectory (preliminary maps), insurability verdicts in the CA/FL/LA/TX residual markets, EPA enforcement overlays, and post-sale property-tax reassessment modeling.
Try it free first
The free check returns the FEMA flood zone and assigned school district for any address instantly, no account required. If you want the rest of the picture (the other 25+ checks), the paid report is $19.99-$59.99 one-time and includes a free re-run within 30 days.