Twellie evidence source register

Home-buyer evidence sources: what each record can—and cannot—prove.

No single website clears a home for purchase. Public records identify questions; transaction documents and qualified professionals resolve property-specific title, condition, insurance, financing, and legal issues. This register states the role, date, scope, and limit of every source it lists.

15 reviewed sources United States residential purchases Last substantive review: July 10, 2026

Answer first

Use a source for the question it can answer—not for the conclusion you want.

An address match is not a parcel or title opinion. A flood-zone screen is not an insurance quote. A market index is not a property valuation. A disclosure is not an inspection. Record the source's effective date, retrieval date, geography, scope, and unresolved conflicts before it enters a buying decision.

The register does not award a “current” badge.

“Retrieved today” and “effective today” are different claims. Moving federal labels, historical snapshots, survey vintages, transaction documents, and local records keep their exact dates and limitations.

Product input

Current product input

Twellie may attempt this source during a live report. Coverage, availability, record quality, and successful retrieval vary by address.

Buyer follow-up

Buyer or transaction follow-up

The buyer or an appropriate transaction professional must obtain and review the property-specific record, document, test, or quote.

Methodology reference

Twellie uses this publication to explain evidence standards or context; it is not represented as a property-specific product input.

Evidence family 01

Property identity and geography

Resolve the address and relevant geography first, then confirm the parcel, unit, legal description, and property facts with controlling local records.

Product input

Census Geocoder

United States Census Bureau · Federal address and geography service

Official source

Coverage: United States, Puerto Rico, and US Island Areas
Record or dataset: Address-range match, approximate coordinates, and requested Census geographies
Effective vintage: Twellie requests benchmark Public_AR_Current and geography vintage Current_Current; Census can change what those moving labels reference.
Retrieval treatment: Attempted as a live address request when a report resolves the subject. The returned match and requested benchmark belong with the result.

What it supports: Standardizing an address match and locating the Census geography used by downstream federal sources.
What it cannot establish: Coordinates can be interpolated from an address range. A match does not prove that a structure exists, identify the legal parcel or unit, establish title, or justify a fixed meter-level accuracy claim.
If evidence conflicts: If the match, unit, county, parcel source, or transaction document disagrees, treat identity as unresolved and do not transfer evidence across properties.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Confirm parcel and legal identity with the local assessor/recorder, title or closing professional, survey, and transaction documents as applicable.

Stable record key: census_geocoder Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

Local assessor or parcel authority

Jurisdiction-specific state, county, city, or township office · Local public record

Official source

Coverage: Varies by jurisdiction and record system
Record or dataset: Parcel identifier, assessment record, tax record, mapped parcel, and selected property characteristics where the local office publishes them
Effective vintage: Use the record's stated assessment year, tax year, map version, and update date; there is no national current parcel-record vintage.
Retrieval treatment: Find the controlling government office for the property, record the exact official URL or document, and preserve the retrieval date.

What it supports: Cross-checking parcel identity, assessed facts, and the office's published tax or property record within that office's stated scope.
What it cannot establish: Assessment facts can lag renovations, use different area definitions, omit units or improvements, and differ from deeds, surveys, appraisals, and inspections.
If evidence conflicts: Preserve every conflicting identifier or property fact; do not select the value that produces the preferred price conclusion.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Route identity, boundary, legal-description, exemption, and tax questions to the responsible public office and appropriate title, survey, tax, or legal professional.

Stable record key: local_assessor_parcel_record Last source review: 2026-07-10

Methodology reference

2022 American Community Survey 5-year estimates

United States Census Bureau · Federal statistical estimates

Official source

Coverage: Published ACS geographies; estimates describe groups, not homes
Record or dataset: 2022 ACS 5-year population, household, income, housing, and related estimates
Effective vintage: The current Twellie code reference is explicitly the 2022 ACS 5-year endpoint, not the newest ACS release.
Retrieval treatment: Not represented as a current automated report input. Any cited statistic must carry its ACS vintage, geography, estimate, and relevant uncertainty.

What it supports: Area-level statistical context when a page or analysis identifies the exact geography, vintage, measure, and limitations.
What it cannot establish: ACS values are survey estimates with sampling and non-sampling error. They do not describe an individual property, prove neighborhood conditions, or support value decisions based on protected traits.
If evidence conflicts: Do not resolve a property-record conflict with an area estimate. If ACS vintages differ, label each vintage rather than blending them as current.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the Census methodology and margins of error for statistical interpretation; use property-specific sources for a home-buying decision.

Stable record key: census_acs_2022_five_year Last source review: 2026-07-10

Evidence family 02

Comparable sales and market context

Keep address-level closed-sale evidence separate from broad market indexes and from professional appraisal standards.

Methodology reference

Comparable Sales guidance

Fannie Mae Selling Guide · Government-sponsored enterprise appraisal guidance

Official source

Coverage: Fannie Mae appraisal and mortgage context in the United States
Record or dataset: Professional guidance for selecting, verifying, explaining, and reporting comparable sales
Effective vintage: Living guide; use the revision shown by Fannie Mae when the guidance is consulted.
Retrieval treatment: Reviewed as a methodology reference, not treated as an address-level sale feed.

What it supports: The discipline of choosing market-competitive sales, explaining older or more distant evidence, verifying facts, and avoiding a universal radius rule.
What it cannot establish: The guide does not supply the subject's comps or turn buyer research into a licensed appraisal. Requirements and intended use belong to the appraisal context.
If evidence conflicts: When candidate sales disagree, retain source quality, competitive fit, verification, and adjustment support instead of averaging every record.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use a state-licensed or certified appraiser for an appraisal or appraisal-specific question, and the lender for its valuation requirements.

Stable record key: fannie_mae_comparable_sales Last source review: 2026-07-10

Product input

FHFA House Price Index — Twellie Q4-2024 snapshot

Federal Housing Finance Agency · Federal repeat-sales market index

Official source

Coverage: Selected metropolitan statistical areas in Twellie's snapshot
Record or dataset: Annual FHFA All-Transactions HPI levels by selected CBSA, through 2024
Effective vintage: Static Twellie snapshot labelled Q4 2024; it is not fetched from FHFA anew for each report and must not be described as a 2026 index.
Retrieval treatment: Read from the versioned application snapshot. A report should identify the snapshot label when this context is available.

What it supports: Broad historical market-direction context for a covered CBSA and period.
What it cannot establish: A metro repeat-sales index does not value one property, measure its condition, or establish current local movement after the snapshot's last observation.
If evidence conflicts: Subject-relevant, verified closed sales and current market evidence take precedence. Do not use the last snapshot value as proof that a later market was unchanged.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use current local sale evidence and an appropriate licensed appraiser or market professional when the transaction requires a present property valuation.

Stable record key: fhfa_hpi_q4_2024_snapshot Last source review: 2026-07-10

Evidence family 03

Flood and hazard evidence

Federal map layers are useful screens. They do not replace local records, property inspection, loss history, or a bindable insurance quote.

Product input

National Flood Hazard Layer

Federal Emergency Management Agency · Federal regulatory flood-map layer

Official source

Coverage: Mapped NFHL coverage; availability and effective panels vary
Record or dataset: Spatial intersection with published flood-zone and Special Flood Hazard Area fields
Effective vintage: Live FEMA map service at retrieval time; the effective map or study date remains distinct from the date Twellie requests the service.
Retrieval treatment: Attempted as a point-in-polygon screen after address geocoding. A failed request or no returned polygon is recorded as unknown, not as Zone X.

What it supports: Screening the geocoded point against the flood-zone attributes returned by the NFHL service.
What it cannot establish: A map-zone result does not measure all sources of flooding, prove future safety, replace a survey or elevation certificate, or quote insurance coverage or premium.
If evidence conflicts: If geocoding, effective panels, local maps, lender determination, elevation data, or insurer findings disagree, keep the conflict open and use the controlling source.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Confirm with FEMA's Map Service Center, the local floodplain authority, survey or engineering evidence when relevant, the lender, and a licensed insurance professional.

Stable record key: fema_nfhl Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

FEMA Flood Map Service Center

Federal Emergency Management Agency · Official flood-map retrieval portal

Official source

Coverage: United States flood-map products available through FEMA
Record or dataset: Effective flood map, panel, amendments, revisions, studies, and related map products
Effective vintage: Use the effective date and product version shown for the exact location; retrieval date alone does not make a map new.
Retrieval treatment: Buyer or professional checks the exact property and preserves the relevant product, panel, date, and any amendment or revision.

What it supports: Reviewing the official map products and effective dates available for the location.
What it cannot establish: The portal does not promise property-level completeness, predict every flood event, or determine a carrier's underwriting, premium, exclusions, or claims decision.
If evidence conflicts: Ask the local floodplain authority, lender, surveyor or engineer, and insurer to resolve material map, elevation, boundary, or underwriting differences.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Route map interpretation and property-specific elevation questions to qualified local and technical professionals; obtain written insurance terms from a licensed provider.

Stable record key: fema_map_service_center Last source review: 2026-07-10

Evidence family 04

Permits, land records, and title

These records are jurisdiction- and transaction-specific. An online search can identify questions but cannot issue a legal opinion or title policy.

Buyer follow-up

Local building, permit, zoning, and planning authority

Jurisdiction-specific state or local government office · Local public record and controlling local rule

Official source

Coverage: The authority with jurisdiction over the exact property
Record or dataset: Permit applications, inspections, certificates, code cases, planning or zoning maps, and adopted rules where the authority makes them available
Effective vintage: Record the ordinance or map effective date and each case, permit, or inspection date. Local portals and record retention differ.
Retrieval treatment: Identify the controlling office, search the exact parcel/address, and request records directly when the public portal is incomplete.

What it supports: Showing what that authority's available records say about applications, approvals, inspections, violations, and mapped rules.
What it cannot establish: No online hit does not prove no work occurred, that work was lawful, that every inspection passed, or that the present use is permitted.
If evidence conflicts: If listing, seller, physical, assessor, or municipal evidence conflicts, preserve the difference and obtain written clarification from the controlling authority.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the relevant local office and, as needed, a permit expediter, architect, engineer, surveyor, inspector, title professional, or real-estate attorney.

Stable record key: local_permit_planning_records Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

Title commitment and recorded land records

Transaction title/closing provider and jurisdictional recorder · Property-specific transaction document and public land record

Official source

Coverage: The exact property and the law and recording system that govern it
Record or dataset: Title commitment or equivalent, deed and legal description, requirements, exceptions, easements, covenants, liens, and related recorded instruments within the search scope
Effective vintage: Use the commitment effective date, revision date, record-search period, and the recording information on each cited instrument.
Retrieval treatment: Obtain the current transaction document and its cited instruments from the title, settlement, escrow, or legal professional appropriate to the jurisdiction.

What it supports: Identifying the interests, requirements, exceptions, and recorded documents actually listed within the commitment's scope.
What it cannot establish: A website summary or deed image is not a title examination, legal opinion, survey, owner's policy, or guarantee that unlisted matters do not exist.
If evidence conflicts: Do not resolve legal-description, ownership, lien, exception, boundary, or access conflicts from marketing copy; require the controlling documents and professional review.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the title or closing professional and a qualified real-estate attorney where appropriate; use a surveyor for boundary or location questions.

Stable record key: title_commitment_and_recorded_land_records Last source review: 2026-07-10

Evidence family 05

Financing and cash to close

Market rate series provide context; the buyer's lender documents and final closing disclosure control the actual transaction terms.

Product input

Freddie Mac mortgage-rate series published through FRED

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis / Freddie Mac · National weekly mortgage-rate series

Official source

Coverage: National survey series, not a borrower or property quote
Record or dataset: MORTGAGE30US and MORTGAGE15US weekly observations when the service is available
Effective vintage: The source observation date controls. Twellie's current integration can display the report retrieval date rather than the observation date, so buyers must verify the latest dated FRED observation before relying on it.
Retrieval treatment: Attempted from FRED during report generation and used only as general scenario context.

What it supports: A broad market-rate reference for illustrating a financing scenario.
What it cannot establish: It is not a rate lock, Loan Estimate, approval, APR, lender fee schedule, or quote for the buyer, loan program, property, points, credit, occupancy, or closing date.
If evidence conflicts: Use the dated written lender terms for the buyer's scenario. Never replace a Loan Estimate with a national survey observation.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Confirm rates, points, APR, eligibility, cash requirements, and lock terms with the buyer-selected lender or licensed mortgage professional.

Stable record key: fred_mortgage_rate_series Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

Loan Estimate

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Official federal mortgage disclosure and explainer

Official source

Coverage: Covered United States mortgage transactions
Record or dataset: Borrower- and loan-specific estimated interest rate, payment, costs, cash to close, and loan features on the lender-issued form
Effective vintage: Use the issue date and current version for the exact application; compare revised estimates rather than treating the first form as final.
Retrieval treatment: Obtain directly from each lender after the applicable mortgage application steps.

What it supports: Comparing disclosed estimated loan terms and closing costs for the buyer's scenario.
What it cannot establish: It is not final closing cash, a guarantee of approval, or a substitute for reading change rules, assumptions, rate-lock status, and lender explanations.
If evidence conflicts: Compare like loan scenarios and document every changed term, fee, credit, escrow, and cash item; ask the lender to explain discrepancies in writing.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the lender for loan-specific explanations and an independent housing counselor, attorney, tax professional, or financial professional when their scope is needed.

Stable record key: cfpb_loan_estimate Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

Closing Disclosure

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau · Official federal mortgage disclosure and explainer

Official source

Coverage: Covered United States mortgage transactions
Record or dataset: Final disclosed loan terms, payments, transaction costs, credits, prepaids, escrows, and cash to close on the lender-issued form
Effective vintage: Use the issue date and final corrected version for the exact closing; compare it with the most recent Loan Estimate.
Retrieval treatment: Obtain through the lender or closing agent within the transaction's applicable timeline.

What it supports: Reviewing the final disclosed mortgage and closing figures before signing.
What it cannot establish: It does not resolve title, deed, tax, insurance coverage, property condition, legal, or document-execution questions outside the form's scope.
If evidence conflicts: Reconcile each material difference against the Loan Estimate, contract, settlement figures, invoices, and written lender or closing-agent explanation before signing.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the lender and settlement/closing professional; route legal, tax, title, deed, or insurance questions to the appropriately qualified professional.

Stable record key: cfpb_closing_disclosure Last source review: 2026-07-10

Evidence family 06

Condition and private transaction documents

Inspection reports, seller records, association documents, quotes, and specialist tests must be tied to the exact property, scope, and date.

Methodology reference

For Your Protection: Get a Home Inspection

US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Federal home-buyer inspection notice

Official source

Coverage: United States home-buyer education and FHA context
Record or dataset: Official explanation of why a home inspection differs from an appraisal
Effective vintage: Use the revision and OMB expiration printed on the current HUD form; the linked form is not a property inspection.
Retrieval treatment: Reviewed as a methodology and buyer-education reference. The property-specific source is the buyer's own inspector and specialist documentation.

What it supports: The separation between an appraisal's value purpose and an inspection's condition scope.
What it cannot establish: The notice does not inspect the home, select an inspector, define every local standard, or guarantee that an inspection will find all defects.
If evidence conflicts: When seller, listing, photo, inspection, and specialist evidence differs, keep each scope and date visible and ask the relevant professional to reconcile the issue.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Hire an appropriately qualified independent inspector and any property-specific structural, electrical, plumbing, roofing, environmental, or other specialist needed.

Stable record key: hud_home_inspection_notice Last source review: 2026-07-10

Buyer follow-up

Lead information before buying or renting a home

United States Environmental Protection Agency · Federal lead disclosure and consumer guidance

Official source

Coverage: Covered pre-1978 housing under federal rules, subject to exceptions
Record or dataset: Required federal lead information, warning, available records, pamphlet, and buyer opportunity to conduct an inspection or risk assessment where applicable
Effective vintage: Use the current federal materials and the dates of the exact transaction disclosures, records, inspection, or risk assessment.
Retrieval treatment: Obtain the transaction's lead materials and any property-specific professional evidence; confirm whether the federal and additional local rules apply.

What it supports: Checking whether the required information and available records were provided within the source's stated federal scope.
What it cannot establish: A disclosure is not a lead inspection, risk assessment, clearance test, or proof that lead-based paint or hazards are absent. State and local requirements can add obligations.
If evidence conflicts: Do not infer safety from a blank, unknown, or no-known-lead response. Preserve conflicts and obtain the testing and legal or transaction guidance appropriate to the property.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use a qualified lead professional and the appropriate transaction or legal professional for applicability, timing, contract, and remedy questions.

Stable record key: epa_pre_1978_lead_information Last source review: 2026-07-10

Methodology reference

Questions to ask before buying a condo

Fannie Mae YourHome · Government-sponsored enterprise buyer guidance

Official source

Coverage: United States condominium purchases and buyer education
Record or dataset: Buyer questions about project condition, finances, insurance, litigation, governance, fees, and restrictions
Effective vintage: Living guidance; the transaction's declaration, bylaws, budget, financials, minutes, reserve information, insurance, and lender review need their own dates.
Retrieval treatment: Reviewed as a diligence reference. Buyers must obtain the exact association and transaction documents from the appropriate parties.

What it supports: A structured set of questions for reviewing a condominium project and its private records.
What it cannot establish: The guidance does not approve a project, audit an association, establish reserve adequacy, interpret governing documents, or predict assessments or litigation.
If evidence conflicts: Where questionnaires, minutes, budgets, reserve studies, insurance, seller statements, and lender findings disagree, keep the conflict open until the proper owner resolves it.
Professional or controlling-source handoff: Use the association or manager, lender, insurer, inspector or engineer, accountant, and qualified real-estate attorney as the issue requires.

Stable record key: fannie_mae_condo_buyer_documents Last source review: 2026-07-10

Original evidence protocol

When two sources disagree, preserve the disagreement.

A source conflict is a task with an owner and deadline—not a reason to select whichever fact makes the price, risk, or marketing claim look better.

Match the subjectConfirm address, unit, parcel, legal description, and property type before comparing facts.
Separate the datesRecord event, effective, publication, document, and retrieval dates without merging them.
Keep source states“Not found,” “unavailable,” “unknown,” and “not applicable” are not interchangeable.
Route by scopeSend physical, title, permit, insurance, lending, and legal questions to the right owner.
Block when criticalDo not convert a decision-critical missing or conflicting source into a pass or offer recommendation.

The boundary of online research

What online sources cannot prove by themselves.

Legal ownership and rights

A web record is not a title examination, legal opinion, survey, policy, or interpretation of an easement, covenant, lien, access right, or boundary.

Hidden physical condition

Listings, public records, photos, and models cannot reveal every structural, moisture, electrical, plumbing, environmental, or other concealed defect.

Insurance availability

A hazard layer cannot bind coverage, set a premium, define exclusions, accept a roof, or predict a carrier's underwriting or claim decision.

Loan approval and final cash

A market rate or planning estimate cannot approve the buyer, lock a rate, set APR and fees, or replace the lender's current written disclosures.

Permitted use and work

Silence in a public portal does not prove that an addition, conversion, occupancy, repair, or use was permitted, inspected, completed, or legal.

One guaranteed value

Comparable evidence, indexes, appraisals, and automated models have different purposes and dates; none guarantees a future sale price or investment result.

Continue the evidence trail

Use the register with Twellie's buyer tools and limitations.

Public-records Pathfinder

Find the state, local-office, and national starting points for a property's evidence plan.

Build a source plan →

50-state records audit

Review the route classifications, reproducible findings, methodology, and downloadable rows behind the Pathfinder.

Explore the original research →

Methodology

See how source statuses, comparable evidence, ranges, and readiness gates are handled.

Read the methodology →

Trust center

Review the calibration gate, product limits, and proof-trail commitments.

Visit the trust center →

Evidence worksheet

Record each source, date, status, conflict, owner, and deadline locally in your browser.

Open the free worksheet →

Comparable-sales guide

Build a buyer-side comp ledger without turning price per square foot into a verdict.

Read the comps guide →

Flood-evidence guide

Separate FEMA map evidence, local checks, physical observations, and insurance terms.

Read the flood guide →

Title-commitment guide

Track requirements, exceptions, referenced instruments, and professional questions.

Read the title guide →

Corrections and revision disclosure

A review date means the register was actually reviewed.

Published by the Twellie product team as general educational and product-transparency information. Drafting and editing may use AI assistance under the editorial policy. No licensed appraiser, inspector, attorney, title professional, lender, insurer, or other professional reviewer is claimed unless that person is named with their role, credential or jurisdiction where relevant, scope, and review date.

Email editorial@twellie.com with a broken source, changed vintage, attribution issue, or material factual correction. A deployment alone does not change the substantive review date.

July 10, 2026

Initial reviewed register: separated product inputs, buyer follow-up sources, and methodology references; recorded exact known vintages and source limits.

Twellie Evidence Source Register · Printed from twellie.com/evidence-sources · Verify each source and revision before relying on this copy.