So you want to start investing in San Antonio and you’re checking out things, huh?
That’s great! Just be sure to always do your homework and you won’t get schooled.
Here are some great tools that we have discovered and use from time to time, as well as some great real estate investing resources for investors here locally in San Antonio to tap into for quick research on your own investment deals.
The best thing is that the majority of the sites below are totally free!
Here are a few websites you need to get to know:
1. Zillow
Zillow is the biggest, baddest real estate site on the block. They’re building data on real estate wealth like few other websites.
The CEO of Zillow, Spencer Rascoff, stated their company’s greatest asset was their “living database of all houses”.
The Zestimate tool is way off, as a lot of people have noted. It is fun to find out what the computer calculates, but you still have to know how to analyze the comps and evaluate the market on your own.
Spend some time on Zillow and become familiar with the intimate details of every property sold in your target San Antonio neighborhoods. Really attempt to recognize the psychology of the prices, and try to comprehend why the seller and buyer chose that point to settle on.
Bear in mind, every sale is similar to a small piece of a moving puzzle which makes up the entire market.
Zillow is a wonderful tool for investors to get acquainted with their markets.
2. Craiglist
Craigslist is a great website. There are huge deals there, if you spend some time on the site. People write bad ads for awesome properties. It happens every hour of every day across Texas. Sometimes the best properties just get one bad ad. So you have got to scour.
3. LoopNet
LoopNet is the grandfather of commercial property investing.
If you want to sell a gigantic freakin building to institutional investors, this is the website that you want to list it on.
Occasionally you will find fantastic deals on LoopNet, but you are competing with every other investor to locate them. If you’re a Grade-A investor working with a top notch broker, you have an opportunity to win the bid and seal the deal. This isn’t the site for rookies.
LoopNet is a good spot to find out about the market in San Antonio and to see how the major money is moving. You will be amazed at what you can learn, so begin looking through the properties available and watching where they close.
4. Auction.com
Just like its name implies, Auction.com is a large clearinghouse of auctions, — foreclosures, short sales, REOs, land, new construction, distressed properties, — you name it and they probably sell it.
Definitely take a look at the auction calendar and make a point to go visit some San Antonio auctions. You never know just who you might meet at an auction – perhaps your future business partner?
5. Realtor.com
The largest place to search the MLS (multiple listing service), Realtor.com is occasionally confusing and sometimes does not seem consistent with what information it displays.
Nevertheless, it’s got some good search alerts and other tools which help you get alerted when a broker in your area has added a listing. If you are serious about investing, you probably want to form a good relationship with a great Realtor, instead of just the site itself.
6. Walkscore
Many investors overlook Walkscore.com — a major mistake.
Walkscore informs you a lot about any given address. It lets you know how a possible tenant or buyer will evaluate it — what is nearby and how much time it takes to get there.
Additionally, it is a great tool to target areas which are underpriced for their amenities. When an area has a very high walkscore and low prices, odds are good that prices will rise within the next few years. There are big exceptions — but walkability is a key factor in San Antonio investment.
These tools can better help you to understand the San Antonio area market, if you take the time to utilize them. Do your homework, and get to know the market before you begin dumping your hard-earned cash into a property.
Give us a call at (210) 807-6567 — we like to partner with investors, and we’ve got great terms.
If you are looking to access local San Antonio investment properties, awesome!