You’ve probably heard of CarFax, a service that enables you to get vehicle history reports before you purchase a car to make sure that you aren’t buying a car with otherwise undetectable problems or history that may cost you money in the future. Now BuildFax, based in Austin, Texas is offering a similar service for prospective home buyers that want to do further due diligence prior to purchasing a home.

BuildFax bills itself as a “a one-stop shop for building, remodel, and repair information for over 70 million U.S. properties”.

From the BuildFax Website:

BuildFax collects and organizes construction records on millions of properties from cities and counties across the United States. Once in our system, we analyze, mine and compare the data so that it becomes like a “background check” on a property. We have data on new construction, major systems repair, additions, renovations, roofs, pools, demolitions, contractors and more.”

BuildFax’s database of permit information from building departments covers in excess of 4,000 cities and counties. BuildFax provides summary reports showing major renovations or repairs done on properties including additions, plumbing, air conditioning, roof replacements, etc. BuildFax reports also including contractor and dates of work completed.

BuildFax reports are usually $39.99 per report, but you can sign up for a FREE REPORT until July 31, 2011.