Guide · Bay Area buyers · Updated July 2026
Check the house yourself.
Every fact an agent “knows” about a Bay Area house sits in a public record you can pull tonight, free. Here's the whole file — what each record answers, and exactly where it lives.
Why this list exists
An agent's edge used to be access: the MLS was a locked cabinet, and the county's files meant a trip downtown. Both are on your phone now. Checking a house is no longer expertise — it's a Saturday morning and a list. This is the list.
The Saturday file · one house, one morning
Sale history
Every price this exact house has traded at. Redfin or Zillow show it; the county assessor confirms it.
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Comps
Every closed sale nearby in the last twelve months. Redfin's “sold” filter, drawn to a half-mile circle.
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Permit history
What was built legally — and what wasn't. Your city's building-department portal; every big Bay Area city has one online.
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Flood zone
FEMA's flood map, searchable by address at msc.fema.gov.
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Faults and liquefaction
The California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp map: fault zones, liquefaction, landslide areas.
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School boundaries
The district's own assignment map — not the listing site's guess. Boundaries move; the district's map is the one that counts.
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Taxes and Mello-Roos
The county tax portal shows the real bill, special assessments included.
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Noise and neighbors
Airport noise contours (SFO, SJC and OAK publish them) and the state's Megan's Law map.
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Inspections and disclosures
The one item you request instead of look up: the listing side's disclosure packet. Free for the asking.
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The agent's “information edge,” itemized
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Prices current as of forever — public records don't charge.
How to read what you find
Unpermitted work isn't a dealbreaker — it's a price. A permit check that surfaces a converted garage tells you what to discount, not what to flee.
Comps are a range, not a verdict. Price per square foot opens the conversation; condition, lot, and street finish it.
In the disclosures, read the seller's own words. The checked boxes matter less than the two sentences where the seller explains them.
Common questions
- How do I check a house's permit history?
- Search the address in the city's building-department portal — every big Bay Area city has one online. Compare what's built against what was permitted; a converted garage with no permit is a price conversation, not automatically a dealbreaker.
- How do I find comps for a house myself?
- Redfin's 'sold' filter, drawn to about a half-mile and the last twelve months, is the same starting point an agent uses. Then adjust for condition, lot, and street rather than trusting price-per-square-foot alone.
- How do I know if a house is in a flood or earthquake zone?
- Two free maps: FEMA's flood map at msc.fema.gov, and the California Geological Survey's EQ Zapp for fault, liquefaction, and landslide zones. Both search by address.
- Can I see inspection reports before making an offer?
- Usually, yes. Bay Area sellers typically commission inspections up front and share them in the disclosure packet — you just ask the listing side. It's free, and reading it before you write the offer is the whole point.
What the records can't tell you
Workmanship, the sewer lateral, whether that crack is cosmetic — paper won't answer those. Bring a contractor to the tour and come home with a number instead of a feeling. That's what I'd tell you to do anyway: an hour of a professional's time, priced by the hour — like everything worth paying for in this process.
Where each check lands in the timeline — the full process →
General information for Bay Area buyers, not legal or tax advice. Records tell you a lot; they don't tell you everything.