FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about how the reports work, what we cover, and how we handle your data.
- Is About The Lot free?
- Yes. No paywall, no account required. You can run several reports a day — we apply a modest daily limit to keep the service fast and free for everyone. That's not changing.
- Why did you build this?
- Because buying a home is one of the biggest decisions most people ever make, and the information that matters — flood zones, air quality, hazardous sites, soil, water — is buried across dozens of government databases that most people don't know exist. We thought everyone deserved access to it, not just the ones with a lawyer or a seasoned agent who knows where to look.
- How accurate is the data?
- Every check uses authoritative public datasets — federal agencies, state programs, and well-established research groups. We use the most recent release available. Some signals are address-precise (elevation, flood zone, solar potential), some are county- or state-level (radon, climate, taxes). Each card explains what scale it represents. We show 'unavailable' when a data source has a gap rather than guessing.
- Is my address stored?
- No. We don't have user accounts and we don't keep search history. Reports are generated live on each request and discarded. We have no interest in your data.
- Why don't you show political data?
- Voter registration and election results are public, but putting them next to a house listing turns the tool into something that divides rather than informs. We focus on physical risks and quality-of-life factors that any buyer cares about regardless of where they stand.
- Can I share a report?
- Yes. Every report has a unique URL — copy it from the address bar or use the Share button. Report URLs are excluded from search-engine indexing, so they won't appear in Google results. Sharing directly is fine.
- Why does my address show 'unavailable' for some checks?
- A few reasons: the underlying dataset doesn't cover that location; the government data source was temporarily down when we ran your report; or the address couldn't be matched to a specific census tract. We always prefer to show 'unavailable' rather than show something wrong.
- How is this different from RiskFactor or ClimateCheck?
- Those tools focus on climate risk — flood, fire, heat. About The Lot is broader: 130+ checks covering environmental health (radon, toxic sites, air quality, water, lead), natural hazards (earthquake, tornado, landslide, drought, volcano), money (taxes, insurance, lending, unemployment, home price trends), community (schools, hospitals, walkability, grocery), and infrastructure (pipelines, dams, power lines). Data comes from FEMA, NOAA, EPA, CDC, BLS, HUD, FHFA, Census, and more. One report, no digging required.
- How often is the data updated?
- Depends on the source. NWS alerts are real-time. Air quality and drought update daily to weekly. Disaster declarations update as filed. Census data refreshes annually. Some datasets — radon zones, hardiness zones — update only when their authoritative sources do, every few years.
- Can I rely on this for a purchase decision?
- Use it as a starting point. We surface what's worth investigating — your inspector, agent, and lender make the call. This is not a substitute for a professional inspection, environmental assessment, or insurance underwriting.
- How do you make money?
- Real estate agents and brokerages can subscribe for API access and embeddable widgets — that's what keeps the lights on. The consumer report stays free forever. We will never sell ads, sell your search data, or treat free users as the product.
- I found something wrong. How do I report it?
- Use the contact page. Include the address you searched and which card looked off and we'll look into it.
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