how to get a good feel for an area?

Question

Hey all,

What resources do you utilize to get a good feel for an area and its market? Things like crime rates, if it's up-and-coming vs overpriced, the schools, the people living there, etc?

I know Trulia local is handy, and old fashioned observation is great, but I'm curious as to whether or not you much more experienced folks have any other methods or insights.

Thanks!

Theresa Colbert · Answer

@BJ Anderson and @Cheryl Pepper, y'all are amazing! Thank you so much for the examples, advice, and links!

Cheryl P. · Answer

Hi,

@Theresa Colbert While I am learning that nothing beats actually going to your area of interest to check it and get a real feel for it, I understand that is not always possible.

Most of my research takes place late at night after I get off work, I like to use a mix of different sites to get a conscience of opinions on an area, popular types of properties, average costs, amenities, etc.

Below is my laundry list of sites that I like, there are tons others (I promise to stop posting this giant lists):

http://www.neighborhoodscout.com

http://www.areavibes.com

http://publicrecords.netronline.com

http://www.best-cities.org

http://www.bestplaces.net

http://www.housingpredictor.com

http://www.schooldigger.com

http://www.greatschools.org

http://www.homefair.com/real-estate/school-reports...

http://www.familywatchdog.us

http://www.meganslaw.com

http://www.spotcrime.com

http://www.usacops.com

http://www.google.com/earth/

http://ecodevdirectory.com

http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD

http://factfinder.census.gov/legacy/aff_sunset.htm...

https://www.findtheseller.com

https://www.rentometer.com

http://www.rent.com

http://www.rentals.com

https://hotpads.com

https://www.redfin.com

http://www.realtor.com

http://www.treasury.gov/services/Pages/auctions_in...

http://www.auction.com

https://www.socialserve.com

http://www.gosection8.com

http://www.1031gateway.com/1031-exchange-property/

http://www.owners.com

http://gotofsbo.com

http://www.forsalebyowner.com

Ok this should keep you busy for a couple minutes.  Good luck and I look forward to sharing information.

Cheryl

Account Closed · Answer

Hi @Theresa Colbert,

I've been doing this a lot lately too.

First I like to get a map of the county and/or city that I'm looking at properties in. More specifically, I like to see where the zip codes are mapped to, locations of government centers, police stations, fire stations, schools, etc... Some counties have interactive maps with this kind of data, but, if not, you can find a lot of different maps if you google your county with "maps" and look at the images results.

Then, I like to check out the county website - just google for the county the property is in - and see if there are any good resources on there. Some sites are better than others. Some are .gov sites and others might be .com sites.

Then add "real estate assessment" and/or "real estate tax" to your google search term (the county name) and this should point you to a website where you can look up property taxes and the assessment records for all properties in the county. (If you don't know a specific address, just try typing in the street name - that seems to pull up all properties on a street for some sites.)

Then google for your county chamber of commerce. You can get a feel for what kinds of business activities are going on in the county, and you can find out when meetings are held and even attend a few of those to meet the local players.

Some counties also have "Economic Development" websites that could tell you of the latest plans for developments, and maybe even the latest incentives for bringing new business into the area.

For example: if I'm looking at investing in Fairfax, VA I would run the following google searches:

fairfax county va

fairfax county real estate tax assessments

fairfax county chamber of commerce

fairfax county economic development

On top of that you can look at some other online resources like:

http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045214/0...

http://www.city-data.com/

http://2chambers.com/

http://www.numbeo.com/

Another good thing to look up is the real estate law for your state (another thing I found by googling). For example, in Virginia the real estate law is online at https://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+c...

Hope this helps,

BJ

Whit Kern · Answer

As everyone else suggested, going at night can give you a great feel for the area. If you're looking to fix and flip a house in a particular area, I personally like to look at tax records to see if all of the surrounding neighbors in the area are renters or home owners. It gives me a good sense if they will take care of their property (usually, but not always). If you see that the property address and mailing address don't match up, then it suggests that person is renting. This information is crucial when you go to sell your investment. Imagine having an open house on a warm sunny day and all the surrounding houses have grass two feet tall in their yards! I hope this helps!

Darren Budahn · Answer

In regards to getting a feel for a particular neighborhood, just take a drive through the neighborhood on a Friday night at 8 or 9pm in the middle of summer and see what you think.

Now if you're simply looking for stats regarding crime and schools and whether or not it's an emerging market, I would do basic research which can be found on the internet for the most part.  I would also reach out to some of the BP experts who live in the areas you are considering to get an informed opinion of the area.

Nicholas Crum · Answer

If you have a particular house or property you are looking at and you are in the area, go at night. I had a property that I look at during the day and it was fantastic. I went at night around 8PM and you could hear every conversation anyone was having, there were people constantly out in the street and cars parked in lots everywhere. I had to pass as there is no way I could get what I was asking for rent wise.

Cheryl P. · Answer

Bj A. Glad they are helpful....I am pushing myself out of the analysis paralysis stage.  I have been trying to build my team and learning that some will not take you seriously until you have experience, so I hope to have a property lined up either in VA or IN before the end of July.

Matthew Paul · Answer

I do it an bit different , I talk to some landscape companies who work in the area , the ups driver and local cops .  To get the feel of the area .  To get numbers I look at recent sales , to see if any new developement is coming up ,  I look up pending subdivisions on the county website .

Account Closed · Answer

@Cheryl Pepper

Wow, great list of links. I've been checking these out all morning. Thanks!

Edson Cortes · Answer

@BJ Anderson Good stuff... thanks for the post!

how to get a good feel for an area?

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