Real Estate Investing

Trulia is a real estate search engine designed to bring you home listings, local real estate data, trends, and community overviews. After running your search you'll see all the properties that fit your criteria pinpointed on GoogleMap, making for easy comparison. Click a pinpoint for expanded information about the property (and in most cases, a photograph). Trulia is not run by brokers or agents, so you can trust them to bring you unbiased information.

HotPads.com is a map-based property search engine. Use the map on the homepage to find the area you're considering, and zoom in to find available properties. If you're not interested in navigating an onscreen map, you can enter your constraints and search by city. The stunning graphics and Microsoft Virtual Earth map are definite perks, and although listings tend to be skimpy in suburban areas, investors-to-be looking in metropolitan centers will find decent depth.

Allthelistings.com lists for-sale-by-owner properties. Sellers can list a property and read the "Sellers Resources" section. Buyers can search properties by state and get a list of properties sorted by city and price. Search results list city, price, area, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and type of dwelling. Click on a property for details and seller contact information.

USA.gov is a federal government site that lists all of the properties and homes that the government is selling-either because it no longer needs the properties, or because it has seized them. Look up single-family homes, farms and ranches, commercial buildings and land, or state and government properties.

Realtor.com , noted earlier as a source for general information, also has resources for finding a professional to assist you with your real estate needs.

Real Estate Agents Index helps you find an agent to aid you in buying or selling your property. Visit the "More Information" section to provide prospective agents with the essential details of the property you're looking to buy or sell.

HomeGain lets you search and compare realtors in your area. HomeGain also locates properties for sale and in foreclosure, and calculates home value and mortgage rates.

Century21 , "franchiser of the world's largest residential real estate sales organization," lets you find agents and properties directly through their site. Fill out the information on this page to locate the representatives in your area. Contacting these agents directly, or access their privately operated Web sites (via the links provided on the results page) to browse listings.

Coldwell Banker , the country's oldest real estate organization, allows you to buy or sell a property online, or find a broker.

RE/MAX is a real estate sales-franchise network with agents and properties in countries all around the world. On the site you can search for properties across the United States, locate an agent in your area, and access information on buying and selling properties. The "Neighborhood Valuation Report" has details on the neighborhood you're interested in.

RealEstateABC has a sophisticated valuation with customizable parameters to most closely estimate the value of any property in the United States. An integrated GoogleMap shows where the most recent sales were in relation to your property, and the selling price of those properties.

NETROnline lets you search for home values and general public records. You'll have access to parcel maps, property reports and histories, deeds, vital records, tax data, and even environmental statistics in any given area on such important considerations as radon, asbestos, and lead. There's also a directory of service providers to help you deal with these issues.

HouseValues.com is a free service that aides you in finding the market value of your home and a suggested listing price. Start by entering your zip code. The site will direct you through the rest of the determination process. This site is straightforward and simple.

The American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) contains a section for homebuyers and sellers to use when searching for a home inspector. You can take part in a virtual home inspection to get an idea of what a home inspector will check for, learn what requirements inspectors must meet to be licensed in individual states, or search for an ASHI home inspector in your area.

Home Inspections USA is a directory of home-inspection companies in the United States. Just click on a state on the U.S. map to find the companies in a particular state. The site also has informative home inspection articles for home buyers and sellers.

Bankrate.com offers a "Home Improvement Guide 2007" that lists the 10 most important home-remodeling projects to take on. Click the links to any project for a list of the cities in which you are most likely to recoup costs from your effort. This is a worthwhile site to visit to determine which projects are most worthwhile, and which you can forgo. Visit the TOC for links to many other relevant discussions and tips on improving resale value.

Christopher M. Knight's Top7Business provides a list of the top seven repairs you should make before you sell your home.

Repair-Home.com takes you through each room of your home and provides instruction on how to make a variety of repairs. This site addresses issues with floors and ceilings, walls, plumbing and electrical systems, and maintenance of your heating and cooling controls. You'll also find a forum to use if you need to bounce ideas off of-or commiserate with-someone working on the same type of repairs.

RealEstateJournal is part of The Wall Street Journal network. Read tips for buying or selling your home, or learn about trends in the market. Browse properties or realtors, and find articles about buying a second home, gardening, and remodeling your home.

The New York Times lets you search by location for available properties while also highlighting the latest headlines in real estate news. Much of the content is free, but for total coverage you'll need to register and pay for membership to the online version of the newspaper.

Iman News provides news on real estate and technology innovations. Visit the "News" link for articles detailing the latest in industry developments-links throughout the text define terms and take you to more in-depth coverage. You can also visit the Inmanblog or Inmanwiki for user-generated coverage.

Realblogging calls itself "the official real estate industry blog." The entries in this blog discuss current developments and trends, and it has a useful glossary of terms.

Future of Real Estate Marketing is a blog that keeps you up to date on the trends of the real estate market, particularly as they apply to the Web. You'll read about the latest real estate Web sites, and get some insight on the latest generation of home buyers.

Agents Online is a forum for real estate professionals. There are individual sections for agents, brokers, buying, selling, foreclosures, relocation, home inspection, and much more. This forum allows you to contribute to real estate discussions on nearly any topic relevant to the industry.