There are many great real estate sites online. First, there are the usual suspects. Sites like Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, FSBO.com, ForSaleByOwner.com, and more. But the internet is vast… there are a lot more quality sites out there!
So we wanted to shine the light on a few excellent resources that can help you with your home.
This is a great real estate site for rentals. It is simple and easy to use, and provides local rent numbers for just about everywhere in the country (including Grand Rapids). Why is this useful?
First, if you’re looking for a place to live, this resource can help you figure out if your rent is fair. They provide a nice range of prices, and indicate what is high and low for a given area. You can quickly see if you’re getting a great deal.
This can also help you figure out which parts of town you can afford, and where you should focus your search efforts. The map feature is very nice, and shows you exactly where the comparable rents are being pulled from.
A word of caution – remember that some of the lower priced properties might be in worse condition or have fewer features. So make sure to do some extra ‘on the ground’ research as well.
If you’re looking to purchase a rental property, this site can help you determine your potential income. Since Rentometer provides a ‘reasonable rent’ range, you can estimate what you might earn with a particular home.
This is an excellent resource if you are looking to purchase a home. It provides estimated values for houses, comparable properties, neighborhood information, and more.
Our favorite part of this site is the HomeStandings reports. This provides a quick breakdown of a house from multiple angles. It will tell you about the home’s previous sale price, potential purchase prices, growth rates, the number of rentals vs. owner occupied homes, and more.
For $12, that is quite a deal!
Realquest Professional is fee-based, and is on the pricier side (but worth it if you deal with homes regularly). However, if you just need information occasionally, Realquest Express will work well for you. This includes some free information, and you can pay for extras on an a-la-carte basis.
For repairs and rehabs, you should definitely check out HomeAdvisor. This is one of many real estate sites that offer cost estimates, HomeWyse.com being another good one.
We like HomeAdvisor, because it sets your costs based on your zip code, and provides a nice range for projects. Check out the True Cost Estimator… everything is laid out very clearly, and you can gather data on different projects quickly.
Be aware… every project is different! These sites should only be used as a reference, not a ‘carved in stone’ estimate. The best way to get an accurate price is to have multiple contractors come and quote the job. However, if you just need to know, roughly, how much a project costs in your area, this is a great resource.
These real estate sites each have a different focus, and shouldn’t be used as your ‘one and only’ resource for any of these topics. However, they are great starting points as you search for more and better housing data. Enjoy!