First and foremost, the Internet is a great place to follow real estate news. If you are purchasing larger properties and seeking larger financing following news from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA is useful to understand how the debt markets are evolving and to recognize potential effects on values as a result. Also, there are a number of services that give up dates on rates including the Wall Street Journal, Rueters, Bloomberg and many others. For general market news, there are a wide range of internet blogs and publications on market developments. Many focus on very narrow points such as title insurance, private debt, appraisals, etc. Some are general market news with information about deals and other activity.
Next, loopnet, MLS services, and CoStar are great services to find information about available deals and recent sales. There are others, but these are the largest. Another great feature at Loopnet is that many properties provide current and historical financials, descriptions of the amenities, and other property information like acreage, unit mix, etc. This information can provide invaluable information for comparing prospects to market rate alternatives.
Also on the deal front, you can sign up as an investor on some of the larger brokerage sites to receive sales offerings for large properties. Many of the sites are regionally focused, so you may have to sign up for various areas depending on your interests.
For market comparable information, sites like Hotpads.com, Apartmentfinder.com, Apartments.com, Move.com provide a wealth of rental information. Most of these allow you to narrow your searches to produce very narrowly defined information such as number of bedrooms, zipcode, and many other specific facts that may effect your purchase and operating assumptions.
Additionally, there are a number of sites that offer good operating information for rental properties. One of my favorites in this area is Multifamilyinsiders. The site has several thousand members. Many of which blog regularly about issues like leasing, resident management, background checks, collections, and all other renting issues.
Beginning with these internet sources, investors, owners, operators will quickly develop a current view of residential real estate investing and operating requirements and developments. From these you can expect ot have fresh, quality data on almost all issues at all times.
Blake Ratcliff (US Naval Academy Graduate & Marine, Serial startup management team member, COO/CEO, multifamily / residential investment founder, and property manager).
Blake’s crafted 100+ business plans, prepared and delivered 1000″ investor presentations, and is an expert financial modeler. A deeply experienced real estate business person and startup business expert, Blake hones your Business plans, reports, and presentations.
