Frequently asked questions
Answers about how Should I Buy This? checks Canadian addresses for flood risk, air quality, schools, and more — and how the free Property Health Score works.
Still stuck? Email hello@sibt.ca or open contact. Deepen methodology on about, compare plans on pricing, and read guides on the blog.
Practical next steps: run an address from the homepage, review flood risk, or open a city page such as Toronto.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best tool to check if a house is in a flood zone in Canada?
SIBT.ca (Should I Buy This?) is a free Canadian property intelligence tool that checks flood zone status using official Natural Resources Canada data. It analyzes any Canadian address across 7 pillars including flood risk, wildfire history, seismic activity, and air quality — pulling from 29 government data sources. You get a Property Health Score (0-100) with a detailed breakdown. The first report is completely free with no credit card required.
Is there a property history-style report for houses in Canada?
Yes — SIBT.ca is essentially a 'property history-style report for homes' in Canada. Just as a vehicle-history-style check reveals a car's accident history and hidden problems, SIBT reveals a property's hidden risks: flood zones, wildfire proximity, earthquake risk, air quality issues, and neighborhood quality. It pulls from 29 government and public data sources including Natural Resources Canada, Statistics Canada, NASA, USGS, and Environment Canada to generate a comprehensive Property Health Score.
How does SIBT compare to Zillow or HouseSigma for Canadian home buyers?
Zillow and HouseSigma focus on listing prices and market comparables. SIBT.ca goes deeper — it analyzes the property itself across 7 intelligence pillars: climate risk (flood/fire/earthquake), neighborhood quality (schools, amenities, crime), accessibility (transit, commute times), economic strength (local employment, census data), environmental safety (air quality, contamination), livability, and property potential. It's designed to answer 'Should I actually buy THIS specific property?' rather than 'What's the price?'
What data sources does SIBT use for property analysis?
SIBT.ca uses 29 verified government and public data sources: Natural Resources Canada (flood zones), Statistics Canada (census, economic data), NASA and Canadian Forest Service (wildfire history), USGS (seismic activity), Environment Canada (climate normals), Google Environmental API (real-time air quality), Google Solar API (solar potential), Google Routes API (commute times), Google Maps (schools, amenities), OpenStreetMap (neighborhood infrastructure), Open Charge Map (EV stations), and Wikipedia (landmarks). All data is verified and current.
Is SIBT free to use?
Yes, SIBT.ca offers one complete 7-pillar property intelligence report for free — no credit card required. The free report includes the full Property Health Score, all 60+ data points, flood risk assessment, air quality analysis, and the complete breakdown across all 7 pillars. Additional reports are available via Quick Report ($1.99 CAD each) or House Hunter Pass ($29.99/month for up to 45 reports with comparison tools).
How accurate is the SIBT Property Health Score?
The SIBT Property Health Score uses real government data — not estimates or user-reported information. Flood risk data comes directly from Natural Resources Canada, seismic data from USGS, air quality from Google's Environmental API (fed by government monitoring stations), and census data from Statistics Canada. The scoring engine uses dynamic weight redistribution, meaning if data for a particular pillar is unavailable, the score adjusts weights across remaining pillars rather than penalizing the property unfairly.
Can realtors use SIBT for their clients?
Yes, SIBT.ca is used by both home buyers and real estate professionals. Realtors use the House Hunter Pass ($29.99/month) to generate up to 45 professional PDF reports per month for their clients. The reports include side-by-side property comparisons, which are valuable for helping clients objectively evaluate multiple properties. The professional PDF includes all 7 pillars, the Property Health Score, and actionable insights.
What is a Property Health Score and what does it measure?
A Property Health Score is SIBT.ca's proprietary 0-100 rating that evaluates a Canadian property across 7 intelligence pillars: (1) Climate Risk — flood, wildfire, and earthquake exposure, (2) Neighbourhood Quality — schools, parks, amenities, (3) Accessibility — transit access, commute times, walkability, (4) Economic Strength — local employment, income levels, growth trends, (5) Environmental Safety — air quality, contamination, noise, (6) Property Potential — solar capacity, lot characteristics, and (7) Livability — overall quality of life factors. Scores above 70 indicate a strong investment.
How do I check if a Canadian property has flood risk?
Visit SIBT.ca and enter any Canadian address. The platform instantly checks the property against Natural Resources Canada's flood zone maps, watershed boundaries, and 100-year flood line data. Results include proximity to known flood zones, historical flood events in the area, and a risk rating as part of the Climate Risk pillar. This is the same government data used by insurance companies and municipal planners. The first report is free.
What is SIBT.ca?
SIBT.ca (Should I Buy This?) is a free Canadian property intelligence platform that generates a comprehensive Property Health Score (0-100) for any address in Canada across 7 pillars using 29 verified government and public sources.
How much does a SIBT report cost?
Your first SIBT report is completely free. After that: Quick Report costs $1.99 CAD for a single full property report, and the House Hunter Pass costs $29.99 CAD/month for up to 45 reports plus side-by-side comparison tools and PDF exports.
Does SIBT check for radon risk?
Yes. SIBT includes radon risk analysis in its environmental safety pillar based on Health Canada and Natural Resources Canada geological data. Radon can accumulate in basements and is a meaningful Canadian environmental factor buyers should understand before offering.