‘Home Disclosure’ will help you research your neighborhood before you move
We tried it out on Mayor Marty Walsh’s new Dorchester home.
When touring a home, you might only be there for an hour or so, giving you little time to explore the neighborhood or even the home’s history.
RealtyTrac wants to fix that and help make you a more informed homebuyer.
With a new site and app, Home Disclosure, consumers have access to information ranging from how many sex offenders live in the neighborhood to environmental concerns, like airport noise, to the home’s loan history.
“When buying a home or investment property, it’s extremely important to completely investigate not only the property but also the neighborhood,’’ Mike Sawtell, executive vice president and general manager of consumer solutions at RealtyTrac, said in a statement. “The Home Disclosure report will let you do exactly that.’’
We wanted to see how the site worked – so we tested in on a not-so-random address, 2 Butler Street in Dorchester, which is the home Mayor Marty Walsh’s bought last summer.
After making our free account and typing in the mayor’s address, all the information comes up on the page, starting with three different scores for the number of alerts, concerns, and benefits of living in the neighborhood.
Scroll down to find more detailed information based on the categories above.
For example, take the two brownfields, or a piece of land that has been used for industrial purposes and may be contaminated by hazardous waste. The site will tell you exactly where the brownfields are and how far they are from the address.
For more data on the home itself, you can scroll a little further and get information on tax history, fair market rent, where the closest municipal necessities are, and the sales history.
“It’s interesting that in today’s world, consumers will perform more pre-diligence on a $30,000 automobile (by purchasing a Carfax report) than they will on a $300,000 home,’’ Sawtell said. “This is because until now there was not a simple method to access the necessary information.’’
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