Doing Some Homework

Upon my arrival, this house appeared how I had anticipated: tired, beige, unremarkable, needs work. There wasn’t much exciting about this property, except that it presents itself as a good opportunity for talking about the fascinating topic of utilizing city records. Yeah, I know, snoooooze.

Back to the story. What piqued my interest was the vacant lot next door, because it was all torn up and full of busy backhoes shifting dirt around. You might ask: what is going on over there? Would this be wise for me to move next to? Here’s a quick, fun way to find out, if you haven’t done it before. You can go to the Department of Planning and Development website and find the Parcel Data Search option. Enter the address in question, and bingo, they’ll fill you in on all sorts of information. If the property you’re researching doesn’t have an address visible from the street, take a quick hop over to Zillow.com and click around on their aerial map until you’ve got it.

The scoop is, the new neighbors for this property are… duplex townhomes! And their side sewer permits look mighty fine. Plus, the lot is officially not a heron habitat.

The damage: Price: $319,950 (ack!). Previously sold in 1997 for $105,000. 1,040 square feet. 3 beds, 1 bath.