When trying to find the perfect neighborhood to invest in, there are many variables to consider; schools, crime, resale value, access to amenities, and more.   I thought I’d put together a list of 3 tools we use at Investor Nation to help people find the right neighborhoods.  The best part?  They’re free:

1.  Overall neighborhood information by Zip Code:

For this I recommend Zip Skinny.  Not only do you get access to educational levels, household incomes, occupations and more but you can also view this data in graphs, charts, maps, and even compare other zips you are evaluating for your investment home purchase.

2.  Finding neighborhoods with good schools.

It’s critical to identify neighborhoods with the best schools where quality tenants will want to live.  Enter: Great Schools.  Great Schools is a website which features school ratings within certain a certain radius of a city or zip code.  Additionally it offers parent reviews which can be helpful in determining what the crowd is saying about particular schools.

3. Identifying low crime neighborhoods.

Staying away from high crime areas can offer a big financial impact on the bottom line of your properties.  Vacant homes are often stripped of air conditioning units, copper lines, furnaces, and even wiring.  After researching several online tools, I’ve found SpotCrime to be the best with actual maps showing crime incidents.

These tools can help your real estate investment experience by guiding you to neighborhoods that feature good schools and areas which are safe to live for prospective tenants.  This is often synonymous with areas and due diligence that are popular for corporate relocation which can give you a steady stream of tenants.

- Ryan Hinricher

Tags: real estate analysis, zip skinny