When You Need More Information

When you need more information on a town, city or other area, typically, the information is only a few clicks away.
Of course, your local Realtor is going to be one of the best places to start - that is, as long as they are familiar with the area in which you are researching. I know alot abou the Triangle Region of North Carolina which encompasses Apex, Cary, Morrisville, Wake Forest, Durahm, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Raleigh, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, Garner, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina and a few others. I would not be a good resource for information on Sanford or Greensboro which are outside my area of expertise.
But when poeople come to me for questions, I try to answer the best I can, and then I refer them out. My favorite places to refer people are to their town (or City) websites.
For example, I have my finger on the pulse of Apex, NC development. One reason is because I continually study the Apex Development map at http://www.apexnc.org/. There, you can find an interactive map that shows everything the city has on the table. You may find information that other local Realtors don't know about yet like future developments, neighborhoods, roadways, stores, shopping centers, etc.
When you have a question about a certain city, just Google the town: "Town of Apex, NC" or "City of Raleigh, NC". Planning departments, zoning departments and engineering departments are always a great place to look for information. And don't be afraid to call them either. Many city offices are happy to answer questions - and if you have to leave a message - do so. I have been proptly called back many times by city officials.
Of course for schools, you can always check out the county website, or go to http://www.wcpss.net/.
I have many more links on my website at www.drewludlow.com. Click here: http://drewludlow.com/default.asp_Q_f_E_links_view_A_id_E_65. I also posted another blog entry with many more cool Wake County school links: http://cpgrealty.blogspot.com/2007/10/wake-county-nc-schools.html
When you do purchase a home, you have to turn on the utlities, right? Don't open the yellow pages. Google your favorite town's website - or better yet, click here: http://drewludlow.com/default.asp_Q_f_E_cpg_A_pg_E_LocalUtilities