10 Free Websites For Your Investment Property Search

1. Property Searches – www.chicagoREinvestment.com - Use this website to search all types of residential properties.

2. Chicago Crime Map - http://gis.chicagopolice.org/ - Use this website to search for crime incidents in your neighborhood or others. This information is provided directly from the Chicago Police Department. Keep in mind that all areas of Chicago will have some level of crime, so be sure to compare one area to an area you are more familiar with. This will help you develop an opinion as to whether one area is safer than another.

3. Chicago Building Code – Chicago Building Code - Use this website to research the building code for Chicago.

4. Nationwide School Reviews - http://www.greatschools.org/ - Use this website to research a particular school public or private on a 1-10 scale across the country. Not only is there a rating scale, there is also parent reviews to read through, information about school offerings such as sports, historical test scores and more.

5. Cook County Assessor - http://www.cookcountyassessor.com/ - Use this website to check assessor-based market values and assessed values for a home, check the accuracy of a property’s characteristics with the city, locate a property’s pin number, check exemption history and to obtain forms to appeal a property’s taxes.

6. Cook County Treasurer - http://www.cookcountytreasurer.com - Use this website to check the payment status of a tax bill on a property, the address the bill will be sent to, the history of homeowner’s exemptions applied to the bill, and other information about the tax bill.

7. Cook County Recorder of Deeds - http://www.ccrd.info/ - Use this website to check lien status, loan amounts, and other things that could affect title to a property. You’ll need the property pin number to do research on this site.

8. Bigger Pockets - http://www.biggerpockets.com/ - Use this website to learn about real estate investments. Read industry insider blogs, network with other investors, locate private financing, hard money lenders, learn about other markets across the United States and most importantly educate yourself about real estate.

9. City-Data - http://www.city-data.com/- Use this website to research demographic information for any location within the United States. You can also research recent home sales, and read the public forums to learn more about your desired location.

10. Walkscore - http://www.walkscore.com/ - Use this website to learn about a specific properties rating in terms of walkability to desirable or useful locations on a scale of 1-100.

Nothing can substitute the value of a Realtor’s knowledge of a given area. These days buyers are more educated due to the accessibility of real estate related information online, and that truly does help Realtors because buyers and sellers are more prepared to understand value when they see it. Before you make any offers or decide to list, consult a Realtor to ensure that you aren’t overpaying or under/overlisting.

Learn more at my website, www.chicagoREinvestment.com.