Resources
Are you relocating to Minnesota? There are so many questions, and so many things that you and your family will need to research. Bookmark this page for the most helpful resources we could find.
Online resources are useful. However, your local Independent Brokers Realty agent knows the area and knows market conditions. The internet is not a substitute for a knowledgeable Minnesota real estate professional. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions. We’re here to help!
Minnesota Schools
Valuation Estimates and Neighborhood Data
For local information, including entertainment, community issues, culture, and services, bookmark outside.in. For amenities in close proximity to a particular address, try Walk Score.
An online tool called Terabitz was designed as a platform for all types of real estate information that might be useful for both buyers, sellers, and real estate agents. Terabitz is the brainchild of a 17 year old named Kamran Munchi, who pitched the idea to his enterprising father, Ashfaq Munshi, who founded the company. Users of the site use a drop-and-drag menu to gather information about homes, apartments, crime rates, schools, local businesses, foreclosures, and more.
For free online estimates of home values and median neighborhood prices, try Zillow. Some real estate agents scorn Zillow for its inaccuracies, but estimating market value of a home without even seeing the neighborhood is a Herculean task. Zillow is careful to state that their calculations do not constitute appraisals, and that their accuracy is a function of the amount of data for a particular neighborhood. As Zillow states their numbers are only a starting point. Inaccuracies can be created by many factors, including negotiating factors and sellers contributions to buyer closing costs (points.) Zillow recommends following up on their calculations by having a real estate agent do a comparative market analysis, hiring a professional appraiser, or visiting the property whenever possible. They also suggest creating a home evaluation tool with on their site, so you can make your own calculations. Zillow also calculates median price ranges for subject neighborhoods. The big downfall with Zillow is the fragmented home search feature. At times, Zillow only provides about 13-29% of listings found on the idx/mls ! If you want to see all available homes, please check out our state-of-the-art idx search.
Another online source, Trulia, fares a little better, providing 69-90% of the mls/idx listings currently available. Trulia, does provide some sketchy market data with its “Real Estate Guides section., and shows which neighborhoods are hottest for real estate sales. It is not a definitive resource, but it is a starting point for some home buyers who are looking for generalizations about local markets. Trulia also has a page called “Trulia Voices” that visitors can use to pose real estate questions to any real estate agents who are willing to answer them. The best feature of Trulia is the school data that provides performance scores in English and Math.
Demographics
The definitive demographics resource, of course, is the U.S. Census Bureau. The easiest starting point for collecting information from this site is the State and County Quickfacts page, which also contains information about cities as well. This is also a good resource for information about economics, business trends, and geography.
A site called Zipskinny integrates data from the U.S Census and packages it in a very accessible manner. The site displays easy to read, colorful graphs that allow you to get a snapshot view of the same data that the Census Bureau provides.
Crime
Here is a link to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report for the state of Minnesota. The site also has population statistics and the size of local police departments to help you put the data in perspective. The FBI is careful to note that their information might not be complete. Therefore, you should contact the local police precinct for more detailed information. Uniform crime reports for Minnesota can also be found at the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Please note that there are many commercial sites that offer police reports, but the information is notoriously unreliable. Also, the Minnesota Department of Corrections does not offer information on compliant predatory offenders. Commercial sites that offer this sort of information are also very unreliable. The Minnesota Department of Corrections forbids third party sites from linking to its non-compliant predatory offenders lookup page.
Mortgage Calculators and Interest Rate Monitors
BankRate.com and many on-one lenders offer morgtgage calculators. Most of these offer similar information. A word of caution: The computations are estimates only, and do not in any way guarantee that you qualify for a loan. Also, we recommend that you obtain a written good faith estimate showing costs as an API. Be wary of out-of-state online lenders. It is best to find a local mortgage officer that you can meet face-to-face. However, customers are always free to use their lender of choice.
Interest rate monitors such as this one also abound on the net. Keep in mind that this data is not guaranteed, and may be misleading because the quote might not include points or special conditions.
Cost of Living Calculator
To find out how far your salary will go in Minnesota or other localities, try CNN Money’s cost of living calculator.
Doctors
Minnesota Physician Finder is sponsored by the Minnesota Medical Association.
Childcare
This childcare finder is funded in part by the Minnesota Department of Human Resources. We have found that many of the other childcare finders on the net are out of date. We cannot make any representations about any of the childcare providers listed here, and encourage you to research individual care providers and obtain references.
Houses of Worship
A definitive directory of all Minnesota churches does not exist. However, the yellow pages seems to have the most comprehensive church directory.
Find a Reputable Mover
We cannot endorse any particular mover. Please visit MovingScam.com for help.
More Help
Do you need more help finding information about Minnesota? We would love to help you make your relocation to Minnesota as easy as possible. Contact us at (952)949-0263. We will get back to you with any information that might be helpful to you.
