Moving to Houston from out of state? Use these Online Resources
Brittany Cabrera, M. Ed.
Serving my community by helping Home Buyers, Sellers, & relocators be Powerful in the Houston Real Estate market with Tenacity, Heart & Creativity. Call or Text anytime - 832-341-1289
Zillow is great, but when you are moving to Houston Zillow is NOT King. In fact, Zillow, Realtor.com, and pretty much any and all nationwide websites for searching for homes is going to fall short compared to our go to resource here in Houston. Below I have listed the King of Real Estate websites here as well as 2 other online resources that are great ways to search for homes when moving to the Houston area.
Har.com is King here in Houston.
Linked directly to the MLS Matrix, when I go in and change something with my listings the update is automatic to HAR.com but it could take up to a day or more with all of the other websites. This leaves those websites behind the times. Listing statuses change, houses go under contract or they come on to the market and people who only rely on one of the other websites simply fall behind other buyers who use har.com.
The other important thing that is hard to see on the other websites is FLOOD ZONES. On har.com you can easily see if the house you are interested in is in a flood zone with the color coded map that is directly linked to FEMA. This is important information when moving here to Houston. If you are having trouble finding it, let me know and I can guide you.
Especially with our low inventory, and still fast moving market don't be left behind other buyers.
Homes.com is one of the few nationwide websites that I like to use after I have narrowed down my search on har.com. There are 2 great features on homes.com
If it is important to you to be in a good school district and you are from out of state, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which neighborhoods to focus on. On homes.com you can search an area and get information on all of the schools and districts in the area. You can see the overall school proficiency levels for both Math and Reading as well as the overall School Report Card Grade which shows overall performance. Homes.com also has some of the best neighborhood profiles on any real estate website making it easy to choose the neighborhood that you want to focus on.
Crime rates are important to consider when moving to an area that you are unfamiliar with. Neighborhoodscout.com has a color coded and interactive map. You can click on an area and it will auto populate with a color coded break down of the areas with the highest and lowest crime rates.
Bottom Line:
When moving to Houston from out of state, you want to have someone local who is on your side helping you and advocating for you. Choosing a Realtor here that will work for you is important. I often say "just because we all have the same license doesn't mean we all do the same job". Make sure to choose a Realtor who offers help, guidance, and resources to help you find the best place for you.