From neighborhood demographics to title information, here are 20 tools you can use to do the right due diligence research before your next property purchase.
When venturing into the realm of real estate, the importance of real estate due diligence can’t be overstated. It’s a crucial process that helps you determine whether a property is a great opportunity or a potential pitfall. Whether you’re a seasoned real estate investor wanting to add to your portfolio or a first-time homebuyer looking for a great primary home, the right information can make or break your purchasing decisions.
Having access to a wide array of reliable resources can transform the way you assess and invest in properties. You don’t want to bid or buy without knowing everything you can about the property and how it fits into your overall buying strategy. That’s why we’ve rounded up a list of 20 comprehensive tools that can help you browse property data, examine neighborhoods, analyze local rental markets, secure accurate title information, and more.
Each resource is chosen to help you conduct thorough and effective real estate due diligence, making sure that your property purchases are informed, strategic, and well-supported by data. No matter if you’re considering a traditional transaction or bidding in a property auction, tools like these can help you research the real estate market with confidence.
Xome.com
Website: xome.com
We might be a little biased, but Xome offers a comprehensive, technology-driven platform for buying and selling real estate properties online that aims to be a one-stop shop for browsing, researching, buying, and selling. Our goal is to streamline and democratize the real estate transaction process, making it more transparent and efficient for both buyers and sellers.
Xome listings feature everything you need to know about the property itself, like price and tax history, plus in-depth insights like an automated property valuation, rental valuation, area statistic, market trends, comparable property sales in the area, and more. You can search properties featured in upcoming auction events or hit up retail listings, all from one single site.
Zillow
Website: zillow.com
Zillow is a real estate and rental marketplace, providing data-rich tools for property and market research. When it’s not being featured on Saturday Night Live, it offers access to a wide range of information on properties, including listings of homes for sale or rent, as well as details about properties not actively on the market.
In addition to property information, Zillow also offers a home value estimate, rental income estimate, property tax history, and market analysis capabilities with tools that compare properties and assess local market trends.
Redfin
Website: redfin.com
Redfin isn’t just an online platform for property listings — it also includes tools for analyzing market conditions, comparing properties, and viewing demographic information. It features comprehensive reports on the US housing market, looking at both high-level and state-wide trends in supply, demand, and more.
Redfin features details such as listing prices, historical price data, property features, and neighborhood market trends to help you weigh and compare properties. In addition, its estimation tool offers users an automated valuation of home prices based on recent market data.
Realtor.com
Website: realtor.com
Realtor.com is a real estate listing website that provides users with access to residential property listings across the United States. Like other listing sites, it features comprehensive information on homes for sale and rental properties, including descriptions, historical data, photos, and community and school information.
The site also offers tools for market analysis and property comparisons, helping users gauge local real estate conditions.
National Association of Realtors (NAR)
Website: nar.realtor
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is the largest trade association in the United States, primarily representing real estate professionals. But that isn’t the only audience who can use NAR’s site — it also provides valuable resources accessible to the public, including comprehensive market data, research, and educational materials.
The NAR website offers insights into the housing market through publicly available reports, articles, and research studies, which can be useful for anyone looking to buy, sell, or rent out properties. It also features updates on housing legislation and policies that impact property owners.
PropStream
Website: propstream.com
Are you really getting into the real estate investment game? Propstream might be the due diligence tool for you. It offers comprehensive data on properties across the United States, including public records, market trends, property values, and more.
You can access in-depth data such as ownership details, mortgage information, property characteristics, and lien statuses. The site also includes tools for market analysis, renovation estimating, comps, and property search.
Rentometer
Website: rentometer.com
If you’re a current or aspiring landlord, Rentometer could help as you scope out new rental opportunities. It’s designed to help landlords, property managers, and real estate investors assess the rental price of properties. It allows users to compare rental rates against other listings in the same geographic area.
Users can enter details about a property, such as location, number of bedrooms, and amenities, and Rentometer will analyze current rental price data from its database to produce a report that helps provide a comprehensive view of local market conditions.
NeighborhoodScout
Website: neighborhoodscout.com
If you’re scoping out the areas around a potential property, check out NeighborhoodScout for detailed demographic, real estate, and crime data for neighborhoods across the United States.
The platform provides a wide range of analytics, including property values, trends in real estate investment, demographic breakdowns, school quality, and crime rates. Users can access reports that offer insights into the overall character and livability of neighborhoods.
HUD.gov
Website: hud.gov
HUD.gov — the official website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — can be a great source of information for real estate due diligence, including demographic and economic data, to help assess the potential for investment properties in various regions.
The HUD site also provides comprehensive resources on housing policies, funding opportunities, and fair housing guidelines, as well as tools for community and economic development.
City-Data.com
Website: city-data.com
If you’re looking for one single source to help fuel your research, City-Data compiles extensive demographic, economic, and geographic data across both public and private sources to create profiles for every city in the United States, down to the neighborhood level.
The website provides a range of information, including population demographics, crime rates, education levels, housing statistics, and economic conditions. You can even access older property tax assessments and valuations, tourist attractions and points of interest, climate information, and much more.
FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data)
Website: fred.stlouisfed.org
FRED, managed by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, offers free access to a wide array of economic data from national and international sources. This extensive database includes critical metrics such as employment rates, interest rates, price indexes, and GDP.
These reports can be filtered by geographic location to gain knowledge about cities and states where you’re interested in looking at properties. While you won’t find individual property information in FRED’s economic data, this information can help add additional dimension to your real estate due diligence.
TitlePro247
Website: titlepro247.com
Researching property titles is a key function of your due diligence research so you know exactly what liens might be on a property of interest. TitlePro247 is an online service that provides comprehensive title search and real estate research tools. It’s designed to help users access detailed property title documents and related information across the United States.
TitlePro247 allows users to perform thorough property searches quickly and helps streamline the process of obtaining property reports, historical title data, and other essential title-related documentation. This can be used alongside getting title reports through a title company or doing research on the ground at the county clerk’s office.
County Clerk Offices for Title Research
We’re all used to information at our fingertips via the Internet, but don’t forget how important in-person research can be. County clerk offices play a crucial role in real estate transactions by maintaining public records that are essential for title research. This can include titles, including deeds, mortgages, and other legal documents related to property ownership.
Accessing county records provides insights into a property’s legal status, especially information on any existing liens, easements, and encumbrances that you need to be aware of before purchasing a property, especially at auction.
Local Assessor’s Offices and GIS Services
Another key in-person resource for real estate due diligence is your local assessor’s office. They’ll have public records related to property assessments, including details on property ownership, assessed values, and property taxes.
Geographic Information System (GIS) services, often available through local government websites or regional data centers, offer spatial data that allows for detailed mapping and analysis of properties and their surroundings. These services enable users to visualize geographic and demographic information and may include tools that can be used to acquire specific data.
Mashvisor.com
Website: mashvisor.com
Mashvisor helps you access and analyze data for markets across the US, including and vacation rental market data. It aggregates data from multiple sources to provide comprehensive analytics and reports.
The service also offers tools that can help dig deeper into various aspects of your possible property investments, including rental income potential, occupancy rates, and overall return.
Google Maps
Website: maps.google.com
Believe it or not, Google Maps isn’t just for getting you through traffic jams. It can also be a great tool in your due diligence toolbox, providing detailed geographic data and features like street view, satellite imagery, and terrain data.
These capabilities let you explore property locations without ever leaving the house (a great feature if you’re buying in another state!), assess neighborhood conditions, and gain visual context without needing to visit in person.
Craigslist
Website: craigslist.org
Another often overlooked resource is Craigslist — the classified message boards offer a section dedicated to real estate that can be used as a grassroots-level tool for exploring local markets.
Looking through Craigslist listings can help provide insights into local housing demand and rental market conditions based on the frequency and type of listings in specific areas, highlighting area- or neighborhood-specific trends. This could be used to gauge potential for rental property investments or property flips.
DataTree by First American
Website: datatree.com
DataTree by First American is another comprehensive data service that provides access to extensive property and ownership information. It integrates data from multiple sources to deliver accurate and complete property data, including ownership details, transaction histories, and document images.
DataTree reports can be purchased individually for specific needs, or a subscription to the full service can provide access to more data reports and additional advanced features.
Attom Data Solutions
Website: attomdata.com
Another option is Attom Data Solutions, which provides premium information on property characteristics, ownership, transaction history, and mortgage data across the United States.
While many of Attom’s features are intended for large companies to use as part of their data infrastructure, they do provide regularly updated U.S. real estate and property data, some of which can be accessed free of charge and some of which can be accessed via their Property Navigator yearly subscription.
Nexis
Website: lexisnexis.com
LexisNexis isn’t just for legal professionals or college campuses — Nexis can also provide access to a wealth of information that’s particularly useful for doing in-depth real estate due diligence.
A subscription to Nexis allows you to search through extensive aggregated data from legal records, news, corporate information, and public records. You can see market trend analysis, detailed property histories, ownership details, financial data, and more.
