Available Nationwide!
Discover past owners, historic records, and stories tied to your home.
No robots here. Real people uncover your home’s history.
Home Stories
Uncover home mentions
Turnaround 7 days
$99
What if my address has changed?
What stories exist about your home?
See if there are newspaper articles specific to the address
Available Nationwide!
Past Residents
Identify past residents
Turnaround 7 days
$149
What if my address has changed?
Who lived in your home?
Census Records
City Directory Records
Available Nationwide!
Residents + Stories
Explore past owners & stories!
Turnaround 10 days
$248
$199
What if my address has changed?
Discover more: Residents + Stories
Newspaper Articles — Mentions of the home and its residents
Census Records
City Directory Records
Military, Property & Community Mentions
Available Nationwide!
Disclaimer
3-Package Options Disclaimer:
Our Home Stories, Past Residents, and Residents + Stories research packages feature dedicated research conducted by our team to uncover snapshots of your home’s past. These packages are designed to provide highlights based on publicly available records and third-party data, with a typical turnaround time of 7 days for the first two tiers and 10 days for the Residents + Stories package. These reports are not intended to provide a complete or exhaustive history of the property. The depth and accuracy of the overview depend on both the selected package and the availability of historical data, which may vary by region. Additionally, we cannot guarantee the timing of information received from third-party sources, as some municipalities or organizations may have delays in reporting or digitizing their records.
While we strive to provide thorough and accurate information, the overview is based on the best of our ability using available data and is limited by the scope of what is accessible. We do not guarantee the inclusion of specific details such as floorplans, architectural blueprints, interior layouts, or exhaustive ownership records. Additionally, some details may be unavailable due to gaps in historical data or variations in reporting practices across regions.
To ensure accuracy and thoroughness, we ask that you provide any known information about property address changes or homeowner name changes upfront. Once we notify you that we’ve completed our research to the best of our abilities, we offer one round of edits to address any factual discrepancies you may identify in the delivered overview. Additional requests or revisions beyond this scope may require a new research agreement or an upgrade to our in-depth $999 Premium Home History Package.
HouseNovel may offer a full refund for basic research services at its discretion. However, we reserve the right to deduct the cost of research already completed if substantial work has been done prior to cancellation. This is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
HouseNovel’s mission is to help everyone share and discover home history. However, we do not offer private investigator services or consumer reports and are not a consumer reporting agency as defined by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The information provided in any overview or on our website should not be used to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that requires FCRA compliance. All information should be independently verified before making any significant decisions.
Our overviews are for informational purposes only and are not substitutes for your own due diligence, particularly regarding sensitive topics such as criminal history, relatives, mortgages, liens, or other legal matters. Content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) is provided for informational purposes and should also be independently verified.
By using our services, you agree that HouseNovel, Inc. is not liable for any errors, omissions, or outcomes resulting from the use of our overviews or website. This includes any direct, indirect, or consequential damages. All trademarks, service marks, and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Any reference to a trademark, service mark, or company name does not imply endorsement or recommendation by HouseNovel.
© 2025 HouseNovel, Inc. All rights reserved.
Premium Home History
Advanced Research
Turnaround 21 days
$1499
$999
Our team conducts in-depth historical research to uncover details about your home and its past residents. Using government archives, historical newspapers, local historical societies, and preserved museum and library collections, we provide the most complete history available based on existing records for your property.
Please note: Not all records are guaranteed to be available for every home. However, whatever we uncover will be added directly to your home’s timeline for you to view and share.
Disclaimer
What's Included in Your Home History Research?
- Previous Homeowner & Occupant Data
- City Directories - Names and occupations of past residents
- Census Records - Household members and demographics
- Assessor's Data - Property ownership and value history
- Deed Records - Transfers of ownership and legal property changes
Historical News & Military Records
- Newspaper Articles - Mentions of your home, its residents, or significant events
- Military & Service Records - If previous homeowners had military ties, we'll retrieve related records
- Other Personal & Government Documents - Birth, marriage, and death notices linked to past residents
Historic Maps & Geographic Records
- Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - Track structural changes over time
- Plat Maps & Atlases - Confirm land boundaries and development history
- City Maps & Native American Treaty Maps - Learn about early settlements and historical land use
Local & National Historical Resources
- National Register of Historic Places - Find out if your home or neighborhood has an official historical designation
- Local Historical Society Outreach - We contact relevant historical societies for any property-related materials
- Local Building Department Contact - Retrieve available building permits and renovation records
Your Home's Timeline - A Living Record
- All uncovered information will be added directly to your home's timeline on HouseNovel, where you can view, share, and crowdsource additional history over time.
Real Stories,
Real Results
Here’s what people are saying. Just imagine what you’ll be saying…
"As a former Chair of the Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission, I understand the value of history—both in the bricks and mortar and the people. HouseNovel uncovered parts of my home's story I didn’t even know after 46 years. I’d recommend this to any homeowner."
John Mannillo
St. Paul Homeowner
"HouseNovel has become an invaluable resource for Edina homeowners seeking to uncover and share their home's history. By creating a digital space to capture these stories, they've brought historic preservation and education into the digital era. This innovative approach exemplifies why HouseNovel was honored with the Edina Heritage Preservation Award."
Jane Lonnquist
Edina Heritage Preservation Commission
"HouseNovel's Automated Home History Report is fantastic! It gave my open house at 5629 Morgan Ave S. an incredible advantage. Buyers loved the architectural details from the 1920s and '30s, along with special insights on accessible veteran homes near 58th & Queen. I'm already leveraging this information to canvas new listings. Highly recommend!"
John Parker
Realtor, Coldwell Banker
"HouseNovel combines historical data with user-generated content in an easy-to-use, searchable platform. It’s a unique value-add when working with clients who own older homes. Even better, the HouseNovel team is actively collaborating with agents to expand the platform, helping with storytelling, lead capture, and agent exposure."
Jess Windsor
Windsor Enterprises | Engel & Völkers
"My clients loved the home history report — thanks so much!"
Luke Pettersen
The Advisory Group
"This is so awesome — thanks for all your hard work on this. It turned out even better than expected!"
AJ Pettersen
The Advisory Group
"We love HouseNovel! 🏡✨"
MSPNest
Compass
In the News
Frequently Asked Questions
Think Ancestry for homes, where you can watch the history of your home unfold before your eyes. Anyone can use HouseNovel to discover, share, and collaborate on home history across the nation. We have the free community platform to crowdsource home history, history tips if you want to research on your own, and our research services if you want to dig deeper or have us do the heavy lifting.
HouseNovel is an innovative platform that allows you to discover, share, and collaborate on the history of your home. The community home history crowdsourcing platform is free, and you can hire us to dig deeper into your home’s history if you want more detailed information.
Crowdsourcing home history is free—anyone can sign up, share, and collaborate at no cost. You can also explore existing data by searching your address, city, or state to see what’s already been documented. You can create a home timeline by adding what you know (photos, stories, information) and share it with family and friends to collaborate. We also have free resources on our research hub and an eBook if you want to research on your own. If you want us to dig deeper or do the heavy lifting, you can pay for our home history services.
Yes! You can explore the history of any home, even if you don't own it. Our platform is designed to help you uncover and share the history of homes across the nation, whether you're a homeowner, previous homeowner, prospective buyer, realtor, real estate professional, or simply interested in the property’s past.
Once you’ve signed up, you can easily create a timeline for your home. Add photos, stories, and any historical information you have. You can also collaborate by sharing the timeline with family, friends, or others interested in your home’s history.
We provide a free eBook guide that walks you through the steps of researching your home’s history. It’s an excellent resource for getting started and doing your own research, along with other free resources on our research hub.
While we do not provide custom research services, if you have a "mystery house" that you would like to figure out the address of or a special research request, we may share it on our blog or social media to see if our community of hipstorians can help solve the mystery. Reach out to info@housenovel.com if interested.
Every home’s history varies based on factors like whether it’s still standing, if it’s been moved, or how well records were preserved. While we’ll check all available sources, we can’t guarantee what we’ll find. We will provide any available data, but we are not liable for missing or incomplete records. Please note that we do charge for the research process, even if only limited or no data is found.
At HouseNovel, your privacy and security are our top priorities. We use industry-standard encryption to protect your personal data. We never share or sell your information to third parties.
