Evaluate the current market

[Russell Butler]

What are the best tools to use to evaluate the current market in my area? I have pulled zillow data just to see what is there, but most of the recent sales in my area do not show a sale price. 

Am I going to need to make friends with a real estate agent and have comps ran on every property I look at, or is it possible to identify the $/sq ft range for my desired investment area and figure deals within that range?