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City Data

Magnum P.I. & real estate investigation

July 29, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 2 Comments

Imagine you were hired to investigate a community and report on what the community is like based on information you can find online. Put your Magnum P.I. thinking cap on. What websites would you bookmark for research? What resources are available to give insight into the DNA of a neighborhood?

Maybe you’d interrogate the usual suspects like Megan’s Law, City-Data, Great Schools or Zillow among others I mentioned in a previous post. But what about the following ones? Would these be helpful to understand a community?

1) Unemployment Rates: EDD posts current and historical unemployment rates for cities and census designated places in California.

2) FBI Uniform Crime Report: This website lists all offenses reported to law enforcement (categorized by state and cities with 100,000 or more in population).

3) Nuclear Power Plants in United States: In case you wondered if there was a nuclear power plant near your house, check out the “Nukes Near Me” website (the link was removed on 10/01/2013 since it became a porn site instead of a nuclear power site).

4) Superfund Directory: Find out which sites near you are categorized as “Superfund” sites by the EPA. Search by state, congressional district or site name.

5) DEA National “Drug Lab” Register: This website by the U.S. Department of Justice contains addresses of some locations where law enforcement agencies reported they found chemicals or other items that indicated the presence of either clandestine drug laboratories or dumpsites (verbatim from website).

I definitely don’t have a P.I. designation, thick 80s mustache or red Ferrari, but my job as a real estate appraiser in Sacramento does have striking similarity with Tom Selleck. Okay, maybe that’s wishful thinking. I suppose it’s hardly similar, but the nature of real estate research does involve investigation and require information from some of the sources above, interviews with local agents and expertise to sift through and interpret often conflicting market data. There is so much that goes into really knowing the local real estate market.

What websites would you add to the list?

If you have any questions, or real estate appraisal or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact Lundquist Appraisal by phone 916-595-3735, email, Facebook or subscribe to posts by email.

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Filed Under: Internet, Random Stuff, Resources Tagged With: City Data, DEA National Drug Lab Registry, EDD, EPA Superfund Directory, FBI crime data, FBI Uniform Crime Report, knowing a community, Lundquist Appraisal Company, Magnum PI, Megan's Law, Nuclear power plants website, online research, Tom Selleck, Unemployment Rates in California, Zillow

What websites help you know a community?

March 21, 2011 By Ryan Lundquist 6 Comments

It’s important to do your homework when you purchase a property or move into a different community, right? After all, when escrow closes or the rental contract is signed, you’re stuck to a certain degree (obviously more stuck when you buy). Here is a list of websites I recommend checking out to help better understand a particular neighborhood or community – not just during the home-buying process either. It constantly amazes me just how much information we can find online.

What other websites would you suggest for getting to know a community? What websites do you recommend for buyers on the hunt for real estate?

  1. Local School District Website: You can check out the neighborhood’s school district website and also websites like www.greatschools.org or even the CA Dept of Education website to review test scores.
  2. Crime Statistics: Does your community or city have data for crime statistics? Sacramento County has a great crime-mapping tool so you can see what types of crimes have been reported recently in the immediate neighborhood. It may be worth googling your street name, the tract name, and city name too to see what has been reported. Keep in mind the local newspaper often reports crime data too.
  3. Superfund Website: Are there any reported environmental issues in the neighborhood or city? Check out the EPA’s Superfund website (This isn’t about “super fun”).
  4. Neighborhood Website: Is there a formal neighborhood association or volunteer association in the neighborhood? What type of information is found on their website? If there is a public online forum, see if you can find out what people are praising and also complaining about.  
  5. Megan’s Law: This website in California keeps a list of designated registered sex offenders. A website like this might be of some use or interest to certain buyers or home owners.
  6. City website: If the property you are purchasing is located in city, peruse the city website to see if there is any relevant information. You can discover quite a bit about future plans for particular sections of town or current issues facing the community.
  7. Local news website: Check out the local news paper for the city or community. You may also consider doing a blog search to see what locals are saying about the neighborhood.
  8. General Data Sites: You may wish to find out particular statistics for you area such as owner-occupancy rates or a breakdown of the population. Look into websites like the United States Census Bureau, Motovo “neighborhood” search, Brainy Zip (www.brainyzip.com), Neighborhood Scout or City Data (www.city-data.com).

If you have any real estate appraisal, consulting, or property tax appeal needs in the Greater Sacramento Region, contact me at 916.595.3735, by email, on our company website or via Facebook.

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Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: appraiser in Sacramento, appraisers, appraisers in Sacramento, Brainzy Zip, buying in a particular neighborhood, CA Department of Education, City Data, Crime Statistics, EPA, getting to know a community online, how to know your community, Lundquist Appraisal Company, Megan's Law, Movoto, Neighborhood Scout, sacramento appraisers, Sacramento Real Estate Appraiser, school district, Superfund, US Census Bureau, websites to look up before purchasing a home

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First off, thank you for being here. Now let's get into the fine print. The material and information contained on this website is the copyrighted property of Ryan Lundquist and Lundquist Appraisal Company. Content on this website may not be reproduced or republished without prior written permission from Ryan Lundquist.

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The information on this website is meant entirely for educational purposes and is not intended in any way to support an opinion of value for your appraisal needs or any sort of value conclusion for a loan, litigation, tax appeal or any other potential real estate or non-real estate purpose. The material found on this website is meant for casual reading only and is not intended for use in a court of law or any other legal use. Ryan will not appear in court in any capacity based on any information posted here. For more detailed market analysis to be used for an appraisal report or any appraisal-related purpose or valuation consulting, please contact Ryan at 916-595-3735 for more information.

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