For Buyers

When you are looking to buy a house, it’s a good idea to hire a real estate agent who is knowledgeable about the area. A local realtor will have crucial information that an out-of-area realtor will not. You deserve to have all the facts about not just the home you are buying, but also the neighborhood in which it is located.

Reasons to work with a neighborhood realtor:

• Resident realtors will discern why certain homes on the same street are cost more than others. They can define accurate prices on particular homes in the vicinity.
• They know who formerly possessed homes in the neighborhood, and why they sold them.
• They know which streets in a neighborhood are more desired than others, and they know which streets may have unattractive neighbors who may impact value.
• They know the listing agents in the area and can negotiate with them and get privileged information. They can also counsel you on which agents take overpriced listings and which take listings at market value.
• They can refer you to local home inspectors, and they know if there are any inspections that should be performed that are specific to the area.
• They know about home owner’s associations that may be in the neighborhood, and what their rules and regulations are.

Some good websites to let you know about the neighborhood are

For Crime Statistics:

Crime Statistics, an imperfect measurement at best provide some indication of the level of criminal activity in an area. To check crime statistics for the city of Phoenix go to:

https://www.phoenix.gov/police/neighborhood-resources/crime-stats-maps

http://archive.azcentral.com/community/neighborhood/

Sex Offenders

Since June 1996, Arizona had had a registry and community notification program for convicted sex offenders. This information may be accessed at:

http://www.azdps.gov/services/sex%5Foffender/

Prior to June 1996, registration was not required, and only the highest risk sex offenders are on the website. The presence of a sex offender the vicinity of the property is not a fact that the seller or real estate agent is required to disclose.

or

http://www.city-data.com/so/so-Phoenix-Arizona.html

Schools

Although there is no substitute for an on site visit to the school to talk to the teachers and principals, there is a significant amount of information about Arizona’s schools on the internet. Visit http://www.ade.state.az.us for more information.

The ADRE advises “Call the school district serving the subdivision to determine whether nearby schools are accepting new students. Some school districts. especially in the northwest part of the greater Phoenix area have placed a cap enrollment. You may find that your children cannot attend the school nearest you and may even be transported to a new community”

http://www.azed.gov/school-district-web-sites/

 

Any other information you may need, you can find in the Buyer Advisory Guide.