Effective Online Property Searches

It’s not easy getting all the information you need online when buying an Outer Banks property.  Most likely you’ll need a combination of a few to see if you need to go investigate a specific property further. Here are three that are good to start with:

Effective Online Property SearchesNational Real Estate Web Site:

Starting out with one of the national websites will provide you with good aerial shots, show pending sales and some recent sales and some other information.  It’s good to keep in mind that these sites may not be as up-to-date as possible and that there are many fields these sites don’t have that are critical to your OBX property search.  For example, you typically won’t find rental income or flood zone in the details of listings on national real estate websites.

Scottrealtyobx.com

On this website, you’ll be able to see many additional fields like rental income, expenses, lot size, and other important features of each listing. This site pulls down more information from the local MLS than the national websites.  You can also narrow your search down to specific areas or subdivisions.

County GIS

Both Dare and Currituck County have good GIS websites where you can view more information about a property.  They both have overlay maps of the aerial photos that include lot dimensions, flood maps, and other good tax information.

None of these sites by themselves is enough to make buying decisions. Even using all of them together may not be enough.  It’s a good idea to have a local Realtor set up our MLS so that you can get the listing information directly from the MLS.  That’s where you’ll receive the most information on each property. Feel free to contact Jeff and Sandy at your convenience and discuss what you have interest in.  We can set up the MLS so that you get this critical listing information.

For all your real estate needs call Jeff Scott & Sandy Martin with Scott Team Realty at 252-261-1500 or visit their website at www.scottrealtyobx.com.