I would try to find a good appraiser and he/she can run comps for you fairly accurate and free. Check out this site. www.realestate.yahoo.com/re/homevalues. It will let you know what houses around the subject property have sold for.
it has been my experience that on line comps. service are not reliable. www.homegain.com and yahoo realty give comps. but i feel that any of these services can only be used as a general guide. i have cross ref. many and have found that there comps. range is to unreliable............km
I use www.domainia.com myself. Depending on the county you are checking out, the data may be more current than in others.
I also agree that it is just a guide. You really need to take the figures and do a drive by of the comps to see if you are measuring apples vs. oranges.
Also, a relationship with a realtor is valuable. I have a deal with mine that they will get the listing when I decide to sell it.
the best way is to befriend a realtor and an appraiser. If they'll comp for you great, if they'll let you use their codes for MLS, even better. Expect to make it worth their while, whether that means using them for your sales, straight financial payouts, or steak dinners.
you have to be careful with the on-line comps. they offer an estimated apprasial valve. it can be unreliable. the comps. can be provided by the mls they list the prices that home have " sold for" this is the most reliable comps. by seeing what props. have sold for you can more/most accurately determine the true value of a prop. in a given area........km
All of the services pull from public records. www.Domania.com is the best free one I have used. They also have a decent home valuator. None of them are meant for pinpoint accuracy, but they do give you a good idea of area values.
You still need to do your extra homework and drive around and get familiar with the local areas you wiill be investing in.
I would try to find a good appraiser and he/she can run comps for you fairly accurate and free. Check out this site. www.realestate.yahoo.com/re/homevalues. It will let you know what houses around the subject property have sold for.
it has been my experience that on line comps. service are not reliable. www.homegain.com and yahoo realty give comps. but i feel that any of these services can only be used as a general guide. i have cross ref. many and have found that there comps. range is to unreliable............km
Try these:
www.cookcountyassessor.com
www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/transactions
http://rubloff.com
I've started using www.Domania.com recently. I like it much better than homegain or yahoo.
It's a free register for much more search and sorting options. Give it a shot. Hope this helps.
I use www.domainia.com myself. Depending on the county you are checking out, the data may be more current than in others.
I also agree that it is just a guide. You really need to take the figures and do a drive by of the comps to see if you are measuring apples vs. oranges.
Also, a relationship with a realtor is valuable. I have a deal with mine that they will get the listing when I decide to sell it.
GA_John
I use Wells Fargo's Home sales report, its free and works well for me.
I am not sure if it will work in Chicago or not ...let me know.
Here's the link:
http://homesales.basis100.com/home_sales_report/
what to use in texas as none of these worked including yahoo
the best way is to befriend a realtor and an appraiser. If they'll comp for you great, if they'll let you use their codes for MLS, even better. Expect to make it worth their while, whether that means using them for your sales, straight financial payouts, or steak dinners.
you have to be careful with the on-line comps. they offer an estimated apprasial valve. it can be unreliable. the comps. can be provided by the mls they list the prices that home have " sold for" this is the most reliable comps. by seeing what props. have sold for you can more/most accurately determine the true value of a prop. in a given area........km
All of the services pull from public records. www.Domania.com is the best free one I have used. They also have a decent home valuator. None of them are meant for pinpoint accuracy, but they do give you a good idea of area values.
You still need to do your extra homework and drive around and get familiar with the local areas you wiill be investing in.
There are no real shortcuts.