If you found this article looking for information on doing a criminal background check, there are some things you should know about background checks before you order.

First of all, not all background checks are created equal. There are a huge number of free background check services that will give you little more than a teaser of information such as a name and a matching city to entice you to click that “buy” button. However, it’s a much better deal to go ahead and do your criminal background check through a paid service because the records you get will already be verified at the courthouse level and that information is reported directly to you.

Second, yes it’s true that you can go though the court house channels yourself to obtain a criminal background check. However the down side to this method is that your search can take days and sometimes weeks to be returned by the county clerk’s office. You will also have to repeat the process for every single county you search for records in. Getting instant results via a paid background check service is the way most people choose to get their information simply because of the sheer convenience.

Last but not least, you can check the records you wish in the privacy of your home and the person you’re running the criminal background check on will not be notified.

If you’re trying to make a decision about which way to go with a background check, do it yourself, use a free service or jump in to a paid search – the paid search is the best way to go for speed, accuracy and convenience.