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What Are Homes Worth?
After finding some homes that you like, you might be curious to
see what homes have been selling for in that neighborhood, and
check if the listing price of a home is worth it.
The easiest place to check up on this information is at the
Yahoo
Real Estate site. This site provides a list of recent sales in
a neighborhood.
Note that this information is interesting, but it is really no replacement for
a full competitive market analysis (CMA) from a good real estate
agent. The list of sales does not mention lots of important factors
(for example, the condition of the house) that could have influenced
the sales price. Also this site sometimes does not provide the most
up-to-date information. Getting information on list of homes sold
in a neighborhood is probably still easiest to get the old-fashioned
way, from a local real estate agent.
How Good Are the Local Schools?
The best place to find information about local school information is
HomeFair's The School Report. This site provides
lots of statistics about each school like dropout rates, percent
of students going to college, extracurricular activities.
Is the Home in a Flood or Earthquake Zone?
The government geological sites provide useful, interactive maps
that can help you to find out if you live in an area with lots of seismic activity.
Check out the USGS
Earthquake Hazard Map Site. You can find more specific local maps
to for certain areas:
To find out if a property is in a flood zone,
use the
HazardMaps.gov site.
What Is the Economic Climate Like in the Area?
If you are thinking of moving to a new area, you may want to see
if the area has a healthy growing economy. Look for areas with
low unemployment rates and lots of diverse types of jobs. A one-industry
town can be dangerous if hard times fall on that job sector. An area
with a booming population often signifies that your real estate investment
is bound to appreciate nicely.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
has lots of information about employment statistics, including
wages by area and occupation and
unemployment rates by state.
The US Govt. Census site
provides many interesting statistics that can be used to find
population growth.
They also
rank states and counties based on many different
criteria like education level, income, housing costs, and commute time.
Unfortunately the Census Bureau information is usually a year behind,
but it still gives a great overall picture.
Real Estate Market Conditions
One great resource for looking at the state of the real estate market
is the
National Association of Realtors site. They provide research reports
(some free and some for subscribers only) on a
variety of market indicators, including the following:
RealtyTimes.com also has information on local market conditions given
by local real estate agents. Since there are usually many agents
contributing to each area, a consensus usually builds about the
local market conditions.
Is There a Sex Offender Living Nearby?
Each state keeps a registry of sex offenders. Most states allow
you to search their registry online. Click
here
for a list of the state registry sites.
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